Chabad Shluchim In Profile: Offbeat and Unconventional in Oregona

Eugene, OR — Corkscrew willow branches twist in serpentine curves, quite an unusual wood to use for fence-building, but Aviva Spiegel selected it to create a gate around the Chabad House of Eugene, OR. An offbeat choice, but a natural one for a woman who takes special pleasre in building bridges between Jews by defying typecasting.

“When people first approach our Chabad house, and they see that it is not very conventional, not what they would expect from a religious Jew, I am able to blow the stereotype a bit,” Aviva told Lubavitch.com.

Rabbi Asi and Aviva Spiegel arrived in Eugene in 2002, seeking a community as nonconformist as they are. Two hours south of Portland, Eugene is as green as the 150,000 eco-loving organic foodies living there, and as liberal as it is isolated from a major metropolitan Jewish community. When locals and Jewish students at University of Oregon join a Chabad activity, the Spiegels are often the only observant Jews they’ve met. Aviva’s creative flair squelches fears that getting involved with Judaism quashes self-expression.

The daughter of a dermatologist, Aviva grew up in California, attended Jewish camps affiliated with the Reform movement. With high grades and scores, she easily snagged a spot in Stanford University. During college, an interest in alternative healing sparked Aviva’s spiritual journey. Mind-body-soul connections evident in Chinese medicine, India’s Ayurvedic therapies led Aviva on a quest to find the Jewish way of healing. On a grant from Stanford, Aviva traveled to Israel for research. The number of religious Jews in Israel involved in alternative medicine staggered her. “How could such conservative people practice such far out medicine?” Her conclusion that Judaism sees emotional, physical and spiritual lives as a whole piqued her pursuit of Jewish knowledge.

Article Continued (Lubavitch.com)

Rabbi Asi Spiegel at an outing with Eugene college students

Aviva Spiegel at a lunch and learn session with her community.