In Eugene, a city connected to its roots by naming streets and University buildings after pioneers who settled here, it’s only natural that four years ago two more pioneers – Hasidic Jews this time – would pitch their tent and work to expose the University to the most traditional ways of practicing Judaism.
And because it is now the holiest time of the year for Jews, with the Jewish new year Rosh Hashanah last week and the day of atonement Yom Kippur today, these new pioneers are working overtime, hosting both high holiday services in their living room that doubles as a synagogue.
Rabbi Asi Spiegel and his wife Aviva first heard about Eugene at a Rainbow Gathering, which is a hippie festival held in forests that often attract thousands of people, in central Oregon. The Rabbi said that during these festivals he met hippies and seekers of enlightenment, who told him that Eugene was a center for such types. After living and working in Israel, Nepal and New York City, Spiegel and his wife moved to Eugene to open a Chabad House, a branch of a powerful orthodox Jewish movement that serves as a center for education and worship and also doubles as the Spiegels’ home.
But it turns out not everybody understands the Spiegels’ mission.
Even though Eugene bills itself as culturally tolerant, Spiegel said he frequently feels his intentions are misinterpreted. Many people, he said, think Chabad’s purpose is to convert Reform Jews, who interpret the ancient holy manuscript the Torah individually and integrate themselves into mainstream culture, to Orthodox Jews who are more separated from mainstream culture and believe that the Torah is absolute and unchanging law that only Rabbis are able to interpret.
“I made my life to sit here, and if you have any questions about Judaism, I’ll talk to you,” Spiegel said. “I’m not here to raise money from you. I’m here to provide a service.”
The service he provides, Spiegel said, is giving people an opportunity to deepen their understanding of Judaism without becoming Orthodox. If he was trying to convert Reform Jews, he said, he wouldn’t be in Eugene, but instead would be in places like New York City or Los Angeles, where there are more significant populations of Jews.
But the greatest resource the Spiegels offer Eugene’s Jewish community is a brand new Torah, he said, scribed in Israel and completed in the Knight Library Browsing Room last Wednesday. The Torah, the Old Testament of the Bible, was written in Israel in the manner Torahs have been for thousands of years – by hand on a continuous scroll. One single mistake would have caused the scribe to scrap the entire project.
The dedication of the Torah was purposefully held on campus, Spiegel said, because “we believe the Torah creates a lot of holiness, a certain vibe. We wanted to share that energy with the University.”
The dedication to the new Torah materialized Wednesday evening as a parade of supporters from New York, Florida, California, Oregon and Washington marched down Kincaid St. and onto East 13th Ave., following flatbed truck wielding a keyboardist playing Jewish techno.
Rabbi Shmulik Greenberg came to the dedication from Vancouver, Wash., he said, so his son could witness one of the greatest events in Jewish tradition.
“Making such a thing happens about once in a lifetime,” Greenberg said. “It’s a blessing for everyone involved and for the city.”
University sophomore Kevin Minderhout said he enjoyed watching the parade and talking to his friends that were involved. Minderhout says he was “amazed to see people so excited about their religion. When I used to go to church I never saw a priest get that excited over the Bible.”
Junior Emma Kostin-Conley said she feels there is a strong Jewish presence on campus. She goes to Friday night Shabbat service at Chabad and events at the Jewish campus organization, Hillel House. She said students can also find resources on campus in the Jewish Student Union (JSU) and Alpha Epsilon Pi, a Jewish fraternity.
Spiegel said the Torah is often compared to water because its study brings life. University students, he said, should drink up.