This is the first newspaper article in my memory that required a lot of time for preparatory work, its comprehension and the involvement of a significant number of people from among the congregants of the synagogue as well as activists who could be used as respondents of sociological research. Moreover, both the management of the synagogue and those involved in the process of comprehension of everyday life of the Center, which has not been problem-free, especially regarding possible ways to complete the construction of a new building of the synagogue, take on a huge responsibility in terms of developing further strategic and tactical measures in addressing this very important task.
Our center came into existence more than a quarter of a century ago at the initiative of two families: of the brothers Alishaevs and Koptievs, as well as their now deceased mothers Mira and Yafa (blessed be their memory), whose requests to their sons about the need to establish a synagogue in the area densely populated by the new Americans of Bukharian Jewish origin, were accepted by their sons without reservation.
Initially, the Center, named after the two late namesake fathers of the Alishaev and Koptiev families, began its ascent along the righteous path to the hearts of the worshippers, who faced the difficulties of a new life in a foreign country, in a modest rented room used for only one Saturday event weekly. Its leaders and activists were well aware of the importance of a mission they shouldered. First of all, it was about solving a very acute twin challenge related to the preservation of the Jewish family and the appropriate upbringing of the younger generation. Besides, every minute and day became worth its value in gold since the atmosphere of family relations and their influence on the children’s souls caused serious concerns.
In memory well preserved are the stories when the activists walked through the nearby apartments and invited their residents to attend Shabbat religious events. As time went on, it became clear that the first seeds thrown by Beth Gavriel activists into the fertile ground for the development of Jewish religious life in the very heart of Queens, on 108th Street, began to bear excellent fruit.
Only very persistent people, devoted to the wonderful idea of Jewish spiritual adaptation on American soil, thanks to their enviable perseverance, were able to transform the one-day synagogue, which operated only on Saturdays, into a powerful organization, whose righteous deeds today delight people not only in the United States, but also in Israel, and in many other countries around the world.
It can be asserted with full responsibility that today Beth Gavriel fully and at a sufficiently high level satisfies the spiritual aspirations of many hundreds of people, at any time of day when it is convenient for them. To this end, five minyans function here daily, as well as several kollels, both of day- and evening-time education. The Center provides some of the students with a scholarship fund. Given the density of various educational programs operating at the Center, its doors are open from early morning until late at night. In addition, this diversity invariably pulls worshippers of the most different social statuses, material wealth, education backgrounds and interests into the premises of the Center.
The Center sees one of its most important missions in creating a favorable environment for young people to solve their personal problems, primarily related to family issues. Life testifies that today there are a lot of young people around us, including the congregation of our synagogue aged 23 to 40 and sometimes even older, who for years have not dared to go under the chuppah. Although we know very well that every year dozens of worthy men and girls find their personal happiness within the walls of Beth Gavriel. For the same purpose, the core women’s group of the synagogue periodically organizes special evening gatherings, the participants of which greatly facilitate their path to a worthy loving family.
Over the years of its existence, the Center has managed to create a serious material base that contributes to the comprehensive development of the spiritual life of the community and its familiarization with the most modern forms of Jewish education, especially for young people. More than 20 years ago, thanks to the persistent efforts of the management of Beth Gavriel and the support of the well-known Israeli philanthropist Rabbi Shmuel Alishaev, Yeshiva Sha’arei Zion Ohel Bracha was opened at the Center. Today, more than 600 children, starting from preschool age, as well as teenagers completing high school, receive high-quality education and Jewish upbringing within its walls.
This yeshiva has a great future. Today, its classrooms are getting crowded due to the influx of a large number of people who want to connect their fate with this educational institution. In this regard, serious plans are being worked out here to further expand the material base of the yeshiva in order to further increase the contingent of students.
A few years ago, a new beautiful mikvah began to function at the Center. It was built in accordance with all the requirements that are now imposed on structures of this kind. The day is not far off when the new building of the synagogue will open its doors, which will provide an opportunity to significantly expand and improve the quality of spiritual services provided to our congregation.
Unfortunately, the process of completing the construction of the new synagogue was delayed due to technical errors made by the project executors, as a result of which the city controlling organization repeatedly filed serious claims against the customer. As a result of these blunders, not only was precious time wasted completely unjustifiably, but, unfortunately, the project itself became more expensive.
