Cheder Chabad Florida Signs Contract on Campus After Near Deal Loss

Cheder Chabad Florida

How much bitachon does it take to launch a $10 million capital campaign before signing a contract on the property?

The Hanhala of the recently-evicted Cheder Chabad Florida, have more bitachon than most of us know how to use.

Yes, the school facility was sold out from under them.

No, South Florida does not have an abundance of readily-available school campuses on the market. On the contrary, school properties in the booming South Florida area are 2-3 years away – from finding, purchasing, renovating, obtaining permits, zoning and passing inspections –  before the first student can walk through its doors.

No, Cheder Chabad does not have an ultra-wealthy parent body or decades of networking upon which to rely in the process of acquiring a property.

And, no, the school administration didn’t have a signed contract on the 10-acre campus and school building that they hoped would soon become the future Chinuch Campus. But none of this stopped the devoted staff from making the necessary keli. Miracles are abundant at Cheder, and this situation was shaping up to be no exception.

The Cheder launched the $10 million capital campaign on Tuesday June 18th with a week-long $2 million crowdfunding campaign, davening that the contract would come through. The day after the campaign kicked off, the Cheder legal team received a nightmarish call from the seller: they had received a better offer from another buyer, and they were on the verge of accepting the other party’s bid. The future Chinuch Campus was slipping through their fingers. But incredible siyata d’shmaya did not allow the cheder to lose this campus and be left without a place for next year.

In a stunning turn of events, Cheder’s team managed to convince the seller, and received a signed contract at 5:03 PM the day after the nearly-catastrophic call, marking a turning point of the school’s miraculous journey from tragedy to triumph.

“We are living the most incredible series of open and revealed brachos,” says Rabbi Matusof. “From the moment we received the eviction notice to now standing on the brink of a new beginning, we are so grateful to see the fruits of our bitachon. This new campus will allow us to continue to provide an unparalleled chinuch for our students, which is the most important piece of this story.”

Further noted was their deep gratitude to the Rebbe. “Our parents wrote a pan klali, which was delivered to the Rebbe by Cheder parent Rabbi Meir Kotlarsky [son of the late Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, OBM]. Within hours of Meir reading the pan by the Ohel, the new property was listed and we began discussions with the seller. Normally it takes years to find a campus like this, but when we connect to the Nossi haDor, traditional barriers aren’t part of the picture.”

Another obstacle was the financing issue, as in today’s climate it’s difficult obtaining a loan for such a large property. With brochos we were able to arrange for seller financing at a good rate as well. We’re zocheh to witness Hashem’s miracles every day

The $2 million Charidy campaign has already seen an outpouring of support. The new campus, spanning 10 acres with 65,000 square feet of educational space, will include the necessary classrooms, recreational areas, and facilities designed to foster both learning and community spirit.

The Cheder Hanhalah is as optimistic and committed as ever. “We are building a future where our children can thrive, learn, and grow in an environment that nurtures their chassidishkeit and their personal development alike.”

Given the complexity of the deal and the new school year approaching rapidly, the contract arrangements dictated for the closing to be in a short period of time. It’s therefore an urgent matter to get the funding needed in a short turnaround time so we have a downpayment to get the property and move in on time.

VIDEO: What’s so unique about Cheder Chabad Florida?

Donations to the capital campaign are being accepted at ChinuchCampus.com, every dollar doubled by generous matchers. Please partner in Cheder’s miracles and be part of this historic opportunity.