On May 20, the Chabad-Lubavitch community in Oklahoma City will break ground on the new Chabad Community Center for Jewish Life and Learning. Rabbi Ovadia Goldman describes the facility as a place for the entire Jewish community.
Chabad of Oklahoma City already has purchased two acres on W. Hefner Road between May Avenue and Hefner Parkway for the site.
Chabad-Lubavitch Judaism is a branch of Hasidic Judaism, a form of Orthodox Judaism. According to the to the organization's Web site, "Chabad" is a Hebrew acronym for the three intellectual faculties of:
" wisdom,
" comprehension and
" knowledge.
MISSION
The organization reports 4,000 emissary families operating 3,300 institutions, usually called Chabad Houses, around the world. An emissary family is typically a rabbi, his wife and their children. They set up a Chabad House in their own home when moving to a new location.
The goal of these Chabad Houses, according to the organization and Goldman, is to provide educational and cultural resources and support for the Jewish community.
"We are a nonmembership organization," Goldman said. "Many people who attend our programs or classes are affiliated with other congregations, and they continue to attend those congregations." "Greg Horton
