Synagogue Raises 'Amazing' $500,000 For Hebrew School Expansion

MERRICK, NY — The Chabad Center for Jewish Life, representing the populous South Shore of Nassau County, can't wait to expand. There is a list of 100 preschoolers on standby, due to a lack of space and limitations by the state.

Rabbi Shimon Kramer began a funding campaign to add four classrooms to the Merrick property.

The spark for expansion came by way of some community investors, willing to match donations.

One person with deep pockets has a grandchild on the outside looking in for the daycare.

The investors agreed to donate $300,000 with one caveat: The synagogue needed to find a way to raise the other $100,000.

"It's a huge task. We're a middle-class neighborhood," Kramer told Patch.

Making it more insurmountable, the rabbi put a tight deadline on the campaign. They reached the goal within four days.

But the fundraiser didn't end there.

Approaching the $400,000 cap, the investors agreed to continue matching donations to $500,000. Kramer's Chabad Center raised $518,000 from approximately 400 people, "which is truly amazing."

He was delighted that families from the preschool and Hebrew school made up "almost 100 percent participation."

"Most of it will go for construction," Kramer said.

Other portions of the donations will be used for an annual charitable project assisting needy families and providing scholarships.

Kramer met with an architect to shore up plans for new classrooms.

"We already met with the town," he said. "[There's] paperwork that we still have to go through and get all the correct licensing."

While they haven't broken ground yet, the rabbi is hopeful it will be completed either by January or Sept. 2023.

"We can do it earlier, but there is so much red tape that's not in our control," Kramer admitted.