Vienna’s Jewish community celebrated the opening of a new synagogue and the Center for Jewish Heritage at the Lauder Business School, Sunday. Participating in the opening were members of the local rabbinate, the Israeli ambassador and Jewish communal leaders.

The center, with study halls, classrooms, a library and a kosher kitchen will serve the religious needs of the hundreds of Jewish students attending the Lauder Business School.

As the only synagogue in this area, Ohel Avraham will serve as a hub for the greater Jewish community as well, The synagogue was dedicated by Mrs. Edith Rosenberg and her family, in memory of her late husband and Viennese communal leader, Avraham Yehudah Rosenberg.

Rabbi Shaya Boaz, Chabad's representative to Vienna's Döbling district serves on the university's board of directors and the rabbi at Ohel Avraham says he expects many local Jews to the synagogue for holiday services.

Rabbi Moshe Starik, the campus's rabbi and the center's leader notes that now, thanks to the expansion, Chabad will be able to diversify its programming for students. The multilingual library will be especially attractive, he says, to members of the school's diverse student body who come from 22 different countries.

“This is a hopeful and positive way to open the new year,” said Rabbi Yakov Biderman, Chabad representative to Austria.