Chabad Jewish Center of Pudong: Where Every Jew is Family

By Naomi Siegel

With the High Holidays just around the corner, Rabbi Avraham Greenberg of Chabad Jewish Center of Pudong explains how easy it is for members of the Jewish community to get involved in Shanghai.

Rabbi Avraham Greenberg founded the Jewish Center Pudong in 2006 at the encouragement of his brother, an outreach rabbi. Just five years later, the congregation has grown to over 150 families. Rabbi Greenberg cheerfully describes the group as “eclectic” with “Jews of every background, affiliation, nationality and community”. He delights in the fact that Shanghai’s expatriate community is growing so rapidly, and how that is affecting the community’s demographics.

“In their home countries, [members of the Jewish community] may not have the opportunity to meet with people from all sorts of backgrounds, but here in China, they get to enjoy and learn from all sorts of friends. Women from the community cook our monthly communal Shabbos dinner with the taste and style of their home country, so in recent months, we’ve had community dinners in China featuring food from Morocco, Ukraine and Italy,” he says. “At these occasions, community members shared their traditions and customs. These dinners were an eye opener for many to be able to appreciate the different cultures and rich traditions within the Jewish people.”

Guided by its mission “to provide a Jewish home away from home, for all Jews residing in Pudong, regardless of their level of observance”, the center offers educational and social services that are designed to “increase Jewish pride, knowledge and commitment”. In addition to a Hebrew school, the center also offers adult education programs, teen groups and a women’s circle. For adults, the rabbi recommends Lunch ‘n’ Learn, a lunch for men and women on the first Tuesday of every month. A new course called 'Toward a Meaningful Life' offers kabbalistic insights on things like love, lasting relationships and positive thinking.

Rabbi Greenberg’s plans for Chabad Pudong in the future are limitless. “I see a bright future for the Jewish community here in Shanghai. We expect a lot of growth, and we foresee a flourishing Jewish community in Pudong, both in numerical size and personal spiritual growth,” he says.

To get involved with Chabad Pudong, join the center’s mailing list to receive updates about upcoming programs and activities. In addition to Friday night services, the center is also holding a Welcome Back BBQ and Shofar Factory event on 11 September “as a way to turn an otherwise dark day into something spiritual and bright”. To kick off the High Holiday celebrations on the first night of Rosh Hashanah, the center will host a large community holiday dinner at a five star hotel.

Web: www.jewishpudong.com