1. General
The Jewish Life Centre is a religious institution and adheres to the standards of Halacha and the ethos of Orthodox Judaism. As such, all functions and events that are held on our premises must conform to the requirements of Halacha and the ethos of Orthodox Judaism.
1.1
Should you have your Chupah at the Jewish Life Centre, we assume that Rabbi Shishler will marry you. You may approach Rabbi Shishler to have a different rabbi marry you, but only with his signed approval.
Please complete this marriage booking form to have Rabbi Shishler marry you.
2. Discounts
Please note:
Members of Chabad of Strathavon do not pay for hall hire for a bris, upshernish, aufruf, brocha on Shabbos or Yom Tov, nor a lunch/dinner that is open to the community.
Members will receive a 20% discount on bookings for other functions.
3. Kosher and Food Regulations
Please note that you may only use one of our approved caterers. (Please contact Elise Wohlman at the office (011 326 6492) for details on approved caterers).
The following guidelines apply to all catering at the Jewish Life Centre:
3.1 The caterer will need to set up an independent preparation and cleanup area and will not have access to our kitchen.
There may be circumstances where an arrangement to use the kitchen may be made with the rabbi.
3.1.1. Should your caterer be authorised to use our kitchen, we will require a R2000 deposit, which will be refundable once the kitchen is immaculately cleaned and all catering items are returned in good condition.
3.1.2. No caterer or catering staff may access the kitchen without a qualified Mashgiach in attendance.
3.1.3. Certain appliances, like our combi oven, are not included in kitchen hire.
3.1.4. The kitchen is not available for catering, preparation or storage of dairy products.
3.2 All meat products must be Mehadrin Commission, all baked goods must be Pas Yisroel. Dairy products must be Chalav Yisroel. Dairy products may be delivered only as ready-to-go drop offs or prepared in an independent preparation area, outside of the kitchen.
3.3 No food or beverage may be brought in by anyone other than the caterer without Rabbi Shishler’s express permission.
4. Hall Set-Up and Clean-Up Fees
The host will be responsible for all set-up and clean-up fees incurred, as well as for unforeseen clean-up fees, should they arise.
It is the host’s responsibility to ensure the correct delivery and collection of all hired catering equipment, décor and empty bottles.
All orders for the rental/purchase of event items, e.g. table cloths, tables, chairs, etc. must be billed to the host’s name/address. The Jewish Life Centre staff are not allowed to accept deliveries for a private function, where the invoice or delivery note is made out to Chabad of Strathavon or the Jewish Life Centre.
Please ensure that our staff are aware of the details and timing of any deliveries that you expect for your function ahead of time to avoid any confusion at the time of delivery. Deliveries must be made between 9:00 and 16:00 on Monday to Thursday and between 9:00 and 15:00 on Friday. Please make special arrangements with us for deliveries outside of these times.
You may not stick anything on the walls!
5. Entertainment and machinery
Please consult the Jewish Life Centre staff before you hire any kind of machinery to be brought onto the premises. We will decide each case based on concerns for people’s safety and potential wear and tear/ damage to the building.
6. Damages
The event's host will be held financially responsible for any damage incurred to the hall building and/or equipment and utensils in the course of the event.
7. Noise
The Jewish Life Centre is located in a residential area and we are always cautious not to cause disturbance to our neighbours. Please take care to minimize the amount of noise in the outdoor areas if you are hosting a night function. Please also consult with the Jewish Life Centre staff before confirming your choice of band, timing of event and any outdoor entertainment or seating that you may choose to have.
8. Halachic Observances
Shabbos events
In accordance with the observance of Shabbos, no food, beverages, décor, flower arrangements etc. may be brought to or removed from the hall on Shabbos. If you have a follow-on Saturday night event, please inform your staff, event-planner and family that they will be unable to retrieve any of the food, beverages, flowers or décor from our hall on Shabbos.
Please ensure that your guests, caterers, event-planners and family are aware that no photography- including cellphone photography- is allowed on Shabbos.
No parking is allowed on our premises on Shabbos.
Saturday night events
Any Saturday night event must begin no earlier than one hour after Shabbos ends. Any setup, preparation or arrival of caterers, event coordinators, flower arrangements, décor, photographers, videographers, sound engineers, musicians etc. on the Jewish Life Centre premises may not occur until Shabbos has ended. Likewise, the parking lot and function hall will not be opened until Shabbos ends.
Dancing, music and singing:
To maintain the spiritual quality of celebrating as warranted at a Jewish occasion, the Jewish Life Centre only allows gender-separated dancing as well as only male voices in music and/or live singing. By definition, therefore, we don’t allow discoes at functions. By submitting your booking, you accept not to have mixed dancing or female vocalists at your function.
Our institution strictly follows Halachah, and guests are respectfully expected to do their utmost to adhere to its letter and spirit. Thank you for your consideration.