California may not be known for its Bible Belt, but it has one, and the city of Bakersfield is right at its buckle. Chabad of Bakersfield added a new– rather different–notch to the Bakersfield’s belt when it opened its new center in an industrial complex last week.
Leaders of local churches sent Rabbi Shmuli and Esther Schlanger, Chabad’s representatives in Bakersfield, letters of congratulations before the center’s grand opening. “It’s a very religion friendly town,” said Esther Schlanger. “The people are very warm towards us and very accepting.”
Reception from Bakersfield’s Jewish population has been similarly welcoming. For three years, Jewish families in Bakersfield have been attending Chabad’s Shabbat, holiday events, classes, and groups for teens and women, mostly at the Schlanger’s home. A separate space for Chabad activities is a turning point, a step up that the Schlangers envision leading to many more programs. “When you have your Chabad House in a residential home, people think you are temporary. Now everyone knows we are here to stay,” said Schlanger.
One hundred community members were on hand to celebrate the grand opening of Chabad’s new home. After Mayor Harvey Hall, (who has lit Chabad’s 6 ft. tall menorah,) praised Chabad’s good work in the city, globetrotting lecturer and tape-series author Rabbi Yossi Jacobson stirred the crowd with his trademark good humor and mystical insights. Press coverage before and after the event and the night of celebration have already raised Chabad’s profile. A Bakersfield man, who had harbored doubts that he’d be comfortable at Chabad, phoned after the event. After living in Bakersfield for 25 years, he said he plans to spend Rosh Hashannah and Yom Kippur at Chabad.
On Thursday, babies and their moms arrived at the new Chabad center for the first Mommy and Me group meeting. Moms entertained the babies, blowing bubbles, tapping tambourines as they chatted with each other. The conversation turned from motherhood to the upcoming holidays. Mrs. Schlanger led the group with Jewish children’s songs, happy to host the Mommy and Me group, and happy to have a new Chabad center to call her own.
Shabbat services were held in the center’s sanctuary last Saturday. Even though the crowd’s numbers were beefed up by newcomers, the spacious seating area had plenty of room for more. That’s a good thing. As the city’s founder Col. Thomas Baker predicted when he said, “This is G-d’s country. One day there will be many happy homes, and herein is good land,” Bakersfield has experienced major growth, a population boom. According to last year’s population statistics, Bakersfield is the tenth fastest growing metropolitan area in the country. Los Angelinos tired of the traffic and S. Franciscans priced out of the housing market and others have been migrating to Bakersfield, snapping up affordable housing. The median price for a home in Bakersfield is $180,000; houses in S. Francisco go for triple. According to Schlanger, a lot of the fresh faces in Bakersfield are parents with children of pre-bar and bat mitzvah age, just right for getting involved with Chabad.
Only Leah, the Schlanger’s three year old daughter is disappointed by the new center. Leah’le would wake up on Saturday mornings to find a little group of her friends, children of Chabad congregants, in her living room. The new center means she’ll have to leave her home to go to the synagogue, but the center’s new children’s room should take some of the sting out of the displacement. In the room there’s a kid-sized table, toys and children’s library to keep children occupied during prayer services.
Coziness continues throughout the center. A soft beige couch and love seat occupy a front room with a coffee table in between. “We tried to make it very homey,” said Schlanger, “It is not a big building, but it’s a beginning.”
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