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September 19, 2003/Elul 22 5763, Vol. 55, No. 56
Chabad presence at ASU
A full-time rabbi is hired to serve students
BETH OLSON
Staff Writer
Chabad of Arizona has hired a rabbi to represent Chabad at Arizona State University.
Rabbi Shmuel Tiechtel, along with his wife, Chana, and infant son, Tzvi, will arrive in Tempe from Brooklyn, N.Y., after the High Holidays.
According to Rabbi Zalman Levertov, director of Chabad of Arizona, there is a need for an Orthodox presence on the ASU campus. Chabad has run various programs at ASU, but previously there was no funding for a full-time rabbi.
Chabad received a three-year grant from the New York-based Rohr Family Foundation to begin the new program at ASU.
Plans are to create a "home away from home" for students, said Levertov. Programs will include Shabbat dinners, classes and holiday workshops.
"We're going to listen very closely to what students tell us they'd like to experience," said Tiechtel. "We look forward to providing for students a warm, welcoming ... environment, while creating challenging, stimulating and fun programming to celebrate Jewish holidays and values in a meaningful way."
Tiechtel said he also looks forward to organizing social events as well as programs about Israel.
According to the Hillel Jewish Student Center at ASU, there are approximately 2,300 Jewish undergraduate students on campus. Of those, about 700 periodically participate in Hillel activities, with 300 active participants.
Rabbi Barton Lee, executive director of Hillel, said he welcomes Chabad on the campus.
"Baruch ha'bah. Welcome," said Lee. "The Jewish world is always big enough for more Jews. ... It's always good to shake hands with other Jews."
Levertov believes Chabad will be an enhancement to Hillel's programs on the ASU campus.
"Kids who don't want to go to a Reform service will go to an Orthodox service. Other than that, there will be programs they can do together," Levertov said.
Tiechtel agrees. "We know there are Jewish organizations, such as Hillel, that are doing wonderful things on campus. We anticipate working closely with them and all the Jewish organizations," he said.
Tiechtel's experience includes tutoring and mentoring high school students, directing a summer touring camp for American teens in Israel and in Melbourne, Australia, and preparing holiday and Shabbat programs for college-age students.
Chana Tiechtel has experience as a camp counselor in California, working with college-age students in Virginia and teaching learning groups in Melbourne.
"College students have enthusiasm and are generally interested in new experiences. Encountering the beauty of Jewish culture and lifestyle, some for the first time, enhances a student's positive feeling about his or her Jewish identity," Tiechtel said.
Contact the writer at beth_olson@jewishaz.com.
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