At home

Setting roots in San Jose

A home at the heart of the community — a place where people are welcomed, heard, supported, and uplifted.

Just five short years ago, we moved from Brooklyn, New York to help make Jewish life here in San Jose more vibrant, welcoming, and connected. What has unfolded since then has been truly extraordinary.

The community has grown in ways we could never have imagined, and alongside that growth, our own family has grown as well — deepening our sense of responsibility and commitment to this community.

What the house had to be

A house that serves a community is a different specification from a house that serves a family, and the difference is mostly the size of the table. What we were looking for came down to three things:

• A dining area that seats 40 to 50 people. That is the number that turns a Shabbat dinner from an invitation into an open door — nobody has to be told there is no room.
• A generous outdoor space, for gatherings, celebrations and events through the year.
• A dedicated kitchen, built to cook for that many people rather than for six.

Above all, a home: a place where conversations happen, relationships are built, and people belong.

This is more than a house. It is a foundation for Jewish life in San Jose.

Mazal tov — we’re home

With full hearts and deep gratitude to the Almighty, we’re overjoyed to share that we’ve received the keys. The campaign closed, the sale completed, and the community held a housewarming there on a Sunday in March to fill the place with joy from the very beginning.

When we first arrived in this community as newcomers, we never imagined how quickly San Jose would become home. Because of all of you — the incredible kindness, friendship, and unwavering support — this journey has been filled with blessing every step of the way. A huge thank you to everyone whose generosity, encouragement and help made this a reality. We are forever grateful.

Our hope is that this home will always overflow with warmth, laughter, children playing, friends dropping by, and meaningful community gatherings — a true home of Torah study, prayer, and good deeds.

Our doors are always open to anyone who needs a place to come in, sit down, share a moment, celebrate, or simply feel at home.

With love and immense gratitude,
Rabbi Mendel & Mussi Weinfeld

Thank you

295 people and funds paid for this house. Some gave a great deal and some gave five dollars, and the list below does not say which was which, on purpose — everyone on it gave what they could, and that is the only fact about it worth publishing.

Names are as we published them. If yours is misspelled, missing, or listed when you would rather not be, email Info@chabadalmaden.com and we’ll put it right the same week.

Two guides worth having open at the kitchen table: Shabbat, a practical guide — candle lighting, the meals, and how to start if you never have — and Rosh Chodesh and the Jewish month, which explains where your Hebrew birthday comes from and why the festivals move.