Oregon Hillel Celebrates a Shabbat of Resilience and Community
More than 150 Jewish and non-Jewish students, administrators, elected officials, religious leaders of all faiths, and other community members gathered this past week at University of Oregon (UO) Hillel for a Shabbat that celebrated the Jewish community’s strength and resilience in the face of adversity. Special guests included U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, Rep. Val Hoyle, and UO President John Karl Scholz, who each shared words of support and solidarity uplifting Jewish life and joy at Oregon Hillel.
The gathering, which was made possible in partnership with Eugene, Oregon’s Temple Beth Israel, came just days after antisemitic flyers targeting Oregon Hillel Executive Director Lenny Steinberg appeared across campus, labeling him an “Enemy of the People” and calling for “Hillel off campus.” In the same week, Hillel’s sukkah was stolen at their Oregon State University location, and as Jewish students commemorated the October 7th attacks, dozens of masked protestors burned the U.S. and Israeli flags outside Hillel House, demanding that the organization be removed from campus.
“Targeting someone by name and face is meant to intimidate, and a demand that Hillel leave campus sends Jewish students the message that they do not belong. They do,” Steinberg said. “This Shabbat was our answer: students, parents, clergy of all faiths, and campus leaders in one room, celebrating Jewish life together. It meant so much that leaders from across Oregon came to stand with our students. Their presence told students they are not alone. We will keep welcoming students, building community, and spreading Jewish joy on our campuses.”
“It was incredibly moving to see Oregon’s Jewish community and its supporters come together with such strength, compassion, and solidarity in the face of antisemitism,” said Rachel Lennard, UO student and co-chair of the Hillel International Student Cabinet. “Looking around the room on Shabbat and seeing Jewish students, elected officials, and community leaders gathered together was a powerful reminder that we are not alone, and that our community has so many people who care deeply about its well-being. This Shabbat was a testament to the resilience of Oregon’s Jewish community and the incredible impact we can have when we come together.”
The antisemitic acts last week sought to divide a thriving community that Oregon Hillel has spent more than three decades building and strengthening. In response, leaders across Oregon, including lawmakers and university officials, swiftly condemned the incidents and reaffirmed their commitment to creating welcoming spaces for Jewish students.
“The posted flyers did not invite dialogue; instead, they promoted isolation and fear, and fear erodes the foundation of our community,” UO’s President Scholz wrote in an email message to the broader UO community. He went on to encourage students to stand together and create a campus built on respect and belonging. “Look out for one another. Speak up when you see conduct that falls short of our values or endangers members of our community… Together, let us make the UO the place we want and need it to be,” he said.
Those words were reinforced by his presence at Oregon Hillel this past Shabbat. President Scholz was there as students lit candles, sang prayers, and shared a meal. He was joined by Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden and Rep. Val Hoyle, who, along with U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, also condemned the targeting of Oregon Hillel and Steinberg, calling it an effort to intimidate Jewish students and the organization that serves them.
“Targeting Hillel and its leadership with this hateful rhetoric is a blatant effort to intimidate and demonize a Jewish organization and the Jewish students it represents,” they wrote in a joint statement last week. “We stand firmly with Oregon Hillel and Jewish students across Oregon.”
Seeing prominent leaders and other allies stand against this hateful act meant a great deal to many of the Shabbat celebration’s attendees, including Kara Brown, a second-year law student at UO. “Seeing so many people stand together — including our elected officials — in support of our community brought me to tears,” she said.
For Brown and her peers, gathering for Shabbat offered a reprieve from a stressful week and an opportunity to spend time with friends, connect with community, and find comfort in tradition. “In the midst of so much pain, Oregon Hillel provided something our community desperately needed: a place to come together. Rather than surrender to fear and intimidation, Oregon Hillel brought the broader Jewish community together for an evening of solidarity and strength,” she added.
Third-year student Barak Sharar reflected on how moments of adversity have brought Jewish students closer together. “Experiences like this past Shabbat are the reason that I remain so involved in the Jewish community on campus,” Sharar said. “Every time a new threat comes up, we get closer and prouder of who we are. Oregon Hillel makes this campus whole.”
That sense of connection and community continues to be felt among Jewish students across campus. In the days following the incidents, Steinberg and his students received an overwhelming outpouring of support.
“Last week tested us, and our community’s response showed who we are. Hundreds of people chose to stand together rather than step back. That is the strength and resilience of Oregon Hillel, and it is why I am resilient too,” Steinberg said. “Our students and community lift me up every day. Beyond those who joined us for Shabbat, my team, our students, and I have heard from thousands of people reaching out with love and support. I am in awe of how far our reach extends, and of how we can overcome hate and fear with compassion, kindness, and love.”