The Five Towns' newest Chabad

Rabbi Zalman Wolowik, of the Chabad of the Five Towns, was once asked what he saw in the future, and he replied, “Ongoing growth.” He is now seeing that growth, as his daughter, Goldie Gordon, and son-and-law, Rabbi Mendel Gordon, have opened their own Chabad.

“No greater joy than our children feeling this connection to our community,” Wolowik said. “To give back in the community they were raised.”

The Chabad of Hewlett Neck & Old Woodmere is the Five Towns’ newest Chabad, and continues to fulfill the goal Wolowik had over 25 years ago when he opened the Chabad of the Five Towns with his wife, Chanie: having a place for Jews to come together to share their heritage.

Led by the Gordons, the Chabad of Hewlett Neck & Old Woodmere hopes to attract the same energy the Wolowiks brought to the community when their Chabad opened. With that in mind, it made sense for the Gordons to reach out to Rabbi Wolowik, who has become a fixture in the community.

“To have his guidance, his advice and support, it is incredible,” Rabbi Gordon said of his father-in-law.

At the Chabad of the Five Towns, in Cedarhurst, the Wolowiks host Shabbat services and dinners, holiday programs, Torah classes, youth clubs and numerous events throughout the year. Rabbi Wolowik said that he and Chanie are in partnership with his daughter and son-and-law’s Chabad, but the Gordons would run it their way. It opened last summer, and they have connected with more than 100 families.

Nothing comes easy, however, and the Gordons knew that going in. “The challenge really was, and still is, to a large extend, getting the word out there,” Rabbi Gordon said, “as well as making people understand what Chabad really is. People think Chabad is a place to come and pray, a place for a school or a place to learn Torah. Chabad is all of that, but beyond that: It is a movement to try and do good things and inspire them to become better people, better Jews, and to become more connected with God.”

Rabbi Wolowik worked with his daughter and son-in-law to find an area where their presence would be felt the most, based on what he had seen over the last two decades and people’s requests.

“A few places were brought up (by) people who reached out,” Rabbi Gordon said. “But we realized that to come back here, where Goldie was raised and where her parents are doing so much good by being a source of life for the whole community.”

They concluded that Hewlett Neck and Old Woodmere would be the best fit.

Rabbi Gordon was born and raised in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.

He and Goldie lived there until they settled in the Five Towns, where he was inspired by the large Jewish presence and Goldie reconnected with an area she knew well.

“It was my entire childhood, and it was the best childhood one can ask for,” Goldie said of her father’s Chabad. “It was always open with everybody. Every holiday was spent with our extended family there.”

The Wolowiks have made it clear to the Gordons that they are here for them. “They know they can count on us,” Rabbi Wolowik said. “We are happy to have them both nearby.”

“We have an incredible opportunity in this area,” Goldie said. “We’re really here just to be another branch of the Chabad of the Five Towns.”

For more information on The Chabad of Hewlett Neck & Old Woodmere, contact Rabbi Gordon, at mgordon@chabadfivetowns.com, or Goldie, at goldie@chabadfivetowns.com.