Chabad Center opens in Sudbury

By Carole LaMond/ Staff Writer
Thursday, April 6, 2006

SUDBURY - Judaism and joy are synonymous for Rabbi Yisroel and Shayna Freeman, a young couple whose own lives are dedicated to serving the Jewish community by providing spiritual and educational enrichment.
In January the Freemans established the Chabad Jewish Center of Sudbury to serve the Jewish communities of Sudbury, Marlborough and Hudson. Their goal is to provide opportunities for local Jews to study and deepen their knowledge of Jewish law and philosophy through a variety of programs from one-on-one Torah study to lively holiday parties for children.
"It's a very joyful way, the Hasidic style," said Yisroel Freeman. "When we do Jewish events everyone should go away with happy feelings."
Chabad of Sudbury will offer a variety of programs including adult education, tutoring, study sessions on subjects such as Jewish philosophy, Kabbalah, the Bible, Hebrew reading and Jewish law. Children's and family programs are particularly important to the Freemans who recently sponsored a Purim party and a matzah-making event.
"We are not a membership-based organization and we don't want to step on anyone's toes," said Yisroel Freeman. "There are thriving temples here providing good programs. We hope we can help all the Jewish programs grow. That's the point."
Chabad-Lubavitch is a 250-year-old Brooklyn-based Hasidic movement that embraces a philosophy of study, meditation, and social outreach. "Chabad" is a Hebrew acronym for "Wisdom, Understanding and Knowledge," and Lubavitch, which means "city of brotherly love" in Russian, is the town in White Russia where the movement was based for more than a century.
"We are not out to change people. We are there for people who want to explore more of their Jewish identity. There are no limits to who we want to serve, no financial or religious obligations," said Yisroel Freeman. "We try to work with everyone wherever they are. We want to make it accessible."
One of the reasons the Freemans came to Sudbury is that there are many unaffiliated Jews in the area, especially young families and college students eager to explore their Jewish roots and build a spiritual identity.
"There are a lot of people out there who are looking for more. They want to know more, especially young people," said Yisroel Freeman. "They want to know the reasons behind things and Chabad is all about understanding what we are doing as Jews. Jewish philosophy addresses a lot of these things and it is very rewarding for people who study."
There are 613 commandments in the Torah, said Shayna Freeman, and study of the Kabbalah, an aspect of Jewish mysticism, gives a much deeper meaning to these commandments and to one's Jewish identity.
"The Hasidic philosophy is based primarily on Kabbalistic writings," said Yisroel Freeman. "Kabbalah explains the dynamics of the soul and how to connect the different abilities of your soul. It helps give meaning to every mundane thing. For us, that is very inspiring, and that is what really drives us."
Chabad-Lubavitch is one of the largest Jewish organizations in the world today and has more than 2,700 branches world-wide.
"Chabad is available in all four corners of the world. The saying is, 'Where there's Coke there's Chabad,'" said Shayna Freeman with a smile. "In some places you just have to be there, and people may come or not come."
That includes the mountains of Nepal where Chabad holds "the world's highest seder" which falls at Passover, a popular vacation period for Jewish tourists. The point said Shayna Freeman, is that Chabad saw a religious need and filled it.
The commitment to spreading the message that every good deed matters, and that everything is designed by God to have a purpose, is one that the Freemans share. Married for four years, the couple most recently served as the spiritual leaders of the Greystone Jewish Center in Yonkers, NY.
"Spirituality is a real, tangible thing. It has a real physical effect on the world," said Yisroel Freeman. "Judaism isn't all or nothing. Each deed is an individual act. One good deed can tip the scale, and you don't know which one will do it. Each good deed that someone does to help someone, or for good, is a tremendous power in its own right."
Yisroel Freeman, 27, grew up in London, England and studied at rabbinical colleges in Montreal, Canada and Brooklyn, NY where he was ordained as a rabbi in 2001. Shayna Freeman, 25, is a native of Los Angeles, Calif., and studied in Jerusalem and New York. She graduated from the Beth Rivka Teachers' Seminary in Brooklyn, N.Y. and from Thomas Edison State University in New Jersey.
Yisroel Freeman had the opportunity to meet one of Chabad's most influential rabbis, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, who assumed leadership of the movement in 1950. Schneerson, who died in 1994, was the seventh and last leader of the Chabad-Lubavitch branch of Hasidic Judaism. Schneerson embodied a spirit of love and optimism that is central to the movement today. His portrait hangs in the Freeman family home.
"Rabbi Schneerson was an inspiration for all of us. He very much encouraged everyone to use whatever was at their disposal to make the world a better place, to influence people for the good, and to go out in the community to add something or build something new," said Yisroel Freeman. "He did a lot to bring vitality to Judaism."
The Freemans were appointed to found the new Chabad center by Rabbi Levi Fogelman of the Chabad Center of Natick, which has served the Jewish community of the MetroWest area for 18 years.
The Freemans and their two children Chana, 2, and Levi, 1, live in Sudbury.
For more information: Phone: 978 443 3691or Email: rabbi@chabadsudbury.com or visit the Website: http://www.chabadsudbury.com