Yiddish Cultural Center seeks help in funding roof replacement
BY JASON COHEN
The only Yiddish cultural center in
New York City is looking for fi nancial
assistance to keep the rain out.
After 61 years, The Sholem Aleichem
Cultural Center at 3301 Bainbridge
Avenue needs a new roof.
Co-president of the center David
Braun told the Bronx Times they had
been patching the roof for a few years,
but have now come to the conclusion it
is time for a permanent solution.
However, they discovered the total
replacement will cost around $70,000,
which could bankrupt their organization.
So, on Sunday, November 24,
Yitskhok Gottesman, the other president,
launched a GoFundMe fundraising
drive on behalf of the center and
as of press time, had amassed nearly
$7,000.
“Our little building has uniquely
served the Yiddish cultural world; now
we must turn to you for help,” it said on
the GoFundMe page. “We have never
asked the community for funds before.
“Now we have no choice.”
Braun, who teaches Yiddish at Columbia
University and at the YIVO Institute
for Jewish Research, said they
never expected such an outpouring of
love from the community.
Sholem Aleichem is the only social
institution with its own meeting place
devoted to regularly scheduled cultural
events in the country. There are
David Braun, the co-presdient of the Sholem Aleichem Cultural Center in the Bronx , which
is doing a fundraiser for repairs to its roof. Schneps Media Jason Cohen
ten monthly performances and or lectures
and holiday events.
Members come from the Bronx,
New Jersey, Manhattan and Queens.
He noted when they started the fundraiser
they didn’t know what to expect.
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BRONX TIMES REPORTER, D 26 ECEMBER 13-19, 2019 BTR
“At fi rst given we had this daunting
prospect of putting up a roof at such
a great expense, it was should we just
bury heads and cry,” he said. “We decided
we couldn’t do that because it
doesn’t help anybody.”
The center was originally Sholom
Aleichem Folk Shul Number 21 and belonged
to a network of schools nationwide.
The school started in the ‘30s
and in 1940, opened at its current location.
At that time, the west Bronx was
heavily Jewish. From the ‘30s through
the ‘70s parents sent their kids to the
school four days a week.
“This neighborhood had tons of
Yiddish speaking Jews in it once upon
a time,” Braun commented. “Bainbridge
Avenue was a destination for
Jewish families to settle. This school
was a very prestigious once.”
Then in the 1970s demographics
changed and the school became a cultural
center.
Over the years membership has
stayed steady, but since a renovation
took place in 1961, no major work has
occurred until now.
“We have a lot of devotion of our
members,” Braun stressed.
So, after temporarily fi xing the roof
for a few years, they realized it was
time to make a change.
They have already given a deposit
to a roofer and hopefully the work will
be completed by the end of the month.
However, the roof has caused them to
cancel events the past two months.
“So we had to bit the bullet and we
spent quite a bit of money,” Braun said.
“There’s been an outpouring of compassion
and generosity.”
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