First Read

Tallahassee's Chabad House to kick off fundraising campaign for rebuilding

Its leader, Rabbi Schneur Oirechman, is a familiar face at the state Capitol, often giving invocations on the House and Senate floors. The building was destroyed by an accidental fire last year.

Image by falco from Pixabay

By Jim Rosica

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Jim Rosica
By Jim Rosica
Editor-in-Chief

Last May, a fire wiped out Chabad of Tallahassee and FSU, a Lubavitch Jewish worship center. What was worrisome was that it was one in a “string of blazes at Jewish worship centers around the country” last year, the Tallahassee Democrat reported. Its leader, Rabbi Schneur Oirechman, is a familiar face at the state Capitol, often giving invocations on the House and Senate floors. 

The good news was that the fire’s cause was not malicious or intentional, a state investigative report says, but rather was accidental, the result of a pot left cooking on a stove in the kitchen. And although it’s now in a temporary home near campus, Chabad House has begun the task of building a new facility. 

Though it had insurance of nearly $1 million, Chabad had to fight with its insurer – which tried to depreciate the old building – for a payout, said Mason Alexander, Chabad’s director of operations. Then the bank that had the mortgage learned of the insurance money and called the note, leaving them with under $300,000, he added. 

Now, Chabad has started an aggressive multimillion-dollar fundraising campaign, with hopes to have a bigger, better home ready by spring 2026. An event “with some of Florida’s most prominent leaders” is set for Tuesday, Oct. 10, at the old Capitol for the final scribing of the new Torah, which will then be carried to the new temporary home. “No dream is too big,” Alexander said. “We will make it happen.”

This is First Up, an excerpt from City & State's daily morning newsletter, First Read. To subscribe for free, please visit our newsletters page. 

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