When Rabbi Moishe Meir Lipszyc moved to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., 36 years ago, he and his wife, Penina Lipszyc, only knew one person in the city. “Many people asked, ‘What are you going down here for? There’s not a Jew here,’” he told JNS.
“The first person told me you’ll never make a minyan,” a quorum of 10 men for prayer, the Chabad rabbi said. “He became my largest donor.”
There were, in fact, Jewish residents in 1990, the year that the Jewish population in Broward County, which includes Fort Lauderdale, peaked at approximately 275,000 people, according to the Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities, the Jewish Federation of Broward County and the American Jewish Yearbook. Temple Bat Yam of East Fort Lauderdale, a Reform synagogue, had been there for five years.
Still, it wasn’t like Boca Raton to the north or Miami to the south, where synagogue life and culture were more pronounced. Lauderdale was known more for its beaches and business district than its Yiddishkeit.
These days, the community now boasts Jewish day schools, as well as a Friendship Circle and CTeen, the latter two associated with Chabad.
“Jewish life is an essential part of Fort Lauderdale’s cultural fabric,” John Herbst, vice mayor of the city, told JNS.
On March 6, 2024, the City of Fort Lauderdale officially renamed NE 35th St., the location of Chabad of Fort Lauderdale, to “Chabad Drive.”
On Jan. 13, Lipszyc is celebrating the 36th anniversary of the Chabad House with a gala celebrating the milestone. The rabbi said he is planning for at least 200 attendees.
“For more than three decades, Chabad Lubavitch on the Galt has provided spiritual leadership, education and community service that have strengthened both the neighborhood and the city as a whole,” Herbst said. “Fort Lauderdale is proud of this long history, and we remain committed to fostering a welcoming, inclusive environment where Jewish heritage, tradition and civic engagement continue to thrive.”
