Bris Avrohom of Fair Lawn is expanding outreach with an $8 million capital campaign, and the purchase of the property belonging to the former Temple Beth Sholom of Fair Lawn.

Bris Avrohom was founded by the Lubavitcher Rebbe in 1979, aimed primarily at outreach to Jews from the former Soviet Union. Under the leadership of Rabbi Mordechai and Shterny Kanelsky, Bris Avrohom quickly grew into a large organization, opening one community after another to enable our brethren to grow in Yiddishkeit in various cities and towns throughout the state of New Jersey and beyond.

Rabbi Mendel and Elke Zaltzman are the current directors at Bris Avrohom of Fair Lawn, which opened its doors in 1993 at the direction of the Lubavitcher Rebbe and under the leadership of Rabbi Berel Zaltzman, and Rebbetzin Chaya Esther, ob”m, Zaltzman, Rabbi Mendel’s parents.

Rabbi Benjamin Yudin, who gave his blessings and assistance in opening Bris Avrohom of Fair Lawn, cherished the growth of Yiddishkeit in Fair Lawn and lovingly referred to the small storefront on Fair Lawn Avenue as “the first shul in Radburn Fair Lawn.” Indeed, it was the first shul in Radburn and indeed very small.

It was the year 2000 and Bris Avrohom of Fair Lawn had outgrown its humble storefront and purchased the building the organization now occupies, the old Elks Club building on Fair Lawn Avenue.

Rabbi Mendel said that Bris Avrohom of Fair Lawn has grown tremendously in recent years and is bursting at the seams. “We are open to every Jew and focused primarily on bringing in unaffiliated Jews from the former Soviet Union … giving them Judaism that’s too good to refuse,” he said. The organization follows the Chabad Lubavitch philosophy that the Rebbe continues to inspire in so many, instilling Jewish pride, love and joy in a “relaxed, nonjudgmental environment.” Bris Avrohom of Fair Lawn focuses on synagogue, community and adult education, with a particular effort aimed at children, teens and young families, with several hundred children attending its day camp that opened in 2008, and weekly Hebrew school that is maxed out at 75 children due to lack of space.

In an interview with The Jewish Link, Rabbi Mendel explained that the current location has been too small for some years now, and that due to the growth and thirst for authentic Yiddishkeit a major expansion was planned for its current property, already receiving town approval, with the exception of a preschool.

The property that Bris Avrohom is in contract to purchase, with an expected closing in February of 2025, had belonged to Beth Shalom, a Conservative synagogue that recently merged with the Fair Lawn Jewish Center to become B’nai Shalom/Fair Lawn Jewish Center. Although Beth Shalom’s services have moved, it continues to maintain its preschool on site.

A young child’s involvement in Yiddishkeit sets the tone for the rest of his or her life. As Rabbi Mendel shared, the Rebbe’s guidelines about receiving a Jewish education, a taste of Torah, mitzvahs and godliness at the earliest age possible were “The younger, the better.”

The facilities that currently house the preschool program were one of the main attractions for Rabbi Mendel, as owning that space means they can open a preschool and start growing Jewish life immediately. When asked by The Jewish Link if there were any philosophical differences in how the program is currently being run, he answered with an emphatic “No,” adding, “The leadership of the school is very traditional in how Shabbos and holiday celebrations are taught and how Jewish values are instilled. It’s like the way we run our day camp.”

Rabbi Mendel saw other advantages to the purchase as well. For one thing, without this property, there would be nowhere to go while the current building is being renovated. The new property offers a fully functional, move-in condition facility. None of Bris Avrohom of Fair Lawn’s current activities and programs would be disrupted; on the contrary, they would grow exponentially on day one, allowing all of the shul’s currently maxed-out programs and events to grow even further. Another plus is the large social hall with a capacity of approximately 300, and two commercial kitchens. The social hall will also be open to the community for simchas and other events.

Another advantage is the marquee location. Not only is it near Bris Avrohom’s current property, but it sits at the corner of Fair Lawn Avenue and Saddle River Road, one of the gateways into town. A facade change to modernize the property will serve as a fresh, modern new face of this location for the Jewish community. With the purchase of the new property, the current one will be used nearly exclusively as a synagogue, its renovation postponed to a future date.

Rabbi Mendel voiced that the deal for the Beth Shalom property is more than two years in the making. He first heard about it before it was listed for sale, but had to wait until an official announcement before placing a bid. Although his $5 million offer was not the highest, the board of directors awarded it to his organization largely because their cherished preschool would remain operational without disruption to the teachers and students. Just as important, Fair Lawn’s overall Jewish presence would be strengthened. Rabbi Mendel is grateful to the board for making a financial sacrifice and keeping the property a part of Fair Lawn’s Jewish infrastructure, something the entire Jewish community will benefit from and enjoy for many years.

Although a $1.5 million down payment has already been raised, the entire capital campaign, including the renovation of the property, is budgeted at $8 million. A website for this exciting campaign has been launched, “www.GrowingJewish.Life,” and plans to do just that with a strong focus on growing the Jewish community from the former Soviet Union. Rabbi Mendel and Elke are proud that with this purchase they are able to preserve the property as part of the Jewish community and urge involvement from the greater Jewish community, with opportunities for large-scale dedications or small donations.

The theme of the campaign is “Growing Jewish life. Come Grow With Us.” “It’s all about educating the next generation,” Rabbi Mendel said. The building will be appropriately named Jewish Education Center with a preschool to begin, current programs being expanded and many new educational programs coming soon after.

He added, “Moshiach is coming, and we need to bring in as many people as possible, especially the little children.” When asked where so much money will come from, Rabbi Mendel answered, “Money for the project is very important, but the goal, the Yiddishkeit, is the focus. The Rebbe’s philosophy and guidance has always been, ‘Action!’ Each individual does what they can, and together we bring Moshaich for the entire world.”

Please visit JewishFairLawn.org to read more about Bris Avrohom of Fair Lawn and its current programs.

Visit GrowingJewish.Life for more information about how you can help Grow Jewish life and make an impact.