According to the Center management, the successful completion of the construction of the synagogue and its commissioning now largely depends on the success of managing this process lies in attracting professionals possessing serious appropriate qualifications and capable of taking a highly responsible approach to the assigned task and completing it in the shortest possible time. Our recent public opinion measurement conducted in the form of a questionnaire-based survey and interviews with about a dozen activists showed that the vast majority of the Center’s staff is determined to contribute to these efforts as much as it takes, including material support. As the phrase goes for the occasion, good luck!
COMMENTS
Ilya Koptiev, President of the Center
Recently, our Center received, as a result of very long hard work, an eight-million loan from one of the banks, at a low interest rate, not exceeding 3 percent. This is undoubtedly a great success. But if we take into account that $3.5 million of this amount will go to repay the debt on interest-free loans received from a number of individuals for construction purposes, it becomes more obvious that there are many complex issues ahead. In addition, the bank intends to issue this amount not as a lump sum, but in several tranches, as long as documents on the disbursement of all previous loans are presented.
In this regard, I am very much surprised by the facts that in our wonderful close-knit team there are people who have for many years been using all the benefits of the Beth Gavriel Center, and who—for completely incomprehensible reasons—provide financial support to third-party organizations, while ignoring the needs of their native abode, which is on the threshold of very important solutions.
It is also completely incomprehensible to me why the BJL newspaper that is published not without our support, devotes so many of its priceless pages to materials that have absolutely nothing to do with the Beth Gavriel Center, while ignoring relevant materials about the life of our community and its wonderful people. Are there not many people in our midst, whose social life requires the closest attention and popularization? I think it is high time to pay the most serious attention to this aspect of our communal reality.
Simcha Alishaev, Vice President of the Center
From the first day of the Beth Gavriel Center’s operation, my family and the family of our close friends and the like-minded Koptiev brothers invested heavily in the purchase of the main building and its subsequent refurbishing. This was followed by the opening of the yeshiva, which required the acquisition of another well-known building. Then the question arose of the mikvah, which, thank G-d, has been successfully functioning for several years.
At the same time, our big dream was the construction of a new synagogue building. With all the difficulties that arose along the way, today we have come close to the completion of the largest project that bears the names of our father and the father of the Koptiev brothers (blessed be their memory), the synagogue Beth Gavriel. It goes without saying that this fact is much obliging to us, and for 25 years, regardless of any difficulties, we have tried in good faith, from the bottom of our hearts, to fulfill this sacred duty to the memory of our parents.
We have never been alone on this righteous path, because just two families, no matter what opportunities they have, are not able to financially cope with all the projects for the refurbishment of our Center, which now enjoys worthy prestige not only in the USA, but also far beyond its borders. Realizing this, very many members of the community have always unfailingly, with an open heart, extended and are now extending their sincere generous hand for the realization of this task. Because this is our common warm home, created not only for the current days, but also for our great-grandchildren, many future generations. And someday, after many decades, they will remember with a feeling of great gratitude that we contributed in every possible way to the preservation of our ethnic and religious essence in the name of the happiness of the future generations.
I, my brothers and my friend Ilya Koptiev with his brothers, are sincerely grateful to the entire staff of the Beth Gavriel Center for the fact we have gone together, hand in hand for more than 25 years, creating such an impressive organization as Beth Gavriel. Ahead, having taken one more decisive step with joint efforts and solemnly opening the doors of the new synagogue, we will not rest on laurels, but on the contrary, we will make new efforts to ensure that our children and grandchildren, year after year, again and again will strive to fill the halls and offices of the Beth Gavriel Center, drawing here spiritual confidence in the future.
Rabbi Emmanuel Shimonov, Chief Rabbi of the Beth Gavriel Center
No matter how rapidly the number of synagogues around us grows, their activities are so important and relevant in our troubled world, and the demand for serious spiritual food among people is growing with such incredible force, that every house of G-d draws people to itself like a powerful magnet. Satisfying their demands, giving impetus to hope for the best, pointing out the righteous path of movement towards the intended goal—this is the main task facing every synagogue. It is in this way that the Beth Gavriel Center sees and perceives its daily work with people in the name of their good.
We are very pleased with the fact that in recent years, thanks to our unceasing persistent efforts, dozens of young people met their fate and created wonderful families within the walls of our synagogue, thereby initially illuminating their righteous path under the chuppah by the blessing of the Creator.
The Bukharian community of New York is one of the largest in the world. Thousands of people are members of the Beth Gavriel Center, which operates Sunday schools for children, publishes a popular newspaper in English and Russian, and fulfills dozens of other programs aimed at maximum intimacy with the Creator. The opening of the new building of the synagogue Beth Gavriel is planned soon.
