On Monday, April 29, some 300 members and friends of the Park Slope Jewish community in Brooklyn gathered to celebrate the opening of the William and Betty Katz Center for Jewish Life. The three story center boasts mikvaot, religious ritual baths, for both men and women, as well as a visitors center and guest rooms. Its opening will serve to further strengthen Jewish life in Park Slope.
When Rabbi Shimon and Sarah Hecht moved to Park Slope in 1986 to serve as Chabad emissaries, the neighborhood was still known for its working-class appeal and corner-store bodegas. As Park Slope has heralded Brooklyn's rebirth and gentrification, Chabad has expanded to meet the needs of a growing community. To date they have opened multiple satellite branches and Chai Tots nursery schools.
The Mei Sarah Park Slope Mikvah, a gift of the Drizin family named for Sarah Drizin, the family's matriarch, is the neighborhood's first women's mikvah. Its state-of-the-art facilities create a spa-like atmosphere, offering a warm and inviting environment for women interested in this special mitzvah. Guests visiting friends and family in the nearby Methodist Hospital will find room and board in the Rabbi Jacob J. Hecht guest suites.
The 1.8 million dollar structure, built by YHS construction and designed by SG Interiors, occupies a prime location in Park Slope's residential area. The parcel of land was a gift of Park Slope real estate moguls Stevie and Howie Katz.
At the opening, Mr. Zev Drizin highlighted the importance of a mikvah to the Jewish community. Mikvah has [communal] priority over even the synagogue, he said. In Crown Heights the Lubavitcher Rebbe sold the synagogue [to underwrite the construction of a new mikvah], repurchasing it only after the mikvah was built.
According to Rabbi Hecht, the new center underscores the unity of Brooklyn's diverse Jewish community.
"Jews from all backgrounds and walks of life came together to make this center a reality," Rabbi Hecht says. Donors from all groups and denominations contributed to making this center a reality. Together they have helped create an edifice that will reach beyond the borders of our neighborhood and touch the lives of generations to come."
At the dedication, longtime Chabad supporter Mr. Charles Kupferman noted that this magnificent building is due to the tireless efforts of Rabbi Shimon Hecht." His belief and dedication to the Rebbes work has laid the foundation for Jewish life in the neighborhood.
Following the event, guests quickly turned to social media to share their excitement about the new center. Mrs. Ronanit Levy, a Park Slope local, posted on her Facebook page that the mikvah was "like the nicest spa you've ever been to, complete with Jerusalem stone hallways, pebbled stone floors, a huge terrace, and an online reservation system" letting guests choose the light settings, water temperature and music for their visit.