It may be hard to believe that there is a thriving shul in the New York area wheremembers of diverse Chassidishe kehillos, Litvisher yidden, Modern Orthodox Jews -- and even Jews who have not yet taken on full religious observance -- come together on a regular basis to enjoy beautiful tefillos b'tzibbur in an atmosphere saturated with limud haTorah and unbounded ahavas Yisroel. Yet such a place really does exist -- and Cong. Bnai Israel in Woodbourne, now in its second year of service to the klal, has become a popular center of ruchnius for countless Jews spending their summer vacation in the Catskill Mountains.
Under the leadership of Rav Mordechai Jungreis, the Niklesburger Rebbe of Brooklyn, the Woodbourne Bais Medrash features continuous minyanim for Shacharis, Mincha and Maariv, and is open to the public daily from 8:00 AM until 12:00 midnight. The shul attracts so many mispallelim that, not only are there often simultaneous minyanim throughout the building, but on occasion a minyan is even formed outside in the front area to accommodate the overflow crowd. "I opened this bais medrash to be a special place where yidden from every background can come and daven in friendly and dignified surroundings," the Niklesbuger Rebbe emphasizes. "We set the tone with our menorah and 'All Welcome' sign outside the shul. In fact, we even have a separate sign on an outside wall that says 'Kosel Minyan' with a box of siddurim, so that anyone who comes to daven during our 'off-hours' can do so in the best possible manner."
Cong. Bnai Israel's lavish physical offerings closely match its spiritual bounty. Throughout the week, the shul offers a variety of delicious and filling snacks at no charge; on Friday, visitors can avail themselves of special food items that are fit for Shabbos meals. Every Shabbos, the throngs of people who flock to join the heartwarming tefillos gladly participate in the Rebbe's heartzige Friday night tish, and many of them return for the festive Motzoei Shabbos melaveh malka.
The success of the Woodbourne Bais Medrash is undoubtedly a result of Rav Jungreis' unstinting dedication and remarkable personal sacrifice. After exerting great effort for quite some time to finally open the shul last year, the Rebbe has not slackened in his attentiveness -- he actually can be seen on the shul premises at virtually any time of the day or night, doing his utmost to ensure that all of the mispallelim are having a pleasant experience. In keeping with the shul's welcoming ruach, the Niklesburger Rebbe -- who has become well-known for his successful kiruv activities in Brooklyn -- will not hesitate to step in if he feels that someone's kavod has been slighted. "One time last year," the Rebbe recalls, "a young man who was dressed in a modern style and did not wear a hat went up and started davening for the amud. One of the Chassidim in the shul loudly protested that someone dressed this way should not lead the tefillos, so the young man went back to his seat. I immediately intervened, and announced that there would be no minyan unless the young man was allowed to return to the amud. Not only did he do so, but after the minyan ended, the Chasid who had complained came over to me and requested forgiveness for his rash action."
The Niklesburger Rebbe's deeply-felt desire to raise the level of kedushah within the Catskill Mountains during the summer has been manifest both prior to and since the establishment of the Woodbourne Bais Medrash. In 2004, when a pool hall opened in Monticello and quickly became a magnet of undesirable influence for local Orthodox teenagers, the Rebbe actively opposed the establishment and ultimately succeeded in having it closed down. Last year, when an unaffiliated man came to check out what the shul had to offer, the Rebbe's kindness and generosity of spirit so impressed the visitor that he gradually but decisively began taking on regular mitzvah observance. And just recently, when a flood in the building required the installation of new floors, the Niklesburger Rebbe invested an exorbitant sum of money to guarantee that the bais medrash would be in optimum condition for the beginning of the summer season and continue to be a beacon of holiness for the upstate community.
5 сен 2024
