Borehamwood Chabad Centre banking on £1.5m fundraising campaign

Chabad’s Jewish community centre in Borehamwood is fundraising £1.5 million for an expanded new home in a former NatWest bank.

To help bring the project to life, a 36-hour fundraising campaign runs this Sunday and Monday, championed by Rabbi Chaim, 39 and Leah Hoch, 37, who moved to the area in 2011.

The couple are the driving force behind the busy Jewish Life Centre, currently running from rented 1,250 sq ft first-floor space near Shenley Road.

By leasing the NatWest building, which closed in 2022, the JLC team aim to provide a new space where the 15,000-strong Elstree and Borehamwood Jewish community can continue to grow, offering an expanded programme of events, classes, children’s activities, and social initiatives.

A proposal for the new centre features an art lounge, co-working space, a commercial kitchen for events and pop-up evenings, a shul and formal event space for bar and batmitzvahs, nursery and children’s hub, sensory room and exercise studio.

The Keystone Passageway space would be retained as a Jewish youth hub.

Rabbi Hoch said: “This is far beyond just bricks and mortar. It’s about creating a space of exponentially greater impact over what we can offer in our current home. It will be a space where every Jewish soul can belong, learn, and celebrate together.

“From mums and baby groups, teen clubs, educational workshops, children with special needs, to the vulnerable and the disadvantaged; the new Jewish Life Centre will be a place that brings people closer—to their heritage, to each other, and to the wider community.”

The fundraising campaign will run for 36 hours, aiming to raise the crucial funds needed to secure a lease on the new site and begin the next phase of development in May 2025.

Project strategy team member Sam Shaer said: “The existing centre has already punched above its weight, with Chaim and Leah somehow squeezing so many activities, creating so many memories and curating so many meaningful and elevated experiences into very limited square footage”.

She added: “Since 2019 the Jewish Life Centre has welcomed and impacted tens of thousands of people to connect with Judaism through programmes, events, classes, chicken soup, and so much more. It is time for the next stage.”

Leah Hoch said: “This centre is for everyone. It’s a space that will embrace diversity and inclusion, open its doors to the wider Borehamwood community, and make a real difference in people’s lives. With your help, we can’t wait to make this community dream a reality!”

• Supporters, friends, and neighbours are invited to take part by visiting www.raisethon.com/jewishlifecentre and contributing to the matched-funded campaign