After 28 years of dreaming, the Chabad Guest House in Upper Montgomery County, led by shluchim Rabbi Sholom and Chana Raichik, is warmly welcoming families during both difficult and joyous times. Located at the Chabad House and mikvah and near the Adventist Hospital, it offers fully equipped accommodations with everything a visiting family might need.

The guest house comes as the Raichiks successfully completed the Gaithersburg campus, now composed of four properties – a long-held vision finally realized.

When Rabbi Raichik and his wife arrived in 5750 (1990) to serve as the Rebbe’s shluchim to Upper Montgomery County, they launched their Chabad activities from their home in Montgomery Village, renting office space for bigger events and community activities.

As more and more young Jewish families moved to Gaithersburg, they purchased a property which became the Chabad house, used for classes, events, and davening, while plans for a permanent campus were developed.

“From the time that we first started our Shlichus here, with the support of Rabbi Shmuel Kaplan, senior Shliach of Maryland,” Rabbi Raichik tells Anash.org, “we have undertaken a number of expansion projects.

“With each one, we consulted with yedidim who advised and agreed that the particular project was necessary for our Shlichus. We started each project without all the necessary resources, backing, and pledges, and were apprehensive if the necessary support would materialize.

“And each time, with the Rebbe’s brachos and siyata dishmaya, the support showed up from unexpected sources.”

Several years later, Rabbi Raichik sold his own home and purchased the adjacent house for his family to live next door. The facility slowly grew, and so did the visitors and people coming to participate in the many events and classes Chabad had to offer.

Over the years, Chabad aimed to expand further by acquiring the two houses behind the existing property to create a nursery and primary school. Finally, two years ago, one of these houses was purchased by Rabbi Raichik’s son, Rabbi Mendel Raichik, and his wife, who started CTeen and added a teen lounge in the house.

The last house finally hit the market, and Chabad was eager to complete a long-time vision and bought the house, completing the campus.

“When we first came to the location on Darnestown Road, we always thought, ‘What would happen if we had the whole property?’” Rabbi Sholom Raichik shared. “This is definitely a completion of a vision that we had back then.

“With the purchase of the home, Chabad will have all four lots. We will have free access to the entire space, will be able to fence it in for security, expand in the future, and much more.”

Chabad has turned the house into a Shabbos house for guests. The house is outfitted with 15 new beds, cribs, a kosher kitchen with completely separate fleishig and milchig areas, couches, games for kids, and everything a family would need.

The Chabad guest house also serves families who wish to be close to the shul and families of patients at the nearby Adventist Hospital. It is also available as a kosher Airbnb. Together with a shul and mikvah just a few feet away, it has everything one needs for a beautiful stay.

“That is what the house is most suited for,” Raichik said. “It’s a house with a bunch of bedrooms, so it’s perfect for housing people.”

Raichik said he looks forward to this new chapter of the local Chabad: “We’re excited about what the future can be and the possibilities that are out there.

“Every step is about expanding; you know, ‘What can we do now?’ There are opportunities out there. We seek to make use of those opportunities,” Raichik said.

Additional renovations, including a new roof, windows and upgraded HVAC, will make the space more comfortable and welcoming. The guest house is large enough to accommodate up to 30 people. It is perfect for a family vacation, get-together, Sheva Brachos, and more.

“We’re not in the business of owning property. We’re in the business of servicing the local Jewish community and being a home for everybody for all things Jewish. What we want to see is that growth in the geographical part of it should bring growth as well in participation and numbers; that’s ultimately the goal here.

“The Rebbe’s brochos always show up from unexpected sources,” Rabbi Raichik tells Anash.org. “Our job is only to make the keili into which the brochos can materialize.”

To get in touch with the Chabad Guest House, email [email protected]