Chabad Couple Rabbi Sruly & Devora Leah Brook from Brooklyn, NY moved to Wakefield, MA to direct a Chabad Jewish center
Wakefield, MA — Ahead of the upcoming Purim Holiday, Rabbi Sruly and Devora Leah Brook from Brooklyn NY are set to establish a new Chabad Jewish center to serve the growing needs of the larger Wakefield – Reading – Stoneham – Saugus communities.
Over the past few years, the area has seen a surge in population growth, with many young families moving in, and the Jewish community is no exception.
The Chabad center will be “an address for everything Jewish,” providing services to Jews of all denominations and backgrounds in the greater Wakefield area. Youth programs, Hebrew school, Shabbat dinners, holiday programs and community events.
“We hope to provide every Jew in the area with the opportunity to connect with their heritage and with Jewish tradition,” says Rabbi Sruly Brook, a native of Brooklyn, whose rabbinic studies took him to Toronto, the UK and Israel, and who was ordained in the Mayanot Institute for Jewish Studies in Jerusalem. “There was a growing need to expand and enrich Jewish life in the above-mentioned communities and when we visited Hanukkah and met some of the people here, we decided to make Wakefield our home!”
The Brooks come to Wakefield with a history in Jewish leadership roles and outreach. Rabbi Sruly has served as a student rabbi in communities across the world. Including Kamianets’-Podilskyi Ukraine, Venice Florida and Copenhagen Denmark, where he has led holiday programs and Shabbat services. Devora Leah, originally from Brooklyn as well, has served as Director of a Jewish Camp in North Hollywood California, and has served in communal leadership roles including at Chabad centers in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn.
Rabbi Sruly and Devora Leah say that they were inspired by the teachings of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory. The Rebbe taught that the Torah is the blueprint for a meaningful life, and its relevance to every aspect of life continues in the modern era. In a time when more and more people are searching for meaning and fulfillment in their lives, especially after the brutal terrorist attacks on Jews on October 7th, the Rebbe’s message stands true as ever.
The new center is part of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement—known for its active and all-inclusive approach to Jewish outreach—and seeks to provide services to Jews of all denominations, regardless of affiliation, specifically those who live in areas where there is little or no Jewish institutional presence. To date, Chabad runs more than 3,500 educational, religious and social service institutions in 100 countries around the globe.
Chabad of Wakefield is an affiliate of Chabad of the North Shore under the leadership of Rabbi Yossi Lipsker.
In honor of “Purim” which falls out this year on a Sunday, the Brook’s will be hosting a Traditional Hamantaschen Bake for Families with children followed by a Megillah reading for all ages on Sunday March 24th at 11:30AM. Location upon Reservation. For more information or to RSVP, please visit Jewishwakefield.com/purim24
For more information on the Chabad Jewish center, contact us at: 347-687-9750 Info@jewishwakefield.comor visit www.Jewishwakefield.com