Now is the most convenient time to care about perpetuating the memory of your dear relatives and friends, designating their names to the offices, even the main hall of the synagogue, doors and windows, chandeliers as symbols of light, which in the Jewish tradition is considered to be a very important element in the perception of Jewish spirituality. In this regard, we need, without any delays, to publish a special brochure, where all the price tags for each attribute of the synagogue will appear before the readers, which will make it possible to turn them into personalized property and enable hundreds of people to feel like participants in the creation of this unique building.
I remember the time when our fathers and grandfathers, under conditions of total prohibitions and persecution, sought ways to preserve and develop Jewish life. Today, when all paths are open to us for consciously approaching the Creator, it would be an unforgivable mistake not to take advantage of these opportunities, which guarantee every Jew in the current tense world “dili zham, tani sakhat” (peaceful heart and normal health)—the most priceless wealth that a normal person could dream of.
Semyon Gerov, activist of the Center
For a quarter of a century of its literally triumphant development, the Center has risen to a great height—from modest Saturday meetings of a few dozen people to continuous work involving several minyans, a yeshiva, to become a student of which is not an easy task today, an enviable mikvah and a host of various programs. The completion of construction and commissioning of the building of the new synagogue have turned into a “headache” today. A significant part of the Center’s staff and I personally are ready once again to financially support the implementation of the final stage of this project. But I think that families whose fathers’ names our wonderful Center bears with dignity should be especially active.
David Shimunov, activist of the Center
Ask our congregation what worries them most of all today. There will be only one answer: we are tired of waiting for a housewarming in the new building of the synagogue. Over the 25 years of its existence, our Center, overcoming a lot of difficulties, has accomplished many feats: it has acquired an expensive synagogue building, created a magnificent school, built a mikvah. This list of achievements can be continued indefinitely. It is clear that the final stage of the construction of the synagogue is the most difficult and expensive. Prices have skyrocketed. But there is no way back and we are ready to participate in this holy cause. First and foremost, at the current stage, this work should be headed by a group of competent and responsible people, who would inform the management literally on a weekly basis about the progress of work, which should be reflected in our newspaper as well.
Arkady Zerkiev, civil engineer, the Center activist
Specialists are well aware of how complex the construction process is today, what an endless number of restrictions it is connected with. Especially if we keep in mind all the specificity of the construction of such a public facility as a synagogue. In addition, the pandemic that has raged for the past two years, with a mass of legal restrictions, could not but delay the construction process. I also remember very well that the leader of our community, Simcha Alishaev, in order to save one important public building, put aside many of his commitments, both in his business and in our Center, giving his precious time to the solution of this very difficult problem, which could not but affect the construction of our synagogue. One can cite here a host of other reasons that delayed the construction of the Beth Gavriel synagogue. I say this not for the purpose of justification, but only for the sake of understanding: great social tasks, as a rule, cannot but encounter obstacles in the process of their implementation. Another thing is important: the matter is coming to an end soon. The goal of our team is to do everything possible to expedite the solemn celebration of this long-awaited event in the near future.
Simcha Musheyev, activist of the youth minyan
The problem raised in the editorial material is incredibly relevant for our community. Take, for example, the following issue: our yeshiva is currently experiencing certain difficulties in accommodating new students, since the educational areas are not indefinitely expandable, and every additional opportunity has to be put into practice. Those who have been to the Sha’arei Zion Ohel Bracha building could not fail to notice that every effort is made to adapt every more or less suitable piece of the floor space for
classrooms.There is a real possibility in the near future of moving the yeshiva to another building, a larger one, on which both the management of the Center and a large group of young activists are working hard today in great hope that the issue will find a positive solution, because the future face of our community on American soil largely depends on this.
It is no coincidence that I remind you about these facts. When our mikvah was being built, many congregants, especially those among the young, were indifferently tracking this process. But when it came to the final stage, those same people, having seen and felt in reality the results of the huge efforts of the team, as if waking up, made their material contribution to this good and necessary cause.
I think that the same outcome of youth activity will make itself felt in full measure at the moment when the new synagogue begins to sparkle with a rainbow of its wonderful interiors. So, I want to believe and hope that the weighty word of our youth pronounced with their inherent energy is still ahead.
VELIYAM KANDINOV
Beth Gavriel Center: Problems & Prospects
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