Rabbi Abbale and Rivkie Raichik are set to open a new Chabad center in the Brookside area of Los Angeles in time for Sukkot. Rabbi Abbale visited the area for Rosh Hashana, where he distributed apple and honey kits and offered outdoor shofar soundings for people at their homes.

Los Angeles, a city that is home to approximately 662,000 Jews, is also home to more than 40 Chabad centers. Brookside is just a small area in the city and the Raichiks look forward to serving the Jewish needs of the approximately 1000 Jews who live, or work in Brookside and its immediate environs.

“We recognize now more than ever the importance of Jewish identity and pride. We will work to cultivate Jewish pride in Brookside,” Rabbi Abbale said. His grandparents Rabbi Menachem Shmuel Dovid and Leah Raichik, were the first Chabad emissaries to Los Angeles, having been sent by the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe in 1949.