About us

About Chabad of Silicon Valley

To love every Jew as one loves himself — no matter where they may be, geographically or spiritually — and to permeate that love with acts of kindness and mitzvahs.

We believe every individual Jew has an indispensable contribution to make to the whole of the Jewish people, and we try to meet each person at their own pace and their own level of comfort, through programs across every area of Jewish life. The larger aim behind all of it is to prepare the world for its ultimate purpose — the coming of Moshiach and the Ultimate Redemption — by spreading the light of Torah, goodness and kindness across our city.

Our philosophy

The Chabad House is committed to the themes the Chabad movement is built on: a love for G-d, a love for Torah, and a love for the Jewish people. Everyone is welcome here regardless of background or level of observance — Chabad brings warmth and joy to Judaism, not judgment.

The Chabad House offers a wide range of educational and spiritual opportunities for Jews of every background: holiday celebrations, adult education, a Hebrew School, services, and Shabbat dinners. Come for a service, come for a holiday program, or just stop in and say hello.

There is a corner of it specifically for women, and, for anyone who would rather help than be helped, plenty that needs doing.

Our vision

To build a personal and meaningful connection with every single individual in San Jose, so that what we offer actually fits what you need. The measure of whether that is working is simple: whether every person here feels they belong.

What we do

Education runs the length of it — preschool, Hebrew School, and adult classes that go as deep as you want to take them. Alongside that: programs for children, for women, for professionals and for families; Shabbat and holiday meals; events; and synagogue services. Underneath all of it, we are here to help people in San Jose with whatever they need, physical or spiritual, and that is not a figure of speech.

Our community

A center for Jewish life where everyone is welcome regardless of background, knowledge, or affiliation. We practice Judaism here with love, care and passion, and try to give people of every age a warm, genuine and personal Jewish experience rather than a generic one.

Cheder of the Bay Area

The Cheder of the Bay Area is in Pleasanton. Carpools and a bus run daily from various areas in Silicon Valley. Give your children an authentic Jewish education.

All the Jewish schools, preschools and camps near us, and who runs each one.

How we got here

Rabbi Mendel and Mussi Weinfeld came from Brooklyn at the start of 2020 and opened the Chabad House that year. In December 2021, about three months after moving into the building, a fire tore through it overnight and destroyed it. The Torah scrolls came out. Almost nothing else did.

What happened next is the part worth knowing. More than $50,000 was raised in the first twenty-four hours, and the decision was made to buy rather than rent again. In June 2022 the community bought the property at 5580 Almaden Expressway. Chabad opened its doors there in December 2023, and the building is being turned into a full center for Jewish life in phases.

The news page has the milestones and the press coverage from the time. The building page covers what is being built and what stage it is at, and our partners names the two and a half thousand people who paid for it.

What Chabad-Lubavitch is

Chabad-Lubavitch is a philosophy, a movement, and an organization — considered by many the most dynamic force in Jewish life today. "Chabad" is a Hebrew acronym for the three intellectual faculties of chachmah (wisdom), binah (comprehension), and da’at (knowledge). "Lubavitch" is the town in White Russia where the movement was based for more than a century; in Russian, the name means "city of brotherly love."

More about the movement, and about the Lubavitcher Rebbe, whose emissaries we are.

Our team

More about each of them, or book half an hour with the Rabbi or Rebbetzin.