Rabbi Mendel Paltiel and his wife, Sarale Paltiel, have founded the Chabad of Manhasset, a new community intended to foster pride and engagement in Judaism in the area, the rabbi said.
The chabad, which the couple established Oct. 1, will hold its first event this Wednesday, Manhasset’s annual menorah lighting in partnership with the Town of North Hempstead.
The Paltiels plan to move to Manhasset soon with their 2-month old baby and to open their home to the community rather than immediately secure a location specifically for the chabad.
Mendel Paltiel grew up in Port Washington, where his parents have co-directed a chabad for 27 years. They encouraged him to start another chapter, Mendel Paltiel said.
“We could have chosen more of a religious community, but we decided we would just feel more productive and meaningful if we were in a community that we could spread a little bit of what we’ve learned over the years in schooling and the way we were brought up and just try to impact those around us,” he said.
Mendel Paltiel attended Yeshiva Ohr Elchonon Chabad/West Coast Talmudical Seminary in Los Angeles and Rabbinical College of America in New Jersey, where he received his ordination from Israel’s former chief rabbi.
He has engaged with Jewish communities in the states in which he studied and internationally; as a rabbi he has traveled to Congo and Peru.
The role of a chabad expands beyond that of a synagogue, he said. It’s a community that can conduct a range of programming, from holiday events to charity work.
“There’s no limit to what a chabad center will do,” Mendel Paltiel said.
Manhasset’s chabad will serve the community “however the community’s ready to grow with it,” he said.
“Our goal is really to bring the community together and do our best at spreading the light and the wisdom of the Torah and Judaism,” Mendel Paltiel said.
