A Reconstructionist Center for Jewish Life in Lane County
Temple Beth Israel sits on the corner of East 29th Avenue and University Street in Eugene, Oregon, and serves as the primary Jewish congregation for Lane County. Founded in 1934, the synagogue today gathers nearly four hundred member households for Shabbat worship, holiday celebrations, lifelong learning, and social justice work. Temple Beth Israel is a member of the Jewish Reconstructionist Communities and identifies as a center for Jewish life that embraces traditional wisdom with contemporary insight.
The congregation's name reflects its foundational character: "Beth Israel," the House of Israel. That house has welcomed people of all Jewish backgrounds, interfaith families, and those exploring Judaism, as well as Jews and seekers of every race and of every sexual and gender identity. Approximately thirty-eight percent of member households are interfaith, and Temple Beth Israel treats this as a defining strength of the community. Its rabbinic and lay leadership are explicit: people who are religious, cultural, atheist, agnostic, or searching all have a place here.
Roots in Eugene's Jewish Community
Jewish life in Eugene dates to the late 1860s, when German Jewish merchants including Goodman Bettman and Samson Freundlich moved down from Portland and built successful businesses. By 1888, a New York Jewish Messenger article reported six Jewish families in Eugene; a rabbi came up from Portland for the high holidays and the families kept traditions among themselves the rest of the year. By the 1920s the founding German Jewish families had given way to a population of primarily Eastern European ancestry. Religious services were conducted by community members who met at the home of Hyman Rubenstein at 231 West Eighth Street. The house was later remodeled as a synagogue, and Temple Beth Israel was formally founded in 1934 with about twenty families. That first building served the congregation through World War II.
By the late 1940s the congregation had grown to fifty families. Jack Brenner and Harry Rubenstein led a fundraising drive that culminated in the building at 2550 Portland Street, dedicated in 1954. The synagogue's first rabbi, Rabbi Marcus Simmons, was hired in 1959, followed by Rabbi Louis Neimand, who guided the then-Conservative congregation from 1963 until his death in 1976. Membership rose from eighty families to one hundred eighteen during his tenure.
In 1977, reflecting the alternative Jewish lifestyles emerging in Eugene in the 1970s, Temple Beth Israel looked to the Reform movement for leadership and hired Rabbi Myron Kinberg. That same year Cantor Yitzhak Husbands-Hankin was formally hired for the High Holidays after years of volunteer service. By the mid-1980s the building had been expanded to accommodate growth to two hundred fifty households, and both rabbi and cantor were full-time. By 1992, with three hundred seventy-five member households and one hundred seventy students in Talmud Torah, the congregation began talking about a new home.
Rabbi Kinberg left for the East Coast in 1994, and Assistant Rabbi and Cantor Yitzhak Husbands-Hankin, who had served the congregation for eighteen years in many leadership roles, became rabbi. In 1996 Temple Beth Israel affiliated with the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation, which has since become Jewish Reconstructionist Communities. In 2005 the design plans for a new building were revised to better fit the congregation's means and its values, and the community moved into the present building at 29th and University in 2007.
What Reconstructionist Judaism Means at Temple Beth Israel
Reconstructionism is described at Temple Beth Israel as the newest of the three liberal branches of Judaism, a progressive contemporary approach that integrates deep respect for traditional Judaism with the insights of contemporary social, intellectual, and spiritual life. The movement has its own siddur, Kol Haneshamah, which is the prayer book used at every service at Temple Beth Israel.
That Reconstructionist approach shapes daily practice in several ways. Egalitarianism is a core value: all Jewish adults participate and are counted equally in every aspect of worship and community life, and those who are not Jewish are welcomed into community life and into some aspects of worship. Liturgy is a blend of traditional and creative: the Kol Haneshamah siddur features gender-neutral English, new Hebrew and English liturgy, and transliterations of all communally spoken prayers, alongside contemporary midrash, poems, and commentaries that engage the central themes of each service.
