ROCKVILLE, Maryland—On its website, Chabad-Lubavitch claims it opens a new synagogue every three days somewhere on the planet. That would rank Chabad among the world’s fastest-growing franchises—putting even Starbucks, McDonald’s and Smoothie King to shame.

With 5,000 locations in over 100 countries, Chabad seeks to establish “a living Jewish community within reach of any Jew, nearly anywhere on the globe, ensuring universal Jewish awareness with the promise of Jewish continuity.”

But unlike the fast-food business, not all Chabad locations are the same. In the United States, about 20 Chabad centers cater specifically to Israelis. These shuls—with services conducted primarily in Hebrew rather than English—are located in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami and Philadelphia, among other cities.

And now, the Hebrew-speaking Chabad closest to the center of American power is building a new home.

The Chabad Israeli Center of Rockville—established by Rabbi Shlomo Beitsh in the summer of 2002—has outgrown its current location in a Maryland suburb nicknamed the “kibbutz” due to its concentration of Israeli expatriates.

“We think between 25,000 and 30,000 Israelis live in the DMV,” said Beitsh, using a local term for the metropolitan area encompassing the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. “Of that number, most of them are not religious. Some are more traditional, some less. But we’re the only Hebrew-speaking Bet Chabad in the Washington DC area.”

It’s hard to believe, but when Beitsh, 47, arrived with his wife Sara........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)