Chabad House at University of Oregon to get first Torah written for Eugene

By ALISON LAZARECK

In late September, students at the University of Oregon will come together to fulfill a mitzvah. As the Chabad House­–Jewish Student Center begins its fifth year on campus, it will dedicate a Sefer Torah that is currently being written in Israel.

"As far as we know, there has never been a Torah written specifically for Eugene," said Rabbi Asi Spiegel, who has overseen the growth of Eugene's Chabad since September 2002.

Rabbi Spiegel and his wife Aviva have created "a home away from home" for Jewish students, offering classes and holiday celebrations as well as regular Shabbat dinners and monthly Rosh Chodesh gatherings.

"The Chabad of Eugene provides a retreat from everyday life with its familiar Jewish traditions and mystic teachings," said Adam Newman, a University of Oregon sophomore from Bellevue, Washington.

Rabbi Spiegel offers classes ranging from beginning Hebrew to Kabbalah and Talmudic law, providing opportunities for all students to explore their Judaism.

Junior Alex Karp from Clackamas said that at Chabad, "I learn about Jewish culture, but I also live it."

The Torah is due to arrive from Israel in the fall. The Jewish students at the University as well as the Eugene community have joined together "in writing a community Torah, fulfilling this mitzvah–the last of the 613 mitzvot," Spiegel said.

Marie Hanawalt, a junior from Portland explained that at Chabad, she "learned that there were different levels of understanding the Torah and that I was used to understanding it only on the most literal level."

The education that the Chabad House provides will be supplemented by their Torah, which will allow students to further connect with their Judaism.

Funds for the Torah have been raised through community involvement and the purchase and dedication of various words, chapters and weekly Torah Portions. Contributions, which fulfill the mitzvah of writing a Torah, still are being accepted.

To contact Rabbi Asi Spiegel, call 541-484-7665, www.chabadofeugene.com.

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