New Jewish center in Lenox is the largest capital investment in the Berkshires' Jewish community

By Lisa Green / Special to the BJV

Theodore Herzl famously said, “If you will it, it is no dream.” Hollywood’s repurposed the sentiment as “Build it and they will come.” Herzl, of course, was willing a Jewish homeland into existence while in the film Field of Dreams, the goal was a baseball destination in Iowa. With similar intentions and sheer persistence, Rabbi Levi Volovik and Sara Volovik, the co-directors of the Chabad of the Berkshires, have also made their dream come true as they prepare for the grand opening of the new 22,000-square foot Chabad Center in Lenox on July 6. The event is free and open to all, although advance reservations are required.

“It’s not only an Orthodox center,” says Volovik. “It’s a center for all denominations, or the unaffiliated, whether they’re residents, second homeowners or visitors — a Jewish center for all people.” Indeed, the campus on West Street will have something for everyone: besides religious services and educational opportunities, there will be a large, airy social hall/sanctuary, a kosher kitchen (plus a Passover kitchen), a library, a children’s play center and a teen center, art and music rooms, women’s and men’s mikvahs, guest quarters with private bathrooms and a guest lounge. The Volovik family residence is planned for the second floor.

The sprawling campus offers outdoor features, as well: basketball and pickleball courts, a children’s playground, a garden, and an expansive patio/meditation terrace with space for a sukkah. Parking will be available in front of the building.

The rabbi is fond of saying that Chabad is one big family, and he is excited about the Jewish people having a second home in the community. “I want you to feel that this is your home,” he says. Need a place to play mah jongg? There’s space at Chabad. Attend a lecture or concert. Take art and music lessons. Plans are to open a pre-school and daycare center, and a summer camp. Take advantage of the first (and only) local mikvah. Let Chabad be your kosher caterer or come for Friday night dinner and get the full Shabbat experience. Those who don’t drive on Shabbos can reserve a guest room and stay for the weekend.

The top floor will eventually be the living quarters for the Voloviks and their children, but the funds aren’t available yet to finish it, so the family will continue to live at the original South Street Chabad house for now.

“I wanted to build a gym and a swimming pool,” Volovik says. “But we had to prioritize.”

A Long-Term Project

The Voloviks moved to Pittsfield in 2003 to open the county's first Chabad house on South Street. They almost immediately began holding summer services at the Lenox Community Center for the burgeoning summer Jewish population; the South Street location (the Voloviks’ home) could not handle the numbers of summer Shabbat observers. They began searching for a property to build their dream and knew that Lenox was the place to be.

“We chose Lenox for many reasons,” Volovik says. “Many thousands of Jews come to the Berkshires in the summer, and Lenox is the heart of the Berkshires.” It doesn’t hurt that it’s also home to Canyon Ranch, Shakespeare & Company, Miraval, Kripalu, and, of course, Tanglewood.

“We wanted a property in downtown Lenox with grass,” says Volovik. They found it on 17 West Street, formerly “Cozy Nook,” an 1862 mansion that was determined, after purchase, to be in such a state of deterioration that its rehabilitation would be costlier than building new. It was demolished, and now, the property is home to the largest Jewish center — and the largest capital investment in the Jewish community — in the Berkshires.

The needs of a kosher building, though, are unfamiliar to most that builders. Working with Saloomey Construction in Westfield and Caolo & Bieniek Architects in Chicopee, the Voloviks spent countless hours describing and explaining the ancient rules and regulations surrounding the construction of the mikvahs, and educating them on the necessities of the handwashing stations and the kosher kitchens.

“They’d never done a synagogue,” the rabbi says. “It was very complicated, trying to explain what a mikvah is — it has so many details.” Sara Volovik notes with a smile that the contractor kept mispronouncing the word mikvah as ‘mivkah.’

“It was constantly making decisions every single day,” she says. They initially worked with a designer whose renderings didn’t hew to Sara’s vision, which was to create a building that reflected Berkshire style. She made alterations to the plan.

“So much of the Berkshires is outdoors and a celebration of the seasons,” she says. “I wanted people standing in the social hall to feel the connection with nature. We added large windows, so that in the winter you can actually see the snow on the trees, and the beautiful blossoms in the summertime. I wanted it to be elegant and elevated, a combination of the traditional and contemporary.”

During a tour of the building in mid-May, bulldozers were rearranging the grounds and echoes of the work being done rang out among the long corridors, but the interior was still largely unfinished. What left an impression, though, was the sunlight spilling into the spacious social hall. And if the room’s chandeliers and sconces are indicative of the style that will be filling the rest of the interior — most of which the Voloviks hand-picked — it promises to be a facility that all will find welcoming and comfortable.

The Community Pitches In

The new Jewish center, originally projected to cost $6.5 million, could not have been attempted without the support of the Jewish community. Part-time resident Bruce Auerbach, a retired emergency room physician and former president and CEO of Study Memorial Hospital in Attleboro,MA, answered the rabbi’s call to serve on the project’s construction and fundraising committee, using his executive experience in to offer guidance in facilitating the process.

“Levi and Sara’s inclusiveness and welcoming nature make them very effective fundraisers,” he says. “We’re fortunate that within our small [Jewish] community there are some people of very significant means. We might be small in number, but the community is large in their largesse and charitable nature.”

He notes that 103 families or individuals have made pledges of around $4.5 million, with over 90% of the pledges already paid. But it’s been a broad-based community effort. “There’s a very long list of people who have donated as little as $180 up to many hundreds of thousands of dollars. It’s wonderful to see the community step up and participate,” Auerbach says. In the works are opportunities to make smaller donations dedicated to specific furnishings, such as bedding for the guest rooms and kitchen equipment.

A glance at campaign’s website highlighting the naming opportunities and dedications for everything from the entire building to the tallis rack— and how much has already been pledged — reveals the support this Chabad can claim. The goal, now, is to raise the final $2-3 million, intended to pay down the mortgage.

And when they arrive, Chabad visitors can expect to find hospitality from the town of Lenox.

“Lenox is a very open and welcoming community, and people are excited about the new Chabad center,” says Town Manager Jay Green. “It’s complementary to Lenox and what it stands for, and the portfolio we already have. In the summer, We’re the welcome mat for the Berkshires, so Chabad is in an appropriate location on West Street.” Some of the community programming will make it a destination, he says, and that will have a positive impact on Lenox businesses.

Making Things Happen

While the South Street Chabad House, located in the Volovik home, was run entirely by the couple, the new center will clearly need to staff up. The rabbi says they plan to hire up to ten people to oversee building management, the kosher kitchen, programming, and other activities.

Volunteers, too, will be crucial to accomplishing Chabad’s goals. There will be a signup sheet at the July 6 opening for those who are interested in volunteering their time, especially for food preparation and delivery and setting up for events.

Chabad of the Berkshires Grand Opening Event

Sunday, July 6 at 10:30 a.m.

17 West Street, Lenox, MA

RSVP is required - jewishberkshires.com