As Rabbi Mendel Mangel, the director of the Chabad in Cherry Hill, knows, there are many reasons why people come to be part of his community. With services, a mikvah, a Hebrew school, adult education courses and more, there is always something going on at the Chabad.
But there is one common link for all of these people.
“For the most part, people are looking to nurture their soul,” he said. “They’re looking for something that will talk to their spiritual craving. They want to connect to God.”
The Chabad in Cherry Hill was founded in 1993 to serve the Cherry Hill area, which has a rich Jewish tradition. There were, of course, many who were excited to take part in a local arm of Chabad, but that doesn’t mean it was easy to get started. Mangel joined when the Chabad opened and said that there is no single formula to building a community at a new synagogue.
“There were some that were really looking and yearning for something that they didn’t have, and they found it within Chabad,” Mangel said. “And then there were others that we really had to come up with creative programming and stimulating educational events [in order to attract them].”
One program that has been a success at the Chabad in Cherry Hill is the eight-week summer camp for kids. It attracts between 250 and 300 children over the course of three weeks and has been a staple of the community for 20 years. Mangel practices what he preaches: His own kids attended the camp, and his grandchildren do now.
“It’s been really incredible because it’s another model of trying to show families that you can have fun and have a proper Jewish environment and atmosphere infused in one. It’s not about having fun or being Jewish. It’s about having fun and being Jewish,” he said.
Mangel doesn’t work with the camp much, as he is more involved in the everyday functions of the Chabad. There are services three times a day at the shul, which takes much of his attention. They haven’t missed a minyan “in years,” Mangel said.
That’s especially impressive when you consider that Chabad houses are on their own when it comes to funding. The name carries some cachet, but there isn’t any national funding source that Mangel and his colleagues can rely on. At the Chabad in Cherry Hill, many programs and services are free of charge, too. Anyone can stroll in for a Rosh Hashanah service without paying a fee. So, how does the organization stay afloat? Mangel said that it’s thanks to donors who recognize the special function of the Chabad. Many of those donors also belong to a more traditional shul elsewhere in the community.
“They really appreciate the vibrancy and enthusiasm and depth of programming that we do, and they support us,” he said. “We have people who pay extra because they want to benefit people who can’t afford it. We’ve been blessed with a very open, loving community who really recognize and appreciate the gifts of our centers.”
The word Chabad is a Hebrew anagram that means “wisdom, knowledge and understanding,” and Mangel said that it serves as the basis for what he does in Cherry Hill.
While attending synagogue and other Chabad events is great, it’s about more than that.
“To encourage people to really connect — not just take action, which is important — but to try to go deeper, to try and find the bond that holds them [together],” he said.
At the Chabad in Cherry Hill, this connection is everything. Mangel said that it is a testament to the strength of the Jewish people, who have been around for thousands of years.
“We all have a part of God within us. And you know, it’s not just the brisket. It doesn’t satisfy everybody to just have matzah ball soup. They want to have the connection to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Sarah,” he said. “We’ve been here for three and a half thousand years. It’s not just because of the food that we eat or the songs that we sing. They want to have a connection.”