Services at Temple Beth Israel are participatory and bilingual. The congregation uses a mixture of Hebrew and English during services and encourages full congregational participation. Most singing is in Hebrew, with transliterations provided in the siddur, while responsive readings and midrash are usually done in English. The siddur also invites reflection: ancient texts are paired with contemporary commentary so that worship engages the central themes of each portion of the service.
The community is intentionally welcoming. The congregation does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, sexual orientation, or gender, and visitors are asked to introduce themselves so they can be welcomed at the oneg. This posture has shaped the congregation for decades and is woven into the very structure of who leads and who participates.
A Week of Shabbat at Temple Beth Israel
Shabbat is the rhythm of life at Temple Beth Israel, and the congregation offers many ways to welcome it. Friday night Kabbalat Shabbat services typically begin at 7:30 p.m. and run about an hour and a half to two hours, followed by an Oneg Shabbat with juice, challah, cookies, and small snacks. On the second Friday of each month, a shorter Early Shabbat service runs from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the sanctuary and is also livestreamed on YouTube. Families with young children are especially welcomed.
Several alternative Friday night and Shabbat experiences round out the calendar. Shabbat Alive!, led by Cantor Evlyn Gould and Emily Fox, is an alternative renewal-style service that experiments with renewed meanings for prayer, including lively songs and music, embodied practices, meditation, rhythmic energies, and prayerful reflections on Torah. Learners' Service, led by the Director of Youth Education, focuses on a different section of the morning liturgy in rotation and is open to anyone who wants to better understand the flow of the Shabbat morning service, not just b'nai mitzvah students. Jam Band Shabbat features Rabbi Ruhi Sophia and guest musicians in new music, ecstatic singing, dancing, and mindful meditation, suitable for congregants and friends of all ages. In the spring and summer, Shabbat in the Park moves to Alton Baker Park, with a shorter service from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. that is family-friendly, with room to bring dinner, blankets, and chairs.
Shabbat morning Torah Study begins at 8:45 a.m. on most Saturdays (8:30 a.m. when a b'nei mitzvah is being celebrated). The main Kol Haneshamah service begins at 10:00 a.m. (9:30 a.m. on b'nei mitzvah days) and runs about an hour and a half to two hours, followed by kiddush. On most Shabbat mornings a Community Shabbat Lunch runs from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., sponsored by member households in honor or memory of loved ones or to mark a simcha. For families with young children, a Family Room is open from 10:15 a.m. until the end of services with a weekly space designed for multi-generational interaction.
Worship is offered during the week as well. Every Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. the community gathers on Zoom for a Minyan that includes saying Kaddish, a mid-week meditative moment, and time to be in community. Torah Study with Rabbi Ruhi Sophia is offered on Thursdays at noon, also via Zoom, for an engaging discussion of the week's Torah portion and how it impacts daily life. Text study is done in English, with occasional close examination of the Hebrew text in an inclusive manner.
Rabbis, Hazzan, and Community Clergy
Rabbi Ruhi Sophia Motzkin Rubenstein became Temple Beth Israel's rabbi in July 2015 after graduating from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. While in school she served for two years as a Cooperberg-Rittmaster Rabbinical Intern at Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, New York's LGBTQ synagogue, and also interned with the Woodstock Jewish Congregation, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society of Pennsylvania, and GreenFaith, a New Jersey-based environmental organization. She spent a year in Jerusalem through the New Israel Fund-Shatil Fellowship and received chaplaincy training through the Clinical Pastoral Education program at the Jewish Theological Seminary in placement as a hospice chaplain. Before rabbinical school she worked for years as a Jewish environmental educator with the Teva Learning Alliance and three summers as Rosh Teva (Nature Director) at Camp JRF, the Reconstructionist summer camp. Rabbi Ruhi Sophia is vocally trained and brings a love of music to the congregation, including melodies from the Nava Tehila community in Jerusalem and the Hadar community in New York. She is married to Rabbi Jacob Siegel, a musician and certified shochet (slaughterer of kosher meat) and mohel.
