Winnipeg’s New Learning Centre Only Yeshiva in Central Canada

Winnipeg’s new Jewish Learning Centre, smack dab in the middle of Canada, may be the only yeshiva ever built between Vancouver and Toronto. But for the Jewish families who live in the Manitoba capital, the facility is so much more than a place to train future rabbis: It’s their spiritual home.

The 17,000 square foot facility at 1845 Mathers Avenue, which officially opened its doors in December, includes not only a yeshiva, but additional classrooms, a day care center, multipurpose rooms, a library, a Jewish ritual bath, and kosher kitchens to accommodate a variety of activities for all ages. Home to the local branch of the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute, it also hosts social and educational programs, discussions and study groups for people from the wider community.

According to Rabbi Avrohom Altein, director of the Chabad-Lubavitch Centre of Winnipeg for more than 35 years, the idea for the new institution was conceived several years ago. At that time, the Jewish community had begun to move from further south in the city, so Altein and his staff opened the Chabad Torah Centre in a rented building on Grant Street. Study groups took place in members’ homes, but it soon became apparent that what the community needed was a large facility.

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Altein and a group of communal leaders sat down to plan out a building that would offer a comprehensive Jewish learning experience for all, regardless of affiliation.

“The traditional model of the shul as the center of Jewish life doesn’t work so well anymore,” explains the rabbi. “Torah study is non-threatening; people are drawn to it. Hundreds of people who wouldn’t step into a synagogue will come to learn.

“The center will incorporate learning in a broader sense, not just the yeshiva sense,” he adds. “This will be an all-encompassing Chabad center. Many of the people who come to our building are not involved with a shul. We are the opposite of most shuls; what we do is not aimed at attracting members.”

The $3.9 million project has drawn the support of public institutions; both the Government of Canada and the Province of Manitoba contributed $320,000 each through an infrastructure stimulus program to create jobs and boost the local economy. The city and the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba also donated to the project.

Rabbi Avrohom Altein, right, has served as a Chabad-Lubavitch emissary to Winnipeg for more than 35 years.

More than 500 people attended last month’s official grand opening, where Mayor Sam Katz offered a welcoming speech. Other VIPs in attendance included local MP Rod Bruinooge and provincial Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation Steve Ashton.

An ongoing fundraising campaign under the direction of Abe Anhang is meanwhile aiming to collect several hundred thousand dollars more to cover the costs of furnishings and fixtures.

Major supporters of the project include Frank Lavitt and his wife, Ahava Halperin, who together feel that the center will solidify Winnipeg’s Jewish population.

“My wife remembered something my dad once said about how a Jewish population stayed vibrant wherever there was a Yeshiva,” says Lavitt. “It’s like insurance against assimilation.”

Lavitt remembers attending summer yeshiva-style programs run by Altein with his father, which he found inspiring and informative.

“They make everything exciting and interesting,” he relates. “In Winnipeg, Chanukah was nothing until Chabad came along. They turned it into a major festive holiday.

“Chabad has always led the way,” he continues. “They inspire other organizations to do things. And they’re non-judgmental; whether you’re wealthy or poor, you’re just as valuable. What else can you ask for?”