A Community Reimagined: Howard Appel’s Journey from Personal Tragedy to Purpose

In a quiet corner of Philadelphia’s Fairmount neighborhood, the grandeur of the Stephen Appel Chabad Center stands as a testament to the resilient spirit of a community and the transformative power of a local businessman turning the personal pain of losing his son into a physical and spiritual center to help a community. Here, the story of the building goes beyond the brick and mortar; it's a tale of a community resurrected, a family's devotion, and an entrepreneur's audacity to dream.

A Rebirth in Fairmount

For three years, the building at the corner of 23rd and Aspen Street remained vacant — a hollow shell where once thriving businesses like Rembrandt's Bar and Restaurant and Frankie Anne's had existed. Then came the Stephen Appel Chabad Center, heralding not just a change of tenant but a sweeping transformation of purpose and community. Today, it hosts a synagogue, a preschool and daycare for children ages 2-5, a K-8 elementary school, and Stephen's Cafe — the only Kosher eatery in Center City, Philadelphia.

A Rabbi's Dream Realized

For Rabbi Hirshi Sputz, Director of the Chabad Center of Fairmount, this edifice is the realization of a dream woven through years of faith, hard work, and an undying commitment to the teachings of "the Rebbe," Menachem Mendel Schneerson. Rabbi Sputz and his wife Shevy moved to Philadelphia in 2016 as newlyweds, armed with little more than hope and a modest $1,000 in their pockets. They rented a small space to hold services, took to door-knocking, and introduced themselves to the neighborhood via a weekly farmer's market. Within a few years, their labor bore fruit as they nurtured a community where faith and human connection flourished.

The Entrepreneur: Howard Appel

However, the story would be incomplete without a nod to the man whose vision and philanthropy propelled the dream into reality: Howard Appel.

Howard, a local businessman connected to the community, had just suffered a personal tragedy of his own, something no person should endure. Three years prior, he had lost his son Stephen in an unexpected tragic accident. While most people never recover from tragedies of that magnitude, Howard turned his pain into a vision for helping others.

Howard first met Rabbi Sputz in a 'chance encounter' in 2018. When they reconnected in 2020, their discussions around community service during the Covid pandemic and the importance of spiritual grounding led Howard to start supporting the fledgling Chabad Center. Recognizing the deep resonance of the Rebbe's teachings and mission, Howard committed himself to finding a permanent home for the Center.

Although his initial contributions were leveraged through his family charitable foundation, the Appel Family Charitable Foundation, Howard realized that there was an opportunity to not only fill a need in the community, but also to do something significant to not only honor his son’s memory but to elevate his soul according to his Jewish teachings. Howard utilized his relationship with a local bank to secure the financing necessary for what became a massive undertaking: building an entire community center, school, synagogue, daycare, and community resource project. Howard directed his time and money and leveraged his business and social resources to inspire others to give and oversee the creation and realization of this vision. And today, where only two years ago an abandoned and run down building sat, sad and desperate, a burgeoning community center now stands to help not only a local community but the whole city around it. It bustles with joy, love, spiritual growth, and will become a landmark of Fairmount.

The Legacy of Stephen Appel

The Center also serves as a poignant memorial to Howard's late son, Stephen Appel. Stephen, who was enrolled in the Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College at the time of his passing in 2015, inspired the naming of Stephen's Restaurant within the Center.

After the completion, when asked how he felt, Appel responded, "What better inspiration can a father, mother, or brother have than to do something for someone so loved, and so special in their life, than to make a difference for them for eternity?"

Impact Beyond Walls

The Stephen Appel Chabad Center is more than a building; it's a living embodiment of Jewish teachings around charity and memory. Howard and the community's contributions have achieved something intangible but profoundly significant: they have elevated the soul of a lost loved one while creating a haven for a community to connect, learn, and grow their faith.

The Center stands not just as a place of worship, education, or dining but as a fortress of hope, faith, and benevolence. It represents what can happen when one person directs their efforts and resources and elects to turn tragedy into triumph. Between a Rabbi's vision and an entrepreneur's motivation and determination, the impossible became possible. The Stephen Appel Chabad Center promises to be a landmark that will serve the Fairmount community and Philadelphia at large for generations to come — a fitting tribute to all the visionaries who made it possible.