Diplomats, Dignitaries Attend Dedication of Chabad House in Kenya

After nearly three years of activity in Nairobi, and following a long search for the right location, Chabad of Kenya celebrated the dedication of a spacious new Chabad House in the city’s diplomatic neighborhood at a festive community event ahead of Rosh Hashanah.

Close to 100 Jews from the community attended the evening, joined by diplomats and senior officials from Kenya’s public sector and police force.

Over the past three years, the shluchim have gotten to know hundreds of Jews and built relationships with many families. Eventually, it became clear that a building was needed that could match the scope of the activity, as well as the community’s needs and security requirements.

“The Rebbe told the shluchim, you need to build big, the biggest you can, more than you think you need, and it will fill up,” Nairobi shliach Rabbi Levi Notik told Anash.org. “You hear that and think, okay, that’s a spiritual idea, somehow it’ll happen.”

But Rabbi Notik’s experience quickly showed him just how literally that could happen. After a long and intensive search, and with special Hashgacha Pratis, the right building was found. Spacious and located in the embassy area, it is in one of the safest neighborhoods in Nairobi and close to numerous diplomatic missions.

The building gives the Chabad House significant room to operate, with a shul, guest apartments, space for Shabbosim, shiurim and events, and a large garden.

“We just jumped in lechatchila ariber, straight to the place,” Rabbi Notik said. “Believe it or not, the whole activity literally doubled within two months. So many Jews who had never set foot in the Chabad House before.”

During the evening, Rabbi Notik shared how the Rebbe instructed shluchim to always look for the biggest and most suitable place possible, and to build with expansive thinking and emunah that the place will fill up.

“That’s what we did,” he continued. “We weren’t looking for a nice house for ourselves. We were looking for a place that answers those needs.”

Alongside the familiar community, many Jewish families who had not previously known the Chabad House began coming in a short period of time, among them families of diplomats and Jews from around the world living in the area.

Word of the new Chabad House spread by word of mouth, with first-time visitors saying, “I heard you have a beautiful place,” or “I heard about your place.”

With the start of the school year, a regular Sunday School is also launching for children ages 5 to 10, giving the community’s children a place to learn about Yiddishkeit, get to know their heritage, and connect to Jewish life.

A personal story shared during the evening captured the significance of the Chabad House’s work. One family, which had lived over the years in various countries, described how in a previous country of residence, the mother made sure to bring her children a shofar despite the difficulty involved, even though there was no one to blow it for them.

In Kenya, the rabbi came to the family’s home, put up mezuzos at the entrance, and blew shofar for the children for the very first time.

Looking ahead, Rabbi Notik shared that the Chabad House is, b’ezras Hashem, working toward purchasing land and establishing a permanent Jewish center in Kenya. The planned center will include a mikvah, a shul, and a center for Jewish community and education. The news was met with excitement and applause.

The growth of the community is something that has taken Rabbi Notik by surprise as well.

“We had three parking spots total at the old Chabad House, and we’d also park a bit by the neighbors, so somehow we fit about seven cars,” Rabbi Notik said. “Here in our new place we have fifteen parking spots, and every event is full. People are parking on the street, parking elsewhere, walking over.”

“Baruch Hashem, we found a place that’s also safer, also bigger, better in every way,” he added. “We also have hot water in the showers now. With all due respect to a nice atmosphere, infrastructure here in Africa can sometimes be lacking, so having much better infrastructure makes a real difference.”

“This house is not the goal,” Rabbi Notik said. “It’s the tool, a tool to reach more Jews, more families, more Shabbosim and Yomim Tovim, shiurim and activities.”