Rabbi Yitzhak Husbands-Hankin became Rabbi Emeritus in July 2015 after serving the congregation from 1975 forward. He was ordained as a Baal Tefillah by Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, received his cantorial commission from the Cantors' Assembly of the United Synagogue of America, and was ordained as a rabbi by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi. He served as Senior Rabbi from 2003 until 2015 and is the past chair of the Committee for Ethical Kashrut of OHALAH: The Association of Rabbis for Jewish Renewal. He is an affiliate member of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association, a member of Rabbis for Human Rights-North America, an associate of CLAL-National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, a Hevraya member in the Institute for Jewish Spirituality's Rabbinic Leadership program, and a member of the rabbinic cabinet of J-Street as well as the Oregon Board of Rabbis. Rabbi Yitzhak brings his love of music to the community as a composer of Jewish liturgical music, a cellist, and a guitarist; his compositions are sung at synagogues throughout the country, in Europe, and in Israel.
Hazzan Dr. Evlyn Gould is a bi-coastal cantor and educator serving both Temple Beth Israel and Temple Har Zion in Mt. Holly, New Jersey. She holds smicha (ordination) from ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal, was ordained as ba'al tefillah by Hazzan Yaakov Kessler, and has trained for years with Rabbi Hazzan Yitz Husbands-Hankin at Temple Beth Israel. She also holds a certificate in Clinical Pastoral Education from Sacred Heart PeaceHealth Riverbend and smicha in Embodied Spirituality from aleph: Embodying Spirit. Hazzan Gould is Distinguished Professor Emerita in the Romance Languages at the University of Oregon and has written several books on literature, music and dance, European and Judaic Studies, with a most recent book on the Dreyfus Affair in France. She is partner to Henry M. Ponedel, ba'al koreh and co-service leader at both institutions.
Gretchen Shoshana Hughes Lieberman joined Temple Beth Israel in 2001 while working on her master's degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Oregon. Her thesis on Faith-Based Environmental Activism explored the influence of Tikkun Olam spiritual identity on congregational life. She served as the Talmud Torah Director from 2012 to 2019, launching youth enrichment days, Camp Chaverim, and other youth and family learning opportunities. In 2024 she began rabbinical school at the Academy for Jewish Religion with the goal of ordination by 2030. She currently serves as interim rabbinic intern at Temple Beth Sholom in Salem, Oregon, and as a lay leader at Temple Beth Israel.
Rabbis Linda Motzkin and Jonathan Rubenstein are Community Clergy at Temple Beth Israel. Rabbi Linda is a soferet, parchment maker, and Hebrew calligraphic artist; Rabbi Jonathan is a bread maker and baking teacher. Both were ordained by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati and served as co-rabbis of Temple Sinai in Saratoga Springs, New York, for more than thirty-six years. In 2004 they founded Bread and Torah, an educational initiative that offers hands-on multi-generational programs combining scribal arts and baking, and their work has taken them to synagogues, schools, universities, retreat centers, and community organizations across the United States and around the world. Rabbi Linda founded the Community Torah Project, which engages participants in the creation of a Torah scroll from parchment making through final assembly, and is the author and co-author of widely used Hebrew language textbooks for adult learners. Rabbi Jonathan established Slice of Heaven Breads at Temple Sinai, a volunteer nonprofit bakery whose proceeds support hunger relief, synagogue programs, and other charitable causes. After their retirement from Temple Sinai, Rabbis Linda and Jonathan relocated to Eugene in September 2025 to be near their daughters, Rabbi Ruhi Sophia Motzkin Rubenstein and Shira Bracha Motzkin Rubenstein. They now offer regularly scheduled Bread and Torah workshops at Temple Beth Israel.
Education Across the Lifespan
Temple Beth Israel has long maintained community-supported educational programs. The TBI Preschool, now celebrating its twentieth anniversary, is a community preschool that welcomes everyone and serves children ages two-and-a-half to five. The preschool is a Five-Star Spark program in Oregon's Quality Recognition and Improvement System. Its foundation is built upon core Jewish values and inspired by the Reggio Emilia philosophy, with the goal of nurturing gratitude and social responsibility in children, families, and staff. The preschool does not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, or beliefs. Full-day, partial-day, and half-day options are available, along with flexibility for choosing which days of the week a child attends.
