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Conveniently located at the center of South Orlando community life, the new Chabad Center for Jewish Life promises to be a very special addition to our community. The one acre property is nestled between "The Fountains" and "Rialto", on the famous "Restaurant Row" on Sand lake Rd. It is the result of careful planning, meticulous research, invaluable input and a desire to meet many of the needs of our Jewish friends and neighbors.
The CCJL has been intentionally designed, in part, to act as the ideal ‘third place,’ a term that author Ray Oldenburg coined more than two decades ago. He reminds us that a healthy existence requires a balance of three realms: home life, the workplace, and the inclusively sociable places….’anchors of our existence’ as he refers to those ‘third places.’ The CCJL promises to be the perfect ‘third place.’ Welcoming and comfortable, it is certain to foster broader, more creative, more thought-provoking interaction within our community, playing host to regular, informal, and happily anticipated, and at times, solemn gatherings of individuals and families.
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Beyond providing the lecture hall for our Jewish Learning Institute, school classrooms for Chai Preschool & Orlando Jewish Day School, a Mikvah for family Sanctity, a C-Teen Lounge, a chapel for prayers and spiritual meditation, and programming to help expand our minds, the CCJL will provide the opportunity to celebrate social events, joyous community holiday celebrations, and family life-cycle celebrations. The Center will seamlessly combine the many important elements of our spiritual well-being and our physical good spirit.
The CCJL has been designed like many of the traditional homes of our parents and grandparents with its kitchen, in this case, its modern, well-appointed kosher kitchen, at its center. From Shabbat dinners to children’s cooking classes, from formal gatherings to drop-in meals – all types of nourishment and camaraderie are on the menu. The CCJL will feature a social hall and a welcoming coffee bar as well.
The importance of nature has been paramount in the setting and design of the CCJL. Maintaining the building’s abundance of natural light is consistent with both the spirit of the overall project and the eco-friendly attention that will be paid to its renovation.
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