A much-anticipated groundbreaking ceremony took place on Sunday, January 31 at Congregation Aitz Chaim in West Palm Beach. The synagogue, located at 2518 Haverhill Road, dedicated a portion of its property for the purpose of a mikveh tahara.
The ceremony was attended by prominent rabbis, members of the shul, and supporters from throughout the community. The dedication was illuminated by a distinguished guest from Yerushalayim, the Dushinsky Rebbe, shlita.
Reb Zalman Hirsch opened the ceremony by noting the beauty of seeing so many Yidden from such a wide variety of backgrounds come together for the purpose of the dedication.
Reb Hirsch pointed out that the facility will be used by young Jewish families as well as Jews choosing the West Palm Beach area as a place to spend their retirement years.
The first to speak was Aitz Chaim’s own Rabbi Shlomo Goldstein, who explained the importance of having a mikveh. Rabbi Goldstein referred to the Mishnah Berura edict that building a mikveh takes precedence over building a shul.
The second to speak was a Rabbi Z.L. Meizlish, who chose Century Village as his second residence some years ago. Rabbi Meizlish remarked that the West Palm Beach location has evolved in just a short time with accommodations for its Jewish population.
Rabbi Avrum Yaakov Katz, the powerhouse behind the mikveh project, shared insights and updates with the crowd.
The crowd was electrified when Rabbi Noach Eizik Ahlbaum of Kew Gardens, New York, joined in the festivities via a hookup from his shul. Rabbi Ahlbaum recently purchased a condo in Century Village and is one of the well-known poskim of our time.
Finally the beloved Chabad rabbi of West Palm Beach, Rabbi Yoel Ganz, spoke of how the mikveh will make his kiruv work easier. On the spot, he pledged a large donation.
All who attended had a hands-on chance to take part in the actual digging and the crowd burst out in a dance after having a festive L’chaim.