Heritage Florida Jewish News - Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice

A new 14,000-square-foot Jewish Student Center is set to open Sunday, Sept. 3rd at the University of Central Florida. The Chabad Center’s grand opening will culminate a two-year building project.

“This is one of the most exciting charity projects that we have been involved in and that has given the most joy to our family. It is very rewarding and very easy to support a project when you are partnering with one of the most loving, caring, dedicated, able and committed persons in the world, Rabbi Chaim and Rivkie Lipskier. You make us proud,” said Moshe and Lillian Tabacinic, whose name the new campus will bear.

With a Jewish student body estimated between six and eight thousand, it is the largest Jewish student population on any campus worldwide outside of Israel. The multifaceted center was built to cater to the widest range of student needs, and includes a synagogue, social hall, student lounge, guest suites, mikvah and more. The $6.5 million center was also designed and built to the latest standards, embracing a cleaner and greener future.

Since its inception in 2006, Chabad at the University of Central Florida has served as a home away from home for the many thousands of Jewish students attending the state university from across the region, including Miami, Jacksonville, Tampa and Tallahassee.

“I love the friendly and welcoming atmosphere that has my friends and I come back week after week” said Rebecca Zilberman, a student from Lake Worth. “At Chabad, I feel like I’m with my family.”

Particularly noteworthy is the diverse support the center has earned from the widest cross-section of the university and local communities, which has helped make this new home a reality. Bringing together Jews from every background and religious affiliation is a testament to Chabad’s hallmark attitude of acceptance and warmth to one and all.

Alan Ginsburg, a household name in the Orlando Jewish and philanthropic community and The Ginsburg Family Foundation, will be dedicating the Ginsburg Family Foundation Social Hall; Brian Hammontree, a long-time Chabad friend and neighbor, will be dedicating the student lounge; Dr Terri Fine and Paul Stenzler will be dedicating the library; and Moshe and Lillian Tabacinic, are among the many supporters of the new center.

“Our main purpose here at UCF is to provide a safe haven for Jewish life and learning for the students in the Orlando Area,” says Rabbi Chaim Lipskier, who co-directs the center alongside his wife Rivkie. “We believe every person, regardless of observance or affiliation, should have a place where they feel comfortable to grow physically and spiritually.”

With a formal ribbon cutting ceremony in the presence of community and university leaders and elected officials, the dedication will celebrate past achievements and the ever-expanding activities the new center will help to accommodate.

The community is warmly invited to attend the Grand Opening of the Chabad Jewish Student Center on Sunday, Sept., 3, 2023, at 1 p.m., at 3144 N. Alafaya Trail, Orlando, FL 32826.

For more information, dedication opportunities, and to RSVP for the Grand Opening celebration, please visit JewishUCF.com/GrandOpening.