Chabad reaches out to students, faculty at metro campuses

PORTLAND, OR — Chabad of Oregon is growing again.

A new Chabad Center serving Jewish students on all Portland-area campuses joins existing Chabad Centers in Portland, Ashland, Hillsboro and Salem, as well as a Chabad House serving the University of Oregon campus in Eugene.

All of the centers are non-judgmental and devoted to reaching out to all Jews regardless of their level of observance, said Chabad of Oregon Director Rabbi Moshe Wilhelm.

On Aug. 14, Rabbi Dov and Chani Bialo arrived in Portland with their daughters Fraidel, 2½, and Chaya Mushka, 11 months.

“We want our home to be a home away from home for all Jewish students from all the campuses in Portland regardless of their background or Jewish experience,” said Rabbi Bialo. “They should have an address where they can experience all the holidays and Shabbes in a warm, non-judgmental, Jewish setting.”

For the High Holy Days, the couple will open their home just off the Reed College campus to students for services and holiday meals including Rosh Hashanah dinners and a Yom Kippur break-the-fast.

Bialo said that having college students in her home is in his wife’s blood.

“My father was head of the audiology department at Hofstra University,” she said. “So when we were kids, we’d visit all the time and hang out with the students. And, he would have students as guests at our table.”

Chani Bialo explained that her parents “became religious” while students at the University of Rochester. After their marriage, her student parents found the warmth of Chabad very welcoming, she said.

“So we definitely feel a warmth to college students and helping to work with the students,” she said.

The rabbi has also spent a lot of time with college students. For the past five years, he has spent summers working with college students in various locations and he spent one year in Sydney, Australia, working with students and others in the community.

In addition to serving individual students, the couple plans to be a resource to any Jewish group on local campuses. Just a week after their arrival, they had already made contacts at Reed, Portland State University, Portland Community College, Oregon Health and Sciences University, and the University of Portland, a Catholic University which has several Jewish faculty members.

Bialo said he wants to reach out to Jewish faculty as well as students. Members of the Jewish community around Reed are also invited to attend services and other events at the couple’s home at 5130 SE 30th Ave., Apt. 10, Portland. For more information on upcoming programs and services, contact the Bialos at 503-236-6642 or via email at dovbialo@gmail.com or chanibialo@gmail.com.