After six years in their Brooklyn neighborhood, Rabbi DovBer Pinson has a lot of supporters. They come to the various classes he teaches in the city, the Sabbath programming he’s run out of a series of spaces as his IYYUN center for Jewish spirituality grew, events for holidays, and weekly women’s groups coordinated by his wife and fellow Chabad-Lubavitch emissary, Rochie Pinson.
But on Sunday night, several hundred of his closest friends, supporters and neighbors joined him for the dedication of a recently-acquired building and new home for the IYYUN center. They took part in a raffle and fundraiser benefitting the organization, and participated in the commissioning of a Torah scroll being written in memory of Pinson’s mother, Rochel.
Green lights illuminated the white brick columns below peaked painted beams. Guests arriving murmured about how classy the place looked, chatting against a backdrop of Jewish jazz music about the gourmet hors d’oeuvres being passed around as they lounged on couches and mingled at high tables lit by candles.
Just off of bustling Fourth Avenue, with property values in the neighborhood skyrocketing, Pinson expects those seeking the center’s yeshiva experience and Jewish learning for adults to come through its doors.
“This is an eclectic group of spiritual seekers,” he said, adding that people had come from around the city and Long Island to take part in the evening. “You get hipsters and Chasidim from all different stripes; they want to delve deeper into the text, and we’ve created a home for that.”
The building was purchased with the financial support of many individuals, including philanthropists Morris Wolfson, Gennadiy Bogolubov, and Steven and Susan Polis-Schutz.
Esther Kemitale, who has attended Pinson’s meditation and Rosh Chodesh meetings in the city for the last year, said she appreciates his ability to break down mystical ideas into digestible pieces for people like her, who are seeking Kabbalistic and mystical insight.
“He speaks to me,” she said, adding that she was eager to contribute to the evening’s causes. “I’m just excited they’re opening a yeshiva here.”
The half-hour journey from Midtown to Brooklyn was well worth it for Manhattan residents Eric Rosen and wife Deborah Goldzweig, who takes classes with the rabbi. Rosen, who has been involved with the center for two years, said he likes that the events are unique and interesting, and looks forward to coming back again.
“They’re more spiritual; you just get a different sense of spirituality,” he said, comparing the IYYUN experience to other synagogue functions. “It just seems to touch your soul more, so you just get more of a sense that you’re actually experiencing something more.”
Ted Stricker, a Brooklyn resident and member of the IYYUN center’s synagogue, spoke at the event. His wife, Rebecca Weiss-Stricker, helped plan it.
“We’re building something special here,” he told the crowd. “This is going to be the best Chabad center in the whole world. We’ve got Rabbi Pinson. We’re very lucky to have him here.”
He added that he hopes to see others get more involved in creating a legacy for themselves and their children. With a 21-month-old and a 7-month-old, he said that’s one of his goals.
“This is where they’re going to come to [pray] every Shabbat,” he said. “It’s exciting.”
Mark Lewis, who has been attending Pinson’s classes for several years and followed the couple through their various locations, came back from a trip a day early to make sure he could be at Sunday’s event.
“They’ve always been there for me,” he said. “I wanted to support the community, Rabbi Pinson and the Rebbitzen.”
Lewis said he appreciates their ability to reach people wherever they are and encourage growth without pressuring them. And as for the space, he said he hopes it will become what it should be: “I hope this is a place of many celebrations!”
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