Solon Chabad continues to serve Northeast Ohio’s Jewish community
Families filled Solon Chabad to celebrate at the student-led Hebrew School Chocolate Seder.
By: Braedon Olsen
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For Rabbi Zushe Greenberg, spiritual leader, and Miriam Greenberg, family educator, starting Solon Chabad in 1991 was the realization of a goal they set prior to marriage.
“Before we got married, we knew that the condition of marriage is that we want to open a Chabad center somewhere,” Miriam Greenberg told the Cleveland Jewish News. “And because I’m from Cleveland, and we knew that in 1991 there were a lot of Jews moving to Solon, but there was no Jewish presence here, that’s how we fell into Solon. Like, let’s go create something.”
The Greenbergs started out by hosting services in their living room before moving to larger spaces such as the basement of an office building and Solon High School. Twenty years ago, Solon Chabad relocated to its current location at 5570 Harper Road with an 11,000-square-foot addition completed last year.
In its new building, Solon Chabad offers a variety of services for its members. Rabbi Zushe Greenberg told the CJN that High Holy Days services usually attract over 1,000 people, while 150 people typically attend the weekly Shabbat services. The Saturday morning services are followed by a catered buffet lunch, which Miriam Greenberg added that it creates a sense of community among members.
Family educator Miriam Greenberg teaches a Mommy and Me class.
There is also a tot Shabbat every other Saturday for families with small children. During these services, children receive a challah with sprinkles, and Miriam Greenberg said they are encouraged to move around and make noise.
“Here we want the kids in the sanctuary running up and down the aisles and getting a candy from the rabbi,” she said. “I want them to remember services. I want them to see someone with a tallis. I want them to hear the Aleinu being sung. I want Judaism to be part of their growing up. And then they’ll love it.”
Children made chocolate seder plates at Solon Chabad’s Hebrew School.
There are several courses and discussion groups for adults, many of which are taught by Rabbi Zushe Greenberg. However, he said Solon Chabad’s primary goal is to engage children, who he considers the “guest of honor.”
“They are young, they are open minded, they’re fresh, they learn, they remember and they’re impressionable,” he said. “And that’s when we have to instill in them the love to be Jewish, the love of Judaism, the power, the pride to be Jewish.”
Solon Chabad offers a preschool that emphasizes a strong Jewish education through weekly Shabbat celebrations and student-led Passover seders, among other things. Miriam Greenberg said over 100 kids attend the preschool and the Mommy and Me baby programs. Additionally, around 250 kids attend Solon Chabad’s two summer camps – Camp Gan Izzy and a preschool camp – intended for children ranging from preschool to middle school. The camps feature sports, art, Hebrew music and field trips.
Campers playing dodgeball at Camp Gan Izzy.
Additionally, Solon Chabad offers a Sunday School each week. Miriam Greenberg said she wants the Sunday School to resemble a camp more than a school to make the experience more engaging and enjoyable.
“A lot of people have negative memories of Sunday School, that it was boring, they didn’t like going, they don’t want to go,” she said. “If our goal is for the children to love Judaism, we can’t afford them not to be happy. So when I started doing Sunday school, I was like, kids love camp. Why can’t Sunday school be like camp? Why does it have to be a school?”
Miriam Greenberg relies less on workbooks and reading exercises for Sunday School in favor of more hands-on activities like games, music, food and sports. She said getting the kids involved “keeps them excited to come.”
Campers make slime at Camp Gan Izzy.
Solon Chabad also recently started offering an after-school program called Stay and Play where kids will have time to decompress and enjoy a snack following camp or school. Once the school year begins, Solon City Schools will bus children to Solon Chabad after school. Miriam Greenberg said the idea for this program came from parents who wanted their kids to have a place to play after school and “not be so programmed.”
Membership at Solon Chabad is free, though members can pay an optional membership fee. Miriam Greenberg said everybody is a part of the Solon Chabad community whether they pay or simply attend events.
“I tell people you can be a member in two ways, either by supporting or by showing up,” she said. “There are people who come to all kinds of programs but don’t support financially. But they show up. They’re a member, they’re part of the community.”
Rabbi Zushe Greenberg said that especially following the Oct. 7, 2023, surprise attacks on Israel, it is important to preserve the Jewish community and that money should not be an obstacle for those who wish to participate in it.
“Every Jewish person is precious to the Jewish people,” he said. “You cannot lose one Jew.”
Braedon Olsen is the David & Judy Zwick Family Fund Intern at the Cleveland Jewish News.