Greenstone Hill is a leafy suburb outside Johannesburg, South Africa—a community of new homes and developments that over the past decade has attracted many young Jewish families among its 6,000 residents. The neighborhood is only about six miles from the traditional center of Johannesburg’s Jewish community. But for many who have moved there, it’s a world away.

“Most of the Jews living in our area are not necessarily looking to connect to their roots,” acknowledges Rabbi Pini Pink, director of Chabad Greenstone, who recently made the short move with his wife and co-director Rochi, and their five young children from their home in Johannesburg. “A shul or Chabad House was not necessarily on their agenda when they moved into the area. In fact, some Jews I’ve come across have told me they moved here to get away from the Jewish area.”

And that, to the Pinks, is an opportunity.

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Among the young couples who wanted to buck that trend are Mandy Weiner and her husband, Sean Meisel, who have lived in Greenstone Hill for eight years. In fact, they met the Pinks before September, before the emissaries moved to the area.

“We chatted with them about why we thought a Chabad could be successful in the neighborhood,” says Weiner. “There are far more Jews living in the area than we realized, and there is no shul within walking distance, so it is incredibly beneficial. It is so convenient to attend Shabbat services around the corner from our home, and it makes it far easier to take our kids along.”

The Weiners’ children—2-year-old Sam and 11-month-old Ruby—are now regulars at Chabad Greenstone, says their mother. “Most importantly, there is a sense of community, and the shul has unified the Jews in the area. We have met so many new families; there is a strong sense of identity.”

Rochie Pink accompanied 25 local women this fall to the annual “Mega-Challah Bake” event in Johannesburg, introducing them to members of the Jewish community there.

That, she says, is due to the Pink family: “They are fun, warm and welcoming—and that makes all the difference.”