Chabad of Monroeville expands with new building and vision for the future

“There’s a buzz about the new space,” he said.

Chabad of Monroeville will soon have a new home and, according to Rabbi Mendy Schapiro, the move is a logical step.

“It is time,” he said. “Our current space has served us well for over 10 years but it’s a little bit limiting. When we saw this building was for sale, we saw what it could look like for Chabad of Monroeville. We saw a lot of potential. It’s time to make the move.”

The new building is on Mosside Boulevard, a short ride from Chabad’s current location. The plan, Schapiro said, is to begin moving in the next few months.

“For Phase 1 we are going to utilize part of the space so that we can be in our new home,” he explained. “During the next several months we’ll be going through architectural work and design for a full construction project to create a beautiful Chabad Jewish center that is warm and welcoming in the eastern suburbs.”

Among other things, the new building will include a kitchen, event space and social hall.

Schapiro said that while Chabad valued and felt at home in its current space, its leaders always understood that a move to a permanent location was inevitable.

“We became very comfortable here but never really put in permanent structures,” he said. “That will all change when we move into the new space. It’s going to be beautifully designed and prepared for us, but will still have the idea of multi-use purposes for all of the spaces.”

The new location, Schapiro said, will offer Chabad of Monroeville the prospect of additional programming and volunteering.

“We have some great ideas we will be launching once we have the space to house those kinds of events,” he said. “We plan on expanding some of the programming for children and teens. We have a plan for more community offerings.”

And not just for the Jewish community, Schapiro said, pointing to support from the broader Monroeville community and eastern suburbs, including the mayor, council and community members.

“There’s a buzz about the new space,” he said.

That buzz is evident among the people Chabad of Monroeville engages throughout the year, drawing hundreds of participants annually across Shabbat and High Holiday services, classes, social gatherings, youth programs and more.

That growth is consistent across the Chabad community in Greater Pittsburgh, with Monroeville just the latest example of a Chabad-afilliated organization buying new property. In 2021 Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh bought the former site of St. Rosalia in Greenfield, and in 2024 Chabad of the South Hills bought the former Good Shepard Lutheran Church.

Schapiro said that’s because Chabad isn’t simply a synagogue.

“It’s much more than that,” he explained. “It’s a Jewish family that has a lot of offerings. The community finds ways to connect here. For some, it’s simply grabbing coffee with myself or my wife; for others it has to do with Jewish guidance or life cycle events. For others it’s events, and for others shul. People connect to Chabad in many different ways.”

Charlie Rubin is one of those people finding a connection at Chabad of Monroeville. While the Forest Hills resident lives close enough to the city to attend Jewish programming there, he said he enjoys both the Monroeville congregation and the Schapiros.

“It’s a very heimish place,” he said.

The new building, Rubin said, presents “all kinds of exciting new possibilities.”

He noted there is a growing number of people participating in Chabad of Monroeville events and that the new building is needed.

“Having more space will allow that to expand and allow the number of people who take advantage of it to expand as well,” he said.

Those sentiments were echoed by Mindy Norman, who said Chabad of Monroeville has undergone tremendous growth during the last four years that she has been a member.

Many people attend Chabad, she said, because of the warmth and kindness they experience there, along with its embrace of the “many traditions that have sustained Judaism” — seen in the wide range of programs that help participants connect Torah wisdom to modern life.

“The need for a larger space is necessary to accommodate the numerous programs and new initiatives,” she said. “The new building opens the door to even greater growth.”

For Schapiro, the new location is a closing of a circle in some ways. Over the years the building has housed many Jewish business owners and the rabbi frequently visited them for the holidays.

“I stopped by this building many times to offer things like matzah, honey cakes and menorahs,” he said.

The new building, he said, is the beginning of the next stage of Jewish life in Monroeville.

“We want to be at the forefront of offering a home for Judaism in the eastern suburbs,” Shapiro said. PJC

David Rullo can be reached at drullo@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.