OUR COMMUNITY

M

ore than two years after open-
ing the Chabad Jewish Center 
of Troy, Rabbi Menachem and 
Chana Caytak have taken the next step: 
signing a lease for a Jewish community cen-
ter, a central place in the area where Jews 
can congregate and celebrate their Judaism. 
The move signifies a permanent location 
for the Chabad Jewish Center of Troy after 
it operated out of multiple locations for the 
past two years. 
The Caytak’s motivation to move to Troy 
in the first place is exactly what’s motivating 
them to take the next step with the com-
munity center. It all stems from the vision 
of the seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi 
Menachem Mendel Schneerson. 
“His approach was, ‘We have to get 
out there and reach every single Jew,
’” 
Menachem Caytak said. “We’re not here 
to just gather 10, 20, 100 Jews. We’re here 
literally to reach every Jew in the area and 
provide for their own specific Jewish needs 
— and we won’t stop until we do that.
” 
Their Jewish community center is 
focusing on reaching out to Jews who live 
throughout northern Oakland County, 
including Troy, Rochester, Rochester Hills 
and even out to Lake Orion, as well as east, 
going into Macomb County. 
The lease for the new community center 
is on a property in downtown Auburn Hills 

(3306 Auburn Road), settling there for its 
centralized location. 
“It’s right off M-59 and also right off I-75, 
so it’s a very central area people can access 
from every point,
” Caytak said. 
Before Troy Chabad opened, a large 
percentage of the families they currently 
serve had zero interaction with any Jewish 
organization, he said. Through an array of 
educational, social and community pro-
gramming, they have begun to bring the 
Jewish community together. They currently 
are in contact with more than 750 Jewish 
households in the area and are still growing. 
Some of the programming Chabad has 
offered and will continue to offer at the 
community center are Torah classes, with 
an average of 45 participants on a weekly 
basis, a teen group and classes 
for Jewish teens, a Jewish Kids 
Club with dozens of Jewish chil-
dren participating on a monthly 
basis, Shabbat dinners, social 
events, and programs such as 
a women’s club and a Jewish 
business group, with summer 
camp currently in the works and 
much more.

CONNECTING WITH 
STUDENTS
Another benefit of the location 

is that it’s right next to Oakland University, 
which aligns with a core objective of the 
new center: being a Jewish student center 
for Jewish OU students with classes and 
programs specifically programmed and 
available for them.
While OU has a Hillel student group and 
Chabad works with them on different proj-
ects, Caytak says the community center will 
provide even more for those students.
“OU’s Jewish student population is a 
very important Jewish demographic that 
we’re serving,
” he said. “We’re in touch with 
over 60 students who learn there. We’ve 
had classes every single week and provide 
Shabbat dinner on Friday nights every sin-
gle week for Jewish students.
”
Another purpose is that the center will 

Chabad Jewish Center
of Troy signs lease for
Jewish community center.

Permanent
Home

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

24 | NOVEMBER 25 • 2021 

Rabbi Menachem and Chana 
Caytak with their daughter 
Chaya Mushka. 

