Nobel Laureates Mark Chabad’s 15 Years at Columbia

Nearly 200 rabbis, students, alumni, and faculty nibbled on kosher sushi as they listened to Nobel Laureates Eric Kandel and Richard Axel speak at a fundraiser for campus Jewish organization Chabad in Low Library on Thursday night.

Kandel, a professor of brain science in neuroscience, received the first Columbia Lamplighter Award from Chabad, which honors “pride in being Jewish” on campus. Axel, also a neuroscience professor, introduced him.

The fundraiser, 15 Years: Celebrating a Milestone, also celebrated husband and wife Rabbi Yonah Blum and Rebbetzin Keren Blum’s 15 years at Chabad.

Keren Blum said it felt odd to receive the award. “We’re about giving, not receiving, so when we receive these honors, it’s out of character for us,” she said.

Axel noted the importance of learning and “intellectual striving” in Judaism and said both Chabad and Kandel exemplify that characteristic.

“Jewish tradition begins with inquiry,” Axel said. “In this tradition, it is indeed appropriate that Chabad honor Eric Kandel.”

Most of the speakers, including Kandel, commented on the openness of Chabad, an Orthodox organization.

“Chabad is so remarkable in its inclusiveness,” Kandel said. “It itself is Orthodox, but it is so liberal that it welcomes even Richard Axel and Eric Kandel even though we’re not quite as religious as Chabad.”

Kandel stressed the importance of inclusion over exclusion. He noted that ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel, who have drawn criticism for their support of gender segregation and refusal to associate with non-Orthodox Jews, have the most to learn from Chabad.

“Their distorted value systems increase stress levels with the Jewish community, undermine our values,” Kandel said.

Keren Blum said Kandel did not know much about Chabad before he received the award and that his speech showed that he was clearly a “scientist.”

“He self-professes that he doesn’t know much about Chabad, but he knows we do good work,” Blum said. “He did his research.”

Yonah Blum said he had hoped to raise $100,000 but “didn’t quite meet” that goal. In spite of the fundraising issues, Blum said the gala had a “good vibe” and hopes to make it an annual event.

“It’s our first time doing it,” Blum said. “We didn’t know what to expect. Hopefully we’ll be able to make this an annual event. It’ll be a springboard for the next 15 years.”

Keynote speaker Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, who studied Jewish history as a graduate student at Columbia, praised the Blums for making Chabad a home away from home for Jews at Columbia, explaining that they were a nervous parent’s “dream.”

He ended his speech on an uplifting note: “May your 15 years grow to 30 years, and may your 30 years grow to 45,” Telushkin said. “It’s a blessing for Columbia, and it’s a blessing for the Jewish people to have you here.”