NEW HAVEN – Thirty-five years ago, when economics major Brad Berger graduated from Yale, there was no Chabad presence on campus. But when the alumnus experienced a crowded Shabbat dinner at the house on Edgewood Avenue two years ago, the Los Angeles-based private investor decided to do what he could for the organization.

The new Chabad House will be named for Brad Berger’s great-grandparents, Herman and Faye Berger, and four of their children, who were all murdered during the Holocaust

This year, Berger gave $1 million to Yale Chabad, which was used as part of the $6 million needed to purchase the Palmer House fraternity building in September. The new Chabad House will be named for Berger’s great-grandparents, Herman and Faye Berger, and four of their children, who were all murdered during the Holocaust.
Rabbi Shua and Sara Rosenstein started Chabad at Yale in 2002, and currently it inhabits a 1,100-square-foot facility.  The new building, slated for renovation beginning this summer, will provide some 8,500 square feet of space. Rabbi Rosenstein projects that the new Chabad House will open 18 months later. The gift will allow Chabad to expand its programming at the university, whose student population is estimated at 20 to 25 percent Jewish.
“We are blessed and incredibly privileged by Brad Berger’s philanthropic investment in Chabad at Yale,” Rosenstein says. “He is a partner who cares deeply about Jewish life at Yale, and in investing in the future of the Jewish people.
Rosenstein first cold-called Berger a few years ago with an update on Chabad’s on-campus activities, and a request for support. “Brad gave a relatively small contribution then,” Rosenstein says. “Over time, as we got to know each other better, he started getting more and more involved and active. He came to New Haven and saw first-hand what was going on; I went to California and we sat down and schmoozed, and over the last few years, he has become one of our biggest partners.” Berger has also served on Chabad at Yale’s board of advisors.
“This will be huge for the Yale community,” Rosenstein says. “It will be a very strong move forward in terms of events and Jewish life on campus. We’ll be able to offer more educational, social, and cultural opportunities, more classes and events, and accommodate more people at our events.