Meet Us

I'm Rabbi Yosef (Yaya) Wilhelm. Grew up in Portland, Oregon where my parents started Chabad of Oregon (think importing Kosher meat and dairy!). Opening a Chabad house of my own was always a passion of mine.

I'm Devora Wilhelm. I was born in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, and had the privilege of meeting the Rebbe many times — attending Farbrengens and receiving dollars from his holy hand. When I was five years old, my parents moved to the Upper East Side of Manhattan to pioneer the Chabad there. It was only the second Chabad House in Manhattan! I remember walking the streets with our large Chassidic family on the way home from public Shabbat dinners, feeling this huge sense of pride. There we were, observant Jews bringing Jewish light to the city — while around us, people were spilling out of bars on 2nd Avenue. 

Having a Chabad House of my own was never a question. A year after we got married, the idea was floated of the need to serve Jewish Young Professionals — a relatively new frontier at the time — and we were all in. What a fun and pivotal age group! When the doors opened, people showed up. And since then, it’s been the greatest privilege to be part of this community's growth of all kinds. And we're just getting started.

Some of the biggest nachas moments? When friendships are formed. When someone does a mitzvah with passion. When we see a couple under the chuppah and know we were part of their journey. When I teach a bride about Mikvah. When I see someone connect to the Rebbe. When people step up and become leaders in their own right. When people swing by our home to pick up chairs so they can host Shabbat dinners at their home. 

My modus operandi is simple: raising a warm, loving family and nurturing my relationship with my husband and kids is, to me, the most direct way to influence and inspire the young professionals in our orbit. We want people to build their own Jewish homes. That’s where the real magic is.

Whether it’s a wave or kiss at shul on Shabbat, a smile at my Shabbat table, an emoji on WhatsApp, or a coffee together — just know that what this community offers is a family, the way Jews are meant to have one. Know that I learn more from you than you could ever learn from me. Know that you are deeply cherished — by Hashem, and by us. Know that you are invited, welcomed, and embraced.