$2.7 Million Building Dedicated

by Mendy Rimler, lubavitch.com

Some 1200 supporters and members of the Argentine Jewish community attended the dedication Tuesday of the new facility for Ieladeinu, Argentina’s acclaimed child-care program.

The seven story, $2.7 million facility in Buenos Aires, will also serve as headquarters for the Chabad Foundation a social service that provides families with financial, psychological and medical assistance, helping families fully integrate back into society. Since it was founded in 1989, the Chabad Foundation has improved the quality of life for 5,000 families, and today serves some 2,000 people.

Ieladeinu was founded in 1999 during an economic crisis that crippled many Jewish families and led to a spike in the numbers of children at-risk. Today, 130 professionals at Ieladeinu provide emotional and physical help for 280 children, from infants through teenagers.

The needs cover the gamut, including extreme dysfunctional behavior, children who need to be rescued from abusive homes or neglectful parenting. Children are taught life skills in a loving, nurturing environment, and Ieladeinu’s success rate has garnered accolades from professionals across the board.

“These children have all sorts of problems at home, drugs, violence and neglect. So we start from the beginning; we teach them how to put on clothes and wash, how to lead a normal life,” says Marcelo Acsebrud, executive director at Ieladeinu.

Speaking with Lubavitch.com prior to the dedication ceremony, director of Chabad in Argentina Rabbi Tzvi Grunblatt said that the new building will “allow us to expand our activities and serve more families and children suffering from all kinds of abuse.”

Also located in the building are designated rooms for legal affairs, family matters and psychological support for families and children, a dental clinic manned by dentists from the University of Buenos Aires and Maimonides University, a call center and two industrial kitchens, for dairy and meat.

Chabad’s humanitarian programs have won plaudits from UNICEF and UNESCO and receive monthly funding from the city. Among the guests at the ceremony last night were mayor of Buenos Aires Mr. Mauricio Macri, and chief advisor to the UNDP Mr. Bernardo Kliksberg, who also addressed the crowd.

Mr. Roberto Goldfarb, the principal donor, named the building for his wife, the Zully Goldfarb. The project was co-sponsored by many donors who participated at the dedication ceremony.

Rabbi Grunblatt disclosed plans to launch a $13 million building campaign for a 59,000 square foot school campus for girls, from kindergarten through seminary.