Talmud Torah is Temple Beth Israel's religious school for students from three years old through seventh grade (and Teen Sundays). Students may enroll in Kita Zra'im (preschool class) if they turn three by the first day of classes, and in Kita Gan (kindergarten class) if they turn five before December 31 of the school year. Tuition is $658 per year for preschool, kindergarten, and first grade, and $1,076 per year for grades two through seven, with a ten percent sibling discount and scholarships available. The school's overall philosophy is rooted in four pillars: relevance, depth, experiential learning, and relational learning.
On Sundays, the schedule begins with all-school Havdalah and assembly at 9:30 a.m., cohort classes from 9:45 to 11:15 a.m. (including thirty minutes of music and shira by age group), Hebrew classes from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., and JEWL (Jewish Experience, Wisdom, and Lifestyle) classes from 12:30 to 1:15 p.m. On Wednesdays, students arrive at 4:00 p.m. for all-school tefillah, followed by Hebrew classes from 4:20 to 5:05 p.m. and JEWL classes from 5:15 to 6:00 p.m. Cohort classes focus on Torah and holidays while incorporating Jewish life and literacy, and Hebrew reading classes give students the skills to study, decode, and explore Hebrew prayers, blessings, and Torah passages. JEWL classes are electives that rotate depending on the passions of teachers and community members, with subjects including history, art, Israel, the Shoah, modern conversational Hebrew, Hebrew through pop music, Jewish cooking, Judaism and nature, shtetl stories, Hebrew calligraphy, exploring Kabbalah, and Yiddish language and culture.
B'nai Mitzvah at Temple Beth Israel is built around four pathways: Mind (Torah), Heart (Avodah), Hands (G'milut Chasidim), and Body (K'lal Israel). The goal is for each student to be able to confidently declare "Hineini!" ("Here I am!") and to understand what it means personally to be a Jewish adult. Students typically begin with the Sunday morning cohort class in preschool or kindergarten and add Hebrew and JEWL classes from second grade. Families may request dates for b'nai mitzvah services in the summer before sixth grade; assignments are made after a meeting with the religious school director and submission of the necessary paperwork. The Talmud Torah office tracks progress and communicates with parents three times a year during sixth and seventh grades. A two-year timeline and detailed forms are available through the B'mitz Family Handbook.
Camp Chaverim is Temple Beth Israel's summer camp, jointly sponsored with the Jewish Federation for Lane County. "Chaverim" means "friend" in Hebrew, and the camp's goal is to build and foster friendship. Camp Chaverim is open to all children regardless of religious affiliation, with no requirement to be a Temple Beth Israel member or even involved with the congregation. Days include daily excursions to a park or playground, energetic music, ga-ga ball, Jewish folk dancing, nutritious snacks, daily crafts, and learning about Jewish values like wisdom, kindness, social action, and the pursuit of peace. Each day opens and closes with a circle of song and play, and the week culminates on Friday with an end-of-week program for families.
Adults have many ways to keep learning. The Prophets and Writings of the Hebrew Bible class meets on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. via Zoom and is led by Deborah Green, professor of ancient religion, Bible, and rabbinic interpretation. The TBI Library, located on the second floor across from the Talmud Torah office, holds approximately two thousand volumes of Judaic materials and operates on a self-checkout honor system. For those who want to chant Torah and Haftarah, the Sounds of Prayer resources include Google Drive folders of audio files for morning blessings, the Amidah, candle lighting, kiddush, the tallit blessing, the Torah service Shema, blessings before and after the Haftarah, and Torah trope systems.
Lifecycle Events from Cradle to Grave
Temple Beth Israel marks the full arc of Jewish life. For expecting parents, the rabbi recommends at least one meeting before the child is born to plan the welcome. Traditionally, baby boys are circumcised in a home ceremony on the eighth day unless medically contra-indicated, and baby girls are named at home on the eighth day in this community. Both boys and girls are then welcomed during the Torah service of a Shabbat morning service, often a few weeks after the birth, when the mother (if there is one) says a blessing of gratitude and the whole family comes up to be showered with blessings by the entire community after the new baby's name is announced. Temple members pay no fee for a baby naming at a regularly scheduled service; non-members pay $200.
