When we moved to Stamford in 1982, there really was a crime-ridden, unsafe area literally “on the other side of the tracks.” south of the train station and I-95. Every few years, there was talk of an urban development project that would make the South End area of Stamford a desirable place to live; after all, the area possesses many amenities since it is located right by the waters of the Long Island Sound and is very close to downtown Stamford.
The South End of Stamford was historically an industrial area. It was home to factories, warehouses and manufacturing facilities that supported Stamford’s economy. Companies like Yale & Towne Manufacturing Company were major employers in the area. The decline of manufacturing in the United States led to economic hardship in the South End. By the late 20th century, much of the area was characterized by abandoned industrial buildings and environmental degradation.
Around 2005, city leaders and developers began planning a large-scale redevelopment project. The goal was to transform the underutilized industrial zone into a vibrant, mixed-use urban neighborhood. Building and Land Technology (BLT), a Stamford-based real estate firm, became the lead developer for what was called the Harbor Point project.
By around 2015, young singles and married couples began moving into the Harbor Point area, many of them unaffiliated Jews. There was no synagogue in the area but Chabad filled the void a few years later by opening a branch in Harbor Point. During COVID, the Harbor Point area saw a massive influx of young Jews escaping New York City and relocating to the area and Chabad at Harbor Point has capitalized on that growth.
I had an opportunity to speak to Rabbi Levi Deren, who is organizing all the programming at Chabad at Harbor Point, about the growth of the community and some of the exciting things that are now happening Jewishly on the other side of the tracks.
When did Chabad Harbor Point open?
With all the new buildings in Harbor Point and downtown Stamford, and the influx of new Jewish residents, my grandparents, Rabbi Yisrael and Vivi Deren, opened Chabad @ Harbor Point five years ago to create a spiritual home for the Jewish residents in this area of Stamford. They started with Shabbos dinners, holiday programs, groups for children, Torah classes, minyanim and other social and educational events.
Today it has grown into a beautiful young community with many lovely and fun people — our extended family. It’s just a pleasure to get together,and we always try to find excuses — parties, BBQs, boat rides or anything in between.
When did you start working there?
I started around three years ago to help with programs on Shabbos and holidays. There is also a great program we started in the middle of COVID: we were able to provide boxes of fresh kosher food, meat, dairy products and other items to about 75 Jewish families in Stamford a few times a month.
How did you go about initially finding Jews in Harbor Point who might be interested in attending a davening or a class?
In classic Chabad fashion: “Excuse me, are you Jewish?” There were several times on Shabbos that we needed to walk out and look for a 10th person for a minyan, and through those efforts we connected with people who hadn’t been in a shul in a long time. We conducted a few bar mitzvahs where it was the first time a person ever had an aliyah, and in some cases we even gave them a Jewish name. Since then, we’ve maintained and grown those connections, continuing to build community.
Just walking around town, or taking a stroll on the boardwalk, we connect with old friends and meet new people and they eventually get involved. When we do Shofar on the Boardwalk, or Ten Commandments on the Boardwalk, people walk over and we meet them. It’s a beautiful way of connecting with Jews that are thirsty to connect with community and Yiddishkeit.
An integral part of community building is that it feels like family, and therefore people just want to bring their friends “into the tribe.” A friend tells a friend, and the connections and community build. A ripple effect of goodness. And I’m so thankful to our community members for that.
Also, the Rebbe taught us to use modern inventions for good, to heal and help our world, so we use social media to spread the message and people have started getting involved through that.
Are most of your followers young, single, unaffiliated Jews?
Two and a half years ago we realized we needed specific programming for young Jews in their 20s and 30s who live in Harbor Point and downtown. Most of these individuals are single, but there’s also a good number of young Jewish couples and young families; the children and toddlers running around Chabad with their youthful energy is a foundation of our community. Some singles have even met their partners at Chabad!
Describe some of the activities you have organized at Harbor Point. What are the things that seem to resonate most? Whenever we get together, it’s awesome. Here are a few things that resonate most with me and others:
My favorite part of the week, and something I’ve also heard echoed by the young Jews who attend, is the Wednesday Torah discussion group. The Torah is the blueprint of our existence and a toolbox, a guide and a language for navigating all the craziness of life. We start the evening by discussing the weekly Torah portion, the stories and mitzvot in the parsha, and springboard from there into conversations about life and the challenges of tackling our day-to-day struggles. In a certain sense, it’s like a “support group.” We’re all there to share insights and wisdom from our own experiences.
I also love our Shabbos dinners — a time to wind down from day-to-day life, connect over a l’chaim, and enjoy good food with one another. It’s a great time for bonding.
Most importantly, we have the holiday parties we organize. They’re a lot of fun — a wonderful outlet for people to meet others in a meaningful and Jewish setting.
What are some of your bigger plans for Chabad at Harbor Point in the future?
We’ve outgrown the townhouse we use. It can fit a maximum of 45 people for a Friday night dinner and, thank God, we now need more space than that. For now, we rent different spaces for events and large Friday night gatherings. But eventually we want to find a space that can be a warm home for all the Jews in the area, and specifically the “young and Jewish.”
That said, our biggest plan is just continuing what we’re already doing. As the Rebbe taught us, the power of connecting a Jewish soul with Yiddishkeit and with another Jewish soul is infinite.
So, this is our biggest plan: my grandfather, Rabbi Yisrael Deren, discussing Judaism with a young professional until late Friday night, or my grandmother, Morah Vivi, teaching Judaism to a young Jewish child. Those are the bigger plans for now. The Jewish soul is awake more than ever.
Are folks staying in Harbor Point or is it still a transient community? What are some of the specific challenges of a Chabad in an area that attracts many young single unaffiliated Jews as opposed to older married couples with families?
There are definitely many families that move out, and it poses a bit of a challenge. It’s a little sad to become good friends with someone and then see them move away. However, the apartment setting just isn’t feasible long-term for many residents — it’s not the easiest place to raise a family.
Describe the neshama you say is happening at Harbor Point.
To convey the neshama, I’ll share an excerpt from an email I sent to a good friend and supporter of Chabad on Oct. 7 this year: “I wanted to wish you a good year and express my gratitude to you specifically on this solemn and sad day — such a painful day. Sometimes, we just wish we could go back to Oct 6. But from among the ashes, a stronger Jewish people have reawakened.
Like the Torah tells us, the Jewish soul is always there, even if sometimes it is asleep. We saw stories of heroism in Israel and we see the proud sense of Jewish identity awakened in so many people, especially young people around the world in general, and in America in particular. Here in Stamford, it was deeply moving and powerful to experience firsthand the awakening of the Jewish soul.
One young community member wrote to us, “In a year full of darkness, our community brought the light.” Another woman, who felt lost after Oct. 7, wrote: “My Chabad has been the facilitator of some of the most impactful and important conversations I’ve had since Oct. 7. They made my Jewish community possible at a time I very easily could have lost it forever.” I get chills every time I read her message. On Rosh Hashanah, a young woman who lives in Harbor Point joined us for the first time. She told us with tears in her eyes how she wanted to reconnect with her extended Jewish family during these challenging times. Stories like these, which happen every day, are what we live for. This is what gives us fuel. This is why we love being part of this community.
And I want to thank you for being a part of this community too. I want to thank you for being a pillar of our loving, warm and growing community. Because of you, young Jews who might feel lost and alone can find a home, feel like they belong, meet friends and find family.
Michael Feldstein, who lives in Stamford, is the author of “Meet Me in the Middle” (meet-me-in-the-middle-book.com), a collection of essays on contemporary Jewish life. He can be reached at [email protected].
