Building the Future of Chesed 

An Interview with Stuart Schrader, Expansion Director and Building Development, Lema’an Achai

Hi Stuart, thanks so much for sitting down with me today. I'm really excited to hear about Lema'an Achai's big news-the construction of Lema’an Achai’s International Chesed Center! It sounds like something that's going to effect real change.

Stuart Schrader: My pleasure! This building has been planned for a long time. It's not just a new facility - it's going to completely change the way we can serve the community. We're calling it The International Chesed Center, and the idea is simple: it will allow us to do more for more people, all under one roof, with dignity.

Q: So what's actually going to be in the building? What can people expect?
> Great question. The building will have four main wings.  Each wing will focus on a different area of Lema’an Achai activities: Therapy, Community, Volunteers, and Executive operations. 
Here's a quick walk-through: 
Ground Floor: Community and Volunteer Wings. The Community Wing will include the Shemeshop, a Simcha Dress G'mach, the Food Pantry, and more.
The Volunteer Wing will have a multi-purpose room for volunteer activities and a space for events, seminars, and workshops. There will be a dedicated area of shared office space for our clients who are on their road to independence.
First Floor: Therapy and Admin The Therapy Wing, where we provide and bring Smart Chesed to life, will be home to our social workers, financial counselors, and citizen's rights advisors.
The Executive Wing will have our offices, a conference room, and even a patio area that can serve as an area for staff meetings, public events, or just a bit of fresh air.
Upper Floors. The second and third floors are still in the planning phase, but they'll be developed as our needs grow.

Q: When is all of this expected to be ready?
> We're building in stages. The current building stage is scheduled to be finished by August or September 2025, and we're aiming to complete the next stage, and move in the summer of 2026. It's a big project, but we're moving ahead steadily.

Q: How big is the building going to be?
> Pretty substantial! It'll be four stories tall and cover a little more than 1,800 square meters.
Ground Floor: 502 m2
First Floor: 488 m2
Second Floor: 531 m2
Third Floor: 316 m2
This space will give us the flexibility and resources we need to grow our programs and offerings and deepen our impact.

Q: Who's working behind the scenes to make this happen?
> We have a great team at Lema’an Achai who are heavily involved in seeing this project through. Yisroel Glass is coordinating the recently launched local campaign, Ron Allswang supervising the entire fundraising effort, I oversee the project, and, of course, none of it could be done without the leadership of our long time International Director, Rabbi Avrohom Leventhal, who is meeting with people here and abroad encouraging them to get involved and support this incredible project that will shape the future of Smart Chesed in Beit Shemesh, Israel, and around the world.
Additionally, we have a fantastic team of outside contractors seeing this through: Robert Links is the architect. Yisroel Sherer is the project manager. Odem, Ltd. is the contractor handling the current construction stage.

Q: Are naming opportunities still available for donors?
> Yes, absolutely! This is a beautiful opportunity for individuals or families who want to leave a meaningful legacy in honor or in memory of loved ones, and be part of something that will serve generations to come.

Thanks again, Stu. It's really inspiring to hear how this building will bring everything Lema'an Achai does into one place. I can't wait to see it in action.
Stuart Schrader: Thanks! We see this as a place where Chesed comes to life. A space that welcomes everyone, supports them with dignity, and empowers them to move forward. We're excited to open the doors soon.

If you'd like more information, contact us at 02-999-1553 or online at https://www.lemaanachai.org/en/project/building