The Jewish community of College Station, Texas marked a historic milestone on Sunday, March 1 with the grand opening of the Avigdor & Devorah Grinshtein Jewish Family Life Center, a state-of-the-art mikvah and educational facility serving students and families adjacent to Texas A&M University.
Dedicated by Avigdor and Devorah Grinshtein, the new center strengthens Jewish life in Aggieland and ensures that the foundations of Jewish family life will remain accessible for generations of Jewish students and community members.
Reflecting on the long-term vision for Jewish life in the region, Devorah Grinshtein expressed confidence in the future of the community, saying she believes this will become “the place, even 100 years from now,” noting that the community already has “all the roots and all the will to make this a Jewish center for Texas.”
A State-of-the-Art Mikvah Complex
At the heart of the new center is a beautifully designed women’s mikvah, dedicated by Melly and Rochelle Lifshitz in memory of his mother, Claire Lifshitz, who passed away earlier this year. Built to the highest halachic standards, the mikvah offers a calming, spa-like setting with elegant preparation rooms and a peaceful ambiance that allows women to experience the mitzvah in comfort, privacy, and serenity.
Melly Lifshitz, who has helped dedicate many mikvah projects, remarked that this facility stands out among them, describing it as “the nicest mikvah we have dedicated to date.”
The center also includes an Aggieland men’s mikvah, dedicated by Rabbi Shimon and Chiena Lazaroff, Head Shluchim to the State of Texas, in memory of their parents, as well as a keilim (dishes) mikvah for immersing newly purchased utensils.
Education at the Core
Uniquely situated next to a major university campus, the facility was intentionally designed to serve not only as a mikvah but also as a Jewish Family Life Center where students and visitors can learn about one of Judaism’s most foundational mitzvot.
Rabbi Yossi Lazaroff of Chabad at Texas A&M University described the opening as a deeply emotional moment, noting that the project has been five years in the making. From the beginning, he explained, the vision was to create a place where Jewish students could learn about the beauty and centrality of the mitzvah of mikvah and understand its integral role in Jewish family life.
Rebbetzin Manya Lazaroff addressed the many Jewish students who pass through Chabad during their years at Texas A&M, explaining that the building itself carries a powerful message. Each time a Jewish Aggie arrives, she said, the center reminds them that the future of the Jewish people rests with them, to build strong, vibrant Jewish homes with mikvah at the center, demonstrating that Am Yisrael Chai is not merely a slogan but a living reality.
Visitors to the center can also learn about the halachic and engineering principles behind a kosher mikvah, including a visible glass water channel, an otzar (rainwater reservoir), and a specially designed rainwater collection system that reveals how a mikvah is constructed according to Jewish law.
A Global Effort
The project, which began in 2021, is one of 1,210 new institutions established in honor of the Rebbe’s 120th birthday, part of a global initiative inspired by the vision of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, to strengthen Jewish life worldwide.
Rabbi Yossi Lazaroff expressed deep gratitude to Mikvah USA for their financial partnership, halachic guidance, and technical expertise, which helped bring the project to fruition.
Rabbi Baruch Cywiak of Mikvah USA noted during the ceremony that the mikvah is the most fundamental place in Jewish life, explaining that it is here that Jewish families begin and from where the spiritual strength flows that enables the Jewish people to accomplish extraordinary things.
More than 800 donors from around the world contributed to making the project possible. The mikvah is also a grant recipient of Keren Hachomesh, established by the Lubavitcher Rebbe to support mikvah construction and assist women in need.
A New Chapter for Jewish Life in Aggieland
The Avigdor & Devorah Grinshtein Jewish Family Life Center represents far more than a building. It stands as a symbol of Jewish continuity and pride on campus.
As students pass through Aggieland in the years ahead, the mikvah will quietly stand at the heart of Jewish life, helping build homes, families, and generations of Jewish continuity.
For more information about the Aggieland Mikvah, visit JewishAggies.com/ourMikvah.
IT IS FANTASTIC !!!