Weddings at Temple Beth Israel are officiated by Rabbi Ruhi Sophia, who does not officiate on Shabbat (between sundown Friday evening and nightfall three stars Saturday evening), during the Three Weeks of mourning between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av, or from two weeks before Rosh Hashanah to two weeks after Yom Kippur. The rabbi will officiate at intermarriages provided the couple plans to create a primarily Jewish household, and at LGBTQ+ marriages on the same terms. Some traditional language may be changed to reflect the couple's identity. The rabbi meets with the couple at least four times before the ceremony to get to know them, learn about the ceremony, and craft music and remarks that speak to their identities. Fees are $360 for temple members and $1,000 for non-members, with additional arrangements made for weddings outside the area.
At the end of life, Temple Beth Israel's Chevra Kadisha (Holy Burial Society) is available to assist all Jews, whether or not they are members. The Chevra Kadisha was started about forty years ago by Rabbi Myron Kinberg, and its volunteers may assist with funeral coordination, working with the rabbis, meeting the family at the hospital or home, accompanying the family to choose a burial space, performing the taharah (the ritual washing and dressing of the deceased for burial), organizing meals of consolation, attending the funeral, and arranging shiva minyanim. The community has published Treasure Each Day: A Guide to Jewish Rituals of Death and Mourning, available in the synagogue office, and developed a modern guide for taharah now used by chevra kadisha groups across the country. In 2003 the Chevra Kadisha helped arrange for a Jewish section at the Eugene Masonic Cemetery.
Shiva is the Hebrew word for seven, referring to the traditional seven days of mourning beginning with the day of the funeral, during which mourners do not leave the house and the community gathers to feed, comfort, and pray with them. Shiva is suspended on Shabbat, when mourners are invited to join the community in prayer at the synagogue. Many people in this fast-paced society observe only a few days, and the rabbis and Chevra Kadisha will assist with as many days as the family chooses. Rabbi Ruhi Sophia does officiate at memorial services and shiva minyanim for someone who will be cremated, but will not participate in the burying of the cremains unless they are available for burial within a week of death. Rabbi Yitz does not officiate in the event of cremation. Funeral fees are $0 for temple members (and their parents and children) and $900 for non-members; unveiling fees are $0 for members and $360 for non-members.
Exploring Judaism and Conversion
Temple Beth Israel welcomes people exploring Judaism and invites them to grow and learn. All of the congregation's listed programs are open to the public, regardless of religious background or affiliation. For those interested in deepening their connection through conversion, the rabbi recommends attending services or programs to get a feel for the community and reading one or more of a recommended library of books that includes Exploring Judaism: A Reconstructionist Approach by Rebecca Alpert and Jacob Staub, Choosing a Jewish Life by Anita Diamant, Jewish Literacy by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, Living a Jewish Life by Anita Diamant, Eyes Remade for Wonder by Rabbi Lawrence Kushner, Seasons of Our Joy by Arthur Waskow, The Jewish Way: Living the Holidays by Irving Greenberg, Judaism's Ten Best Ideas by Arthur Green, and God is a Verb by Rabbi David Cooper.
The synagogue also encourages independent exploration through online resources like Evolve, an online platform with conversation-sparking essays from rabbis, leaders, and creators; My Jewish Learning; The Jewish Daily Forward; the Jewish Multiracial Network; Tablet Magazine; Interfaith Family; and Jewish Reconstructionist Communities. The active conversion group supports those who choose to convert, and the community welcomes those who choose not to convert but who wish to remain active participants in congregational life.
