Monday, / July 21, 2025
Home / news

A Sprawling New Home for Jewish Life in the Berkshires

This summer, as visitors flock to the Berkshires for mountain views and musical performances at Tanglewood, Chabad of the Berkshires opened the doors to a new facility — the first Jewish space of its kind in over a hundred-mile radius — in downtown Lenox — a magnet for music lovers and nature buffs.

Over the July 4th weekend, nearly seven hundred people, including residents, tourists, and local officials gathered to celebrate the grand opening of the new Chabad building. Among those in attendance were state Representative Leigh Davis and Berkshires Attorney General Timothy Shugrue. One of the highlights of the event was a performance by world-renowned pianist Emanuel Ax.

Bruce Auerbach, who’s lived in the Berkshires for decades, has been deeply involved — both personally and professionally — in helping bring Chabad’s vision for a new Jewish center in Lenox to life, playing a behind-the-scenes role on the construction and fundraising committees.

“There were seven hundred people at the grand opening — that’s huge for a place like the Berkshires,” he said. “People have already been stopping in daily since then — curious, inspired, wanting to connect.”

“Twenty years ago, you couldn’t have imagined something like this — a Jewish center in the heart of Lenox,” said Ellen Silverstein, a lifelong resident of the Berkshires. “Now it feels like it was always meant to be part of this community.” 

Chabad of the Berkshires was founded in 2001 by Rabbi Levi and Sara Volovik, and a few years later, they opened a Chabad house in Pittsfield. 

It wasn’t too long before they outgrew that space, and after nearly eight years of searching — amid resistance from some locals (Lenox has a long history of excluding Jews — even Leonard Bernstein, one of the most celebrated figures in Tanglewood’s history, struggled to purchase a home in the Berkshires due to antisemitism) and high property demand — they found it. 

“This property had only had two or three owners since George Washington,” said Rabbi Volovik. “It was truly Divine providence.” They soon began building a $12 million project funded by hundreds of generous donors. 

The result is a sprawling Chabad center that features a synagogue with panoramic views of the mountains, guest suites and lounges, an art and music room, and sports facilities including a pickleball and basketball court. A kosher steakhouse and preschool are set to open next year. Men’s and women’s mikvahs — a first in the Berkshires in recent history — are currently under construction. A newly-planted garden and an October 7th memorial commemorate community members who survived the attacks.

Silverstein called the new center in Lenox a game-changer — not just for local residents, but for the thousands of Jewish visitors who come to the Berkshires each summer. “Until now, there wasn’t really a place where people could visit and have access to Jewish life at the same time. Now there is.”

Auerbach concurs. “This isn’t just a building. It’s a place where Judaism can thrive year-round, for locals and visitors.”

Comment

Be the first to write a comment.

Add

Related Articles
Living Jewishly in Tatarstan
Far from St. Petersburg or Moscow, the city of Naberezhnye Chelny in the Russian Republic of Tatarstan is a booming industrial hub. For decades, the…
Chabad Opens on the Dominican Republic’s North Coast
In the 1930s — when most countries had sealed their borders to Jewish refugees fleeing Europe — the Dominican Republic opened its doors, and a…
Chabad Brings a Jewish Revival to West Adams
Walking down a street in West Adams, California, on Purim eve, Rabbi Michoel Zajac spotted a couple wearing what looked like festive headgear. “Happy Purim!”…
New Chabad Reps in La Plata, Argentina, are “Building Community, Soul by Soul”
About an hour’s drive southeast of Buenos Aires, Argentina, is the meticulously-designed and beautifully-maintained provincial capital, La Plata. Besides being the home to Buenos Aires…
Newsletter
Donate
Find Your Local Chabad Center
Magazine