A menorah is central to the celebration of Hanukkah.LC- See source article.
After Everything Jewish, a place where people of the Jewish faith could come to buy religious items, burned last year, leaders decided to move the Chabad of Oregon operation from Southwest Portland to a building they bought in the Pearl District.
The new site needed to be gutted, and the plan was to finish the remodel and open for business in February 2022.
But believing the world is in a dark place, leaders opened a popup store this week in the middle of the construction site in time for Hanukkah. The shop is open 3 to 7 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday and Sunday through Nov. 30 at 1218 N.W. Glisan St.
“The pandemic disrupted the comfort and norms in our systems and lives,” said Rabbi Chayim E. Mishulovin. “It seemed necessary we open now because we are all contemplating about why we are here and reflecting on what life is all about.”
Light is the symbolic message of Hanukkah, which begins on Nov. 28 and ends the evening of Dec. 6.
Known as the Jewish Festival of Lights, the eight days of Hanukkah are marked each evening by lighting a candle on a menorah until, on the last night, nine candles – including the candle to light the others – are glowing.
Mishulovin said the act, part of a Jewish ritual commemorating a holy miracle millennia ago, gives hope and allows those who participate to offer thanks and praise miracles. Menorahs, candles and other religious items used during Hanukkah will be sold in the corner of the shell of the new store. The shop will close back up Nov. 30 to allow crews to finish building out the space.
Rabbi Chayim E. Mishulovin in a corner of the new center, now under construction in the Pearl District, with some of the items for sale.
The operation is under the organizational umbrella of the Chabad of Oregon. Chabad is not affiliated with a particular synagogue in the metropolitan area but serves as a spiritual home for those of the Jewish faith, or those interested in learning more about Judaism.
Years ago, James Arroyo, of Tigard, stumbled over Everything Jewish, which had been in the Hillsdale area for more than 15 years.
“I grew up Catholic on the Lower East Side of Manhattan,” he said. “I moved out here 40 years ago. Six years ago, I wanted to learn the Torah. I checked with a couple synagogues, and no one was interested. I was driving and happened to see Everything Jewish, went in and told the rabbi what I wanted to do. I ended up reading the five books of Moses, and the rabbi and I became great friends.”
Arroyo, 72, said he no longer considers himself Catholic, nor does he describe himself as Jewish.
“I’m interested in faith and the connections,” he said. “It’s not about a divide.”
Mishulovin believes people of faith, no faith, or different faith experiences are searching for ways to bridge differences. When the Everything Jewish building was destroyed in the summer of 2020, leaders decided to move into the center of Portland in a bustling section of the Pearl District. The goal is to create what Mishulovin described as a “Jewish oasis” with the feel of a living room where people can casually, and intimately, talk and create a spiritual community.
“If you have a relationship with a rabbi or synagogue, that’s great,” said Mishulovin. “But we want to be a place for the person doesn’t have that relationship. To come in off the street, so to speak, feel uplifted and inspired in life.”
His wife, Simi Mishulovin, is part of the organization and senses a longing among all people to find meaning in life in such tumultuous times. She believes the new location will help on that journey.
Hanukkah, she said, highlights two miracles: A small army that stood for what is right was victorious over a larger army, and the miracle of a small flask of oil, only enough to burn only one day, lasted for eight days.
“Maybe some of us feel like we are on our last flask of oil,” she said. “We’ve gone through challenges that in the long run will make us stronger. No one is here by accident. We all have a light within us.”