Chabad Jewish Center
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Chabad Jewish Center
11 Pomeroy Street
Chabad-Lubavitch is a major movement within mainstream Jewish tradition that has its roots in the ultra-Orthodox Hasidic sect of the 18th century. Strict religious laws govern life, business and relationships between men and women, and Torah is the source of wisdom, truth and joy. So it may be surprising that, at its opening ceremony in 2015, the Portland Chabad Jewish Center was dedicated not in honor of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, but of Burt Shavitz, the scruffy, bearded beekeeper widely recognizable as the face of Burt’s Bees lip balm and other body care products. Roxanne Quimby delivered the address; at one time, she was Burt’s partner, and they created the company together in the 1980s. She eventually bought Burt out, sold the company, and is now better known for her environmental philanthropy. So what could possibly have been the connection between Burt’s Bees and Chabad of Maine?
Quimby provided the answer in her speech. She recalled that when they were starting Burt’s Bees in the middle of the Maine woods, with absolutely no prospects of commercial success, a Chabad rabbi named Moshe Wilansky drove more than a hundred miles to meet them and said, “There’s only one law that God gave us that you’re allowed to test to see if it’s really true. You can give away ten percent of your income and you will be rewarded ten times over.”
Whether because of the rabbi’s blessing or simply good luck, Quimby says this turned out to be the best business advice she received. They made the donation, and then their lives, and soon their business, began looking up. Rabbi Wilansky became a dear friend, continuing to drive hundreds of miles to visit, and even officiating at their twin children’s bar mitzvahs. After Shavitz died in 2015, Quimby donated the funds for the new Chabad House in Burt’s memory. The photo shows the logo of Burt’s Bees outside Chabad House for its opening ceremony.
Chabad of Maine was established in Portland in the winter of 1987 by Rabbi Moshe and his wife Chana Wilansky. The Wilanskys were originally sent to Maine by the Grand Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, as part of the Chabad Lubavitch movement’s mission to reach out to Jewish communities around the world. For nearly forty years, and while raising thirteen children, Rabbi Moshe and Chana, as they are known in the community, lived on Craigie Street in the Rosemont area and opened their home for Shabbat dinners and lunches. Each year (and often in the middle of a snowstorm), Rabbi Wilansky climbs a city fire truck ladder to light the Chanukah candles outside City Hall.
Today, the Chabad center on Pomeroy Street welcomes Jews from all backgrounds to participate in their programs. It’s not uncommon for 70 Jewish tourists from around the world to gather and enjoy a Shabbat meal, sharing stories and traditions that span continents and cultures. The center also offers a Hebrew school, summer camp, holiday programs, weekly services, hospital and home visits, and a traditional mikveh for locals and tourists alike.