Interview With Bais Rivkah Board Member Mendy Gansburg

By COLlive reporter

Bais Rivkah of Crown Heights recently announced that they will be purchasing a new building near Campus Chomesh, situated on Lefferts Ave. To understand the necessity of this expansion and the efforts behind it, we sat down for an exclusive interview with Mendy Gansburg, a member of the board.

Let’s start from the beginning. We understand that Bais Rivkah is purchasing a building—can you tell us more about it?

Thank you for having me. This is incredibly exciting news, not just for Bais Rivkah, but for the entire Crown Heights community; I would say even for the entire Lubavitch community. We’ll get to that later.

The building is located at 461 East New York Ave., between Brooklyn and New York Avenues, just around the corner from Campus Chomesh at Brooklyn and Lefferts. It was recently completed and put on the market. We immediately saw the opportunity and acted on it.

The building is located right across the street from the dormitory building we bought and renovated not long ago. I would like to take this opportunity to mention and to thank Rabbi Mordechai and Mrs. Goldie Avtzon, shluchim to Hong Kong who personally raised all the funds to renovate our Crown St. dormitory. Mrs. Avtzon also spearheaded the dormitory accommodations for many years. She, and the group of parents that accompanied her in the management of the project are a praiseworthy example of how parents can make a real difference in the quality of their children’s educational experience. We welcome parents’ initiatives.

Was this simply a strategic purchase, or is the building urgently needed?

An additional building isn’t just a convenience for Bais Rivkah—it’s an absolute necessity. Bais Rivkah is bursting at the seams, Baruch Hashem, and this expansion will help alleviate the overcrowding and allow us to continue growing.

Let’s talk numbers. Why is the space shortage so severe?

Bais Rivkah is one of the largest—if not the largest—girls’ schools in New York. It’s possibly the largest in the entire country. Our student body is made up of close to 3,000 students, from preschoolers all the way through to post-high school graduate programs. And the numbers continue to grow, B”H.

Yet, despite this continuous expansion, Bais Rivkah hasn’t physically expanded its facilities since Campus Chomesh was completed in the 1990s. When the Chairman of the Board, Rabbi Avrohom Shemtov embarked on the Campus Chomesh project, breaking ground during the week of Shiva for Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka, many thought that it was a fantasy that would never become a reality and many thought that it was not even necessary. At the time, Bais Rivkah elementary had around 500 students. We can all see how that dream was a timely vision come true. It was thanks to that building that our teachers and students were able to teach and to learn in optimal conditions for decades. B”H Bais Rivkah grew in leaps and bounds and space in the spacious building became scarce. We’ve simply outgrown the space we have. Without exaggeration, every available inch of the current building is being used for classrooms, offices, and other essential functions. What we are faced with is not just a challenge—it’s become a real crisis.

How do the teachers handle it?

The Rebbe often emphasized that the noshim tzidkoniyos of our generation will lead us out of golus. Without a doubt, the principals and teachers of Bais Rivkah will be at the forefront when Moshiach comes, thanks to their unwavering mesirus nefesh in tackling challenges—with dedication, warmth, and a smile. We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to this incredible group for all they have done, continue to do, and, IY”H, will do for our children.

So the new building will be used for classroom space?

This new building is not the end game, it is one step in a multi-phase expansion project. We are working strategically to allow all of Bais Rivkah’s departments to grow.

This building will be used for the seminary, which is currently housed in both our Crown St. and Montgomery St. location. They even use a tent for some functions. This will then free up room for our high school and kindergarten divisions, thereby relieving some of the pressure in our elementary department as well.

I must mention that this growth and development is not only being applied to our physical space, but also to the chinuch Bais Rivkah provides as well.

Yes, please tell us some more about that.

A building is a very visible sign of growth, and we are incredibly proud of this development. But we are equally proud of the transformative changes happening within the school—many of them quietly, without fanfare.

For example, we recently established a full mental health department to provide support wherever needed. We recently hired Mrs. Eidle Sputz as Campus Chomesh Head of School, and we are continuously working to enhance the teachers’ experience through professional development and other initiatives.

It’s safe to say that Bais Rivkah of 5785 is nearly unrecognizable compared to Bais Rivkah of 10 —or even 5— years ago. This is thanks to efforts and cooperation on all levels. The generosity and dedication of the board is no secret, giving endless support, time, effort, and money to ensure our daughters have the best chinuch. The staff, dedicated and professional, has been doing a superb job. A special thank you also goes to executive director Rabbi Shalom Goldstein whose devotion to Beth Rivkah is extraordinary, and of course, to each and every one of our supporters, without whom none of this would be possible.

And this is just the beginning! There are more projects in the works to help provide our children with the highest quality chinuch they deserve, along with the space and resources they need to truly thrive.

You mentioned that the new building will be used for the seminary. In 2021, Bais Rivkah held a groundbreaking for a new seminary building—what happened to that project?

That new building, which was designed specifically for the seminary’s needs, is moving forward, full speed ahead. The plans were approved and ready, but then a challenge arose. In 2023, there was a banking crisis in the U.S.A., and financing we had lined up for the building was pulled back. We are actively working on finding new paths to secure that funding and bring that project to completion.

Waiting it out until then is not a practical option; neither for the seminary nor for the other divisions that desperately need more space.

So once the new seminary building is completed, what will happen to the building being purchased now?

That’s one question that definitely doesn’t keep us up at night (laughs). If there’s one thing we’ll never have to worry about, it is Bais Rivkah having too much space. As we continue to expand, this building will remain an essential part of our infrastructure, serving the many divisions of Bais Rivkah, as needed, for years to come, IY”H.

When will the new building be ready for use? Won’t it also take a long time to prepare?

Actually, not! We are aiming to have the building ready for the 2026 academic year. It’ll take a lot of effort, but we are determined to make it happen, with Hashem’s help and with the Rebbe’s brochos. It’s a team effort, and the board and Beth Rivkah’s executive director Rabbi Goldstein are putting in countless hours. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention our Director of Development Rabbi Moshe Pinson and our new Director of Philanthropy Yossi Kahana, who are giving it their all. Without their dedication, none of this would have been possible.

But before we get there, we have some hurdles to clear. We’ve signed on the building, but we still need to close the deal. The closing is set for before Pesach —less than a month away— and we still need to secure the remaining funds.

We would like to thank those who had contributed and those who have committed to contribute already, especially the Rivkin family who pledged an extremely generous amount in honor of their parents for their dedication to Beth Rivkah. But we still need to cover the outstanding amount before the closing. That’s a challenge we’re actively working on. But we’ll leave that detail for now—everyone will be hearing more about it very soon.