Committees, Brotherhood, Sisterhood, and the Social Justice Tradition
Much of Temple Beth Israel's official business and outreach to community members is carried out through its committees and chavurot. Chavurot are small, informal, social learning groups of temple members with similar interests. Among the standing committees are the Arts and Aesthetics Committee, which maintains rotating exhibits in the synagogue gallery and supports ongoing arts programming; Bikur Cholim (Visiting the Sick), which checks in daily at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center RiverBend and reaches out to anyone in the community who is ill; the Chevra Kadisha (Burial Society); the Finance Committee; the Interfaith Committee, part of Rabbi Ruhi Sophia's Project Aleinu initiative; the Library Committee, which maintains the second-floor collection of approximately two thousand volumes; the Racial Justice Committee; the Safety Committee, focused on security and emergency preparedness; the Sanctuary Committee, established in 2017 to honor the Jewish tradition of protecting the gerim in the community's midst, with a particular emphasis on social justice for immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers; the Talmud Torah Advisory Committee; the Tikkun Olam Committee ("world repair"); and Tzedakah V'Chesed, which assists congregants, Jews, and other Lane County residents with short-term emergency crises.
Brotherhood is an organization of men whose mission is to serve the congregation and community in accordance with Jewish traditions and values. Its monthly Sunday breakfasts at 9:30 a.m. are free and open to the community, with speakers from academia, law, and environmental non-profits. Brotherhood also runs a B'nai Mitzvah Initiative that contributes $36 to a cause or charity chosen by each Bar or Bat Mitzvah. Sisterhood fosters camaraderie across generations and promotes community involvement through service activities, offering a community of women joined together for friendship and for the work of hands, hearts, and spirits for the benefit of the community. Sisterhood also provides scholarships to help with the cost of sending children to Jewish summer camp or other Jewish youth programs.
Temple Beth Israel is actively involved in interfaith efforts across Lane County and nationally for peace and social justice. The synagogue is a member of the interfaith homeless shelter and maintains a food cupboard for needy local families. Tzedakah V'Chesed reaches beyond the congregation to help the food insecure by making sandwiches and bagging snacks on the third Tuesday of each month for Neighbors Feeding Neighbors. Several committees maintain a constant need for volunteers. The Social Action and Justice Resources page, sponsored by the Sanctuary, Racial Justice, and Tikkun Olam Committees, provides links to a wide network of community partners serving immigrants, asylum seekers, the Latinx community, transgender people, and people of color, both nationally and locally in Eugene and Lane County.
Temple Beth Israel's Statement of Commitment, adopted in March 2025, affirms the right of immigrants to ask for asylum, opposes mass deportation and hateful rhetoric or action directed at immigrants, affirms the dignity and full inclusion of LGBTQ individuals including transgender people, affirms the right of all religious minorities to be free from discrimination and from the imposition of any religious belief or practice in civic life, and affirms the right of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, women, people with disabilities, and all minorities to be free from discrimination and exclusion.
A Shared Commitment Membership Model
Temple Beth Israel has adopted what the congregation calls a "Shared Commitment" membership model, designed to eliminate mandatory dues as a barrier to synagogue affiliation, provide transparency, and better align Temple Beth Israel's finances with its values. This model has been adopted by many Reconstructionist and other synagogues throughout the United States in response to changing social and financial realities.
Each member household is asked to determine for itself the annual membership contribution it will make, based on the household's circumstances and Temple Beth Israel's needs. The community provides projected expenses for the upcoming year and a sustaining amount, the average contribution that, if given by every member household, would fully fund operations for the year. Households that gave more than the sustaining amount in the previous year are encouraged to do so again to offset contributions that are lower. For those who prefer to calculate their commitment based on income, the community recommends a guideline of 1.5% to 3% of gross income. Religious school registration and class assignments are issued only to those members who have satisfied all prior years' obligations.
Visiting Temple Beth Israel
Temple Beth Israel welcomes all visitors, including potential members, to explore what the congregation has to offer. Because Shabbat is a day of rest on which no business is transacted, synagogues do not pass a collection plate or accept donations at services. Visitors are not expected to bring anything with them, except a kippah (a yarmulke, or skull cap), if they own one, and Temple Beth Israel provides extra kippot for visitors. Dress is generally casual to semi-formal, and congregants should be prepared for lots of singing; Temple Beth Israel is a very musical congregation.
