When Rabbi Moshe Brennan took over at Chabad of Penn Wynne in 2011 after spending seven years at Chabad of the Main Line, he said that it was quite a change.
“It was very drastic. Penn Wynne was a very small community at the time, and it was getting smaller,” he said. “My challenge was to come in and turn the tide and build it up again.”
While that is no easy task, Brennan said that he started with a simple idea: listening.
“It’s [about] trying to see what the community needs and what you might do that might be welcomed by everyone and what they’re looking for,” he said. “Instead of telling them what they need, [it’s] listening to what it is that they want and trying to create that reality for them.”
The results speak for themselves, as today Chabad of Penn Wynne is a healthy and growing community with a full calendar and a devoted group of congregants. Nothing illustrates this better than the Chabad’s growing physical footprint. Chabad of Penn Wynne began 20 years ago as tenants of the Kaiserman JCC. Today, it rents a facility just down the road from the JCC. Earlier this year, they found what will hopefully be their third and final home base.
“In February, we bought a property that we will develop to be our forever home,” Brennan said. “We’re working on that — it’s still very much in the early and planning stages, but we own the property, and now we’ve got to get a design, get approvals and all of that. So it’s in the very, very early days, but we’re very excited for growth.”
That growth is thanks to a diverse offering of events, from Friday night Shabbat services to Jewish learning classes and challah baking sessions. Brennan said that one of the methods that the Chabad uses to ensure its messages continue to reach the community is targeting certain segments of area Jews. There is specific messaging for seniors who come to the Chabad, as there is specific messaging for those who live in different areas around Penn Wynne.
A common misconception about Chabad houses is that, because they are linked by the greater Chabad International, they receive monetary support from the umbrella organization. That isn’t true. At Chabad of Penn Wynne, as well as every other Chabad community center, the rabbi and his family are responsible for raising the funds necessary to keep the organization moving forward.
“Chabad International is extremely dynamic and they do tons of stuff and are extremely helpful; however, there is no way they could provide support for all Chabad centers. So if you fit into a specialty, you might be able to get a little bit of support, but as far as community Chabad centers, we’re all on our own entirely,” Brennan said. “We need to raise every cent of our budget ourselves locally, and it’s not easy.”
As Brennan looks back on the past decade and a half and what has worked at Chabad of Penn Wynne, he said that the focus has always been on the people above all else. A full calendar is great, but it is nothing without a happy group of attendees.
“Everyone wants to be in a happening community that has a lot going on, that has a lot for them to choose from. Of course, the challenge is that you have to have people actually coming to the events and supporting [those people] in order to keep them going,” he said.
Brennan said that his goal at Chabad of Penn Wynne is to create a place where people can explore their Judaism without boundaries.
“We are open to everyone. That really is our mission. We really don’t have any barriers to allowing people to join us — that’s the reason we don’t have annual fees. Our job is really to make Judaism accessible to everyone,” Brennan said. “People who are trying to discover a bit more about their Judaism, who want to get involved to any extent, should feel free to reach out to join us. If they don’t have anywhere to go for the High Holidays, if they don’t belong to a shul, they could show up to us. That’s why we’re here.”