BOISE, Idaho — Sunday marked a historic day for Idaho's Jewish community, as hundreds gathered to celebrate the opening of the new Chabad Jewish Center in Boise.
The Chabad Jewish Center has had a presence in the Gem State for 20 years.
"We built the community, but we didn't really have a home," Rabbi Mendel Lifshitz said. "Now we have a building for that community."
The new center has Idaho's very first Mikvah, which is a Jewish ritual bath.
"This is a remarkable achievement because it will allow the community to be able to practice their faith in ways that they weren't able to do so until now," Rabbi Lifshitz said. "The nearest Mikvah was in Salt Lake City up until now. So this was a ritual that people weren't able to practice locally, and now the opportunity is there."
An opportunity to serve a growing Jewish community in the Treasure Valley.
"This community has grown by leaps and bounds in the last few years. We are here to meet that demand, and to create a home for the entire community," Rabbi Lifshitz said. "We are so encouraged and touched by the support of our own community, and the wider community."
The $4 million facility also has the state's first commercial kosher kitchen, as well as a children's library and Hebrew school classrooms.
Rabbi Lifshitz called the Chabad Jewish Center a tremendous milestone for the community.
"It's happening in a difficult week when we've had a lot of struggles and suffering in the Holy Land for our people," Rabbi Lifshitz said. "But we're coming together to show that when we unite, we are strong, and that we will not cower in the face of evil."
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