On Friday nights, Kabbalat Shabbat services begin at 7:30 p.m. and run about an hour and a half to two hours, followed by a small Oneg Shabbat with juice, challah, cookies, and other small snacks. Services for families with young children are scheduled throughout the year. On Saturday mornings, Torah Study begins at 9:00 a.m. and the Kol Haneshamah service begins at 10:00 a.m. Morning services may last an hour and a half to two hours and are followed by kiddush.
On Shabbats when a Bar or Bat Mitzvah is being celebrated, Torah Study takes place at 8:30 a.m. and services begin at 9:30 a.m. Guests are asked to respect the sanctity of Shabbat and refrain from taking pictures, using a cell phone, or writing during the service. It is customary to dress up a little for such an occasion, as one would for any other important life-cycle event. If attending Friday night services as well, the Bar or Bat Mitzvah will likely be asked to introduce all of their guests to the congregation, so be prepared to stand and be recognized.
The sanctuary and social hall at Temple Beth Israel are equipped with hearing loops, making it easy for people with hearing loss who wear hearing aids or have cochlear implants to clearly understand the spoken word. The building is fully accessible, with ample parking and free WiFi. Non-members wishing to attend High Holiday services are warmly invited but must pre-register twenty-four hours in advance to ensure a smooth arrival. Every adult member and guest should be prepared to show photo ID. All services include a mask-only section.
Giving, Legacy, and the Wider Community
Donations sustain Temple Beth Israel and allow the congregation to thrive. Gifts can be made online through ShulCloud by credit card at any time before midnight on December 31 to count toward that year's tax purposes. Checks mailed to Temple Beth Israel must be postmarked on or before the last day of the year, and checks delivered to the office must be received before the office closes on the final business day. Gifts of appreciated stock, grants from donor-advised funds, and distributions from IRAs are also welcomed. Temple Beth Israel participates in the Life and Legacy Program, a partnership of the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation and the Harold Grinspoon Foundation that promotes legacy gifts to benefit synagogues, day schools, social services organizations, and other Jewish entities.
Ways to leave a Jewish legacy include a bequest in a will or trust, making Temple Beth Israel the beneficiary of a retirement asset such as an IRA or 401(k), a charitable gift annuity or other life income plan, and the donation of an unneeded life insurance policy. The Legacy Circle honors individuals and families who have taken the step to make a legacy gift, regardless of their level of wealth. Sample bequest language is published for those who wish to share it with their estate advisor.
The Building and Facility Rentals
The Temple Beth Israel building at 1175 East 29th Avenue offers a variety of flexible event and meeting spaces available at reasonable rates. The more than three thousand square foot social hall, the natural light-filled sanctuary with high ceilings and wood beams, and classrooms are available for seminars, meetings, concerts, and classes on a one-time or ongoing basis. The larger spaces include a state-of-the-art sound system, with projection equipment provided for a reasonable fee. A well-equipped vegetarian commercial kitchen is available for caterers (fish, including no shellfish, and dairy are acceptable; no eel, shrimp, shellfish, or gelatin). Tables, chairs, dishes, and flatware are provided along with a friendly caretaking staff. In warmer weather, the courtyard with an expansive view is perfect for cocktail hour and outdoor dining. Ample parking, a fully accessible facility, free WiFi, and catering recommendations are offered as part of every rental.
Next Up at TBI, the congregation's weekly e-newsletter, is the best way to learn about upcoming community events, adult learning opportunities, and news, delivered every Wednesday afternoon. Many services are livestreamed on the congregation's YouTube channel, including the Second Friday Early Shabbat service and select Shabbat and holiday services.
Office and Hours
The administrative office at 1175 East 29th Avenue is open Monday through Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Friday from 10:00 a.m. to noon. The main office phone number is (541) 485-7218. The Preschool can be reached at (541) 844-7641. Email inquiries go to hello@tbieugene.org, and the Talmud Torah (Religious School) at talmudtorah@tbieugene.org. The Preschool Director, Andyn Dettman, can be reached at andyn@tbieugene.org.
To report a bias crime or incident, the community directs members to the Oregon Department of Justice.