On Monday, the Columbus Day holiday, philanthropist Robert Kraft drove to Chestnut Hill, Mass., to see for himself the building rising at the corner of Bellingham Road and Grove Street.
He had attended the building’s groundbreaking the year before, and had been following the project’s progress closely since. The next day, on Oct. 14, he and Chabad-Lubavitch at Chestnut Hill announced that the new center would carry his family’s name.
Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, together with the Kraft family, has given $5 million toward the three-story Jewish center, which will be known as the Kraft Family Chabad Center of Chestnut Hill. Designed by noted architect Adolfo Perez, the center is scheduled to open for the High Holidays in 2027, and will include a beautiful sanctuary, social hall seating 300, classrooms, teen center and a preschool.
Rabbi Mendy and Grunie Uminer established Chabad of Chestnut Hill in 2001, which over the past two decades has grown into a vibrant center of Jewish life in the area.
“Spirituality and ruach are in such short supply in today’s world, and you all provide so much of it through your work, inspiration, warmth, and commitment to Jewish life,” Kraft explained in a video statement announcing the gift. “We are making this gift because we believe deeply in what you have built over the past 25 years and the positive impact you and Chabad have had on so many people’s lives.
“Chestnut Hill is my home. It is where I raised my family, and having a vibrant Chabad center right here in my hometown means a great deal to me and the Kraft family. “Knowing it will serve Jewish families for generations to come makes it even more meaningful.”
Four Generations
The friendship between the Kraft family and the Uminers has grown over many years. Rabbi Uminer officiated at the wedding of Kraft’s granddaughter, led the bris of his two great-grandsons and a baby naming for great granddaughter at the center.
Kraft grew up nearby in Brookline, in a home where Torah values were taught at the table; his father studied Pirkei Avot, Ethics of the Fathers, with him.
“We didn’t have a car. We lived in a rental apartment,” Kraft recalled in a video tribute last year, when he was honored with the L’Dor V’Dor award at Chabad of Chestnut Hill’s 25th Year Gala Dinner. “But I was very rich, because I had amazing parents.” He has often emphasized that his Judaism, instilled during his formative years, is central to who he is.
On his 83rd birthday in 2025, Kraft celebrated a second bar mitzvah at the Chabad center, chanting the haftarah of the Torah portion of Behaalotecha. He has put tefillin there, and has joined the community for Simchat Torah and other Jewish holidays.
“Much more than the dollar amount, seeing the Kraft family’s Jewish pride and public backing of Chabad and the work of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, is very gratifying,” says Rabbi Uminer. “Mr. Kraft is one of the most visible Jews in the country. A lot of people look up to him. His active investment in a vibrant Jewish future, both on a financial and personal level, is a powerful statement of who he is.”
A Little Shtiebel
The Uminers arrived in the Boston area in 2001 with their newborn baby, Mushkie, starting their Chabad center in their home with a handful of local Jewish families.
The community rapidly grew, with services and events being held in various homes. For High Holiday services, when Chabad would draw some 500 people, they would rent space at a nearby public school. Despite the struggle for space, the Uminers kept adding programs, including opening a small Gan Israel day camp; this past summer, 350 children attended Gan Israel of Chestnut Hill, the largest enrollment in its history.
Chabad’s search for a permanent home took a decade, and Eitan and Debra Milgram made the first pledge towards the building at the 13 Year Anniversary dinner, which paved the way. When a suitable property finally came up, it was David and Tracey Frankel who provided the seed gift that made the purchase possible, and have led the Building Committee since. The plans then faced nearly a year of opposition from neighbors and a town board before the courts cleared construction to proceed.
The Frankels, who first encountered Chabad in South Africa, where they both grew up, received Chabad’s Visionary Award at the 25th anniversary gala. True to form, they turned the tribute toward the community.
“I remember coming to Chabad of Chestnut Hill, this little shtiebel,” David Frankel said that night, “and it felt very comfortable.”
“Coming to Chabad, and Mendy and Grunie, was something that felt much more familiar,” explained Tracey Frankel. “It felt like home.”
“They came with nothing and seeded this beautiful community,” David continued, “which we in some ways inherited and have been lucky enough to play a small, tiny role in strengthening.”
Several individuals have made seven-figure gifts to Chabad at Chestnut Hill’s current building campaign, and many more have given $18. The Kraft family’s gift brings the total raised to $20 million, leaving about $5 million to go.
“You have built an extraordinary community filled with wonderful people and families that are deeply passionate about their Yiddishkei, their love of Israel, and where Jewish pride is so alive,” Kraft said, addressing the Uminers and their family. “We look forward to seeing the Kraft Center continue to be a place of Jewish life, learning, community, and spirituality for many, many more years.”
For his part, Rabbi Uminer traces the community’s remarkable growth to the guidance and inspiration of the Rebbe.
In particular he remembers the time when, as a boy of 9 or 10, he was sitting on the floor next to the Rebbe’s seat during a farbrengen gathering at 770 Eastern Parkway. Moments earlier, he had wished l’chaim to the Rebbe and was now toying with his empty cup. All of a sudden, the Rebbe turned to him and asked him to say l’chaim again. The boy showed the Rebbe his empty cup. At that, the Rebbe poured the boy a little wine from his own kiddush cup and, with a broad smile, wished him l’chaim.
“I feel that blessing was for the entire Jewish community of Chestnut Hill,” says the rabbi. “The Rebbe’s wine of blessing has never stopped filling our cup.”
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