Building a"Beit Chaim" in memory of Chaim Kasnett

APRIL 2019 UPDATE: We have been blow away by the sheer generosity of every single individual who has supported our project since its launch. It is impossible to quantify the support we have received from family and friends, and complete strangers too, but to each and every one of you: Thank You. We are humbled, and we are appreciative, and we are unable to articulate the gratitude we feel now that we are able to confirm that the donations we received and continue to receive have enabled us to take a sliver of hope in the midst of our grief and transform that into something tangible and real and so very apropos to the legacy Chaim has tasked us with upholding. We launched this project with the hopes of building a Chabad House in India, in the very place where Chaim left us. As the year went on, we collaborated heavily with the leaders that oversee Chabad establishments in Southeast Asia in order to identify the most ideal geographical location for our cause. Ultimately, after many meetings and thoughtful conversations, there was a consensus that a more acute need for a new establishment existed outside of India, and Pai, Thailand, was identified as the match for our mission. While this may seem like a shift from our original plan, we know that Chaim, our easygoing optimist, would have approved. After further exploring the needs and opportunities available in Goa, we came to the conclusion that the risks involved outweighed our original hopes and intent, and we knew that we owed it to each individual that contributed to this project to ensure that their contribution would become a part of something with longevity, security and permanence. India will always hold a unique place in our hearts, and we will forever be grateful to the Chabad community in and associated with India, but the goal of our project has always been to establish a "Beit Chaim" in the location best suited to fulfill its purpose, and Pai has emerged as the ideal place for this to happen. Because of your generous support, we have been able to collaborate with Rabbi Chaim Eliezer Ashkenazi, the Administrator and Logistics Chief of Chabad of Thailand, to support the establishment of a permanent Chabad presence in Pai. The English anniversary of Chaim's death, April 24th, falls out in the middle of the Passover holiday this year. It is fitting, then, that the Pai Chabad House will open its temporary doors in time for Passover this year, with 150 guests already expected to pass through its doors! It is our hope that a formal dedication ceremony will follow in the next few months, and we will continue to provide updates so that each of you can see the actual results of your collective, incredible support and generosity. In the meantime, please continue to think of our precious Chaim when you can, so that his beautiful smile never fades, and his ability to see the good in everyone - and everything - can continue to inspire every person left in his wake. _________________________________________________________________________ On April 25, 2018, we received the devastating news that Chaim, the shining light in our family, the seventh of eight children, had drowned in the Sea while traveling in Goa, India. Four excruciating days later, we buried Chaim in Kfar Etzion, Israel and found ourselves making a promise to Chaim that would have seemed nonsensical only a few days earlier. We promised him this: “We will build a community center, a Chabad House in India wherever needed, a place where travelers from around the world like yourself can gather, a home away from home, in your name.” With this commitment we were not just promising a building. We were promising Chaim that we would do something to sustain the very thing that defined him as a person: create a space where people can feel comfortable and safe, where differences are bridged and friendships can form and connections can be made and travelers all have a place to ground themselves as they journey. And so we promised to establish a house in his name where he left us – a "Beit Chaim", a House of “Life” – where his beautiful legacy can live on, and his memory can be more than just a blessing. Please visit www.chaimkasnett.com For more information about the project and Chaim Kasnett (and the full version video). Thank you for your donation and for taking part in continuing Chaim's legacy and helping build a new "Beit Chaim" for travelers from all over the world. For additional information or if you wish to contribute via other payment forms please contact us via the contact information below.