 = Temple Beth Israel ( Eugene , Oregon ) = 
 
 Temple Beth Israel ( Hebrew : בית ישראל ) is a Reconstructionist synagogue located at 1175 East 29th Avenue in Eugene , Oregon . Founded in the early 1930s as a Conservative congregation , Beth Israel was for many decades the only synagogue in Eugene . 
 The congregation initially worshipped in a converted house on West Eighth Street . It constructed its first building on Portland Street in 1952 , and occupied its current LEED @-@ compliant facilities in 2008 . 
 In the early 1990s conflict between feminist and traditional members led to the latter leaving Beth Israel , and forming the Orthodox Congregation Ahavas Torah . Beth Israel came under attack from neo @-@ Nazi members of the Volksfront twice , in 1994 and again in 2002 . In both cases the perpetrators were caught and convicted . 
 Services were lay @-@ led for decades . Marcus Simmons was hired as the congregation 's first rabbi in 1959 , but left in 1961 . After a gap of two years , Louis Neimand became rabbi in 1963 , and served until his death in 1976 . He was followed by Myron Kinberg , who served from 1977 to 1994 , and Kinberg in turn was succeeded by Yitzhak Husbands @-@ Hankin . Maurice Harris joined Husbands @-@ Hankin as associate rabbi in 2003 , and served until 2011 , when he was succeeded by Boris Dolin . As of 2014 , led by Husbands @-@ Hankin and Dolin , Beth Israel had approximately 400 member households , and was the largest synagogue in Eugene . 
 
 = = Early history = = 
 
 Small numbers of German Jews began settling in Eugene in the late 19th century , but most moved on . In the early 20th century the first Eastern European Jews settled there , and by the 1920s Eugene 's Jewish community began gathering prayer quorums for holding Friday night and Jewish holiday services in individuals ' homes . Historian Steven Lowenstein writes that " [ a ] fter Hymen Rubenstein 's death in 1933 , his home at 231 West Eighth Street was remodeled and named Temple Beth Israel " . It was a traditional Conservative synagogue , and from that time until the 1990s it was the only synagogue in Eugene . 
 In 1952 , the congregation constructed a one @-@ story synagogue building on an almost 1 acre ( 0 @.@ 40 ha ) property at 2550 Portland Street . Designed by architect and Holocaust @-@ survivor Heinrich Hormuth ( H.H. ) Waechter , the building featured an interior courtyard that provided natural lighting , and " a network of ceiling beams painted with symbols and shapes " by Waechter . 
 Temple Beth Israel 's services and religious functions were lay @-@ led for decades . Its first rabbi was Marcus Simmons . Originally from England , he was a graduate of University of London and Oxford University , and was ordained at the Hebrew Theological Seminary . He emigrated to the United States in 1957 , and joined Beth Israel in 1959 . The members were not , however , agreed that a full @-@ time rabbi was required , and in 1961 , he accepted a rabbinical position in Downey , California . 
 Following a hiatus of two years , Louis Neimand was hired as rabbi in 1963 . Born in New York City in 1912 to immigrant parents , he was a graduate of City University of New York and was ordained at the Jewish Institute of New York . He had previously worked for the United Jewish Appeal , and from 1959 to 1963 was the first Hillel rabbi at Syracuse University . There was some concern about Neimand 's hiring , as he had a police record as a result of his involvement in freedom marches in the African @-@ American Civil Rights Movement ( 1955 – 1968 ) . He served until his death in 1976 . 
 
 = = Kinberg era = = 
 
 Myron Kinberg was hired as rabbi in 1977 . Ordained in Reform Judaism , he had previously served as a rabbi in Topeka , Kansas for two years , then lived in Israel for two years , before coming to Eugene . Kinberg was known for his support for minority rights and gay rights , anti @-@ nuclear and anti @-@ war activism , support of reconciliation between Israel and the Palestinians , and outreach to non @-@ observant members of Eugene 's Jewish community . 
 Kinberg attempted to revive the Biblical concept of the " ger toshav " in his approach to intermarriage . He was willing to officiate at an intermarriage if the non @-@ Jewish partner , after discussions with the rabbi , agreed of his or her own free will to fulfill a set of commitments , including " a commitment to a Jewish home life , participation in Jewish life and tradition , and raising future children as Jews " . The non @-@ Jewish partner making this commitment became a " ger toshav " , or " non @-@ Jewish member of the Jewish people " . 
 Kinberg 's wife Alice was a strong feminist , and during the 1980s he and his wife supported a number of changes to the liturgy and ritual . These included allowing women to read from the Torah and lead the prayers , and changing prayers to be more gender inclusive - for example , using gender @-@ neutral terms and pronouns for God , and adding references to the Biblical matriarchs in prayers like the Amidah , which traditionally only mentioned the Biblical patriarchs . While most congregation members approved of these changes , a minority resisted them . 
 
 = = = Schism = = = 
 
 By the early 1990s serious divisions developed among the members of the congregation over a number of issues , including personal antagonisms , the rabbi 's activism and " advocacy of ' ultra @-@ liberal ' causes " , political differences over the Israeli – Palestinian conflict , and 
 a myriad of additional Jewish cultural / religious issues , such as the acceptance of intermarried couples , adherence to kosher dietary laws , the use of modern language and music during worship services , rewriting of certain prayers such as the Aleynu to make them less ethnocentric , and so on . 
 However , the biggest source of division , which underlay all others , was " the roles and rights of men and women in the synagogue . " 
 In the early 1990s a group of newly observant members began holding more traditional services in a back room of the synagogue , complete with a mechitza , a partition separating men and women . The " more feminist @-@ minded " members strongly objected to having a mechitza anywhere in the Temple Beth Israel building , even if it were not in the services they attended . The latter group eventually circulated a petition which stated that either the mechitza would have to be taken down , or those members who wanted it would have to leave . Kinberg also signed the petition . Faced with this opposition , in 1992 the Orthodox members left , renting new premises and hiring their own rabbi , creating Eugene 's second synagogue , originally called " The Halachic Minyan " , and in 1998 renamed " Congregation Ahavas Torah " . 
 Kinberg held himself responsible , and the schism led to his " reassessment of the needs of Temple Beth Israel and his role as a rabbi " . As a result , he left Beth Israel in 1994 to lead a synagogue on Long Island . During his tenure at Beth Israel , membership rose from 118 to 350 families . Kinberg died two years later at age 51 . 
 
 = = Husbands @-@ Hankin era = = 
 
 Yitzhak Husbands @-@ Hankin succeeded Kinberg in 1995 . Husbands @-@ Hankin began his involvement at Temple Beth Israel first as a congregant , then as cantor , and then as an assistant rabbi . He was active in forming the Jewish Renewal movement , and was ordained by its leader Zalman Schachter @-@ Shalomi . 
 The congregation decided to leave the Conservative movement in 1995 , and for a year had no affiliation . In late 1996 , after considering both Reform and Reconstructionist as alternatives , the congregation affiliated with the Reconstructionist movement . By 1999 , membership had grown to around 370 families . 
 Husbands @-@ Hankin was instrumental in developing the concept of " Ethical Kashrut " , the idea that one should only purchase goods that are produced in an ethical way . His essay , " Ethical Kashrut , " was selected for publication in Arthur Kurzweil 's Best Jewish Writing 2003 . A singer , cello and guitar player , he composes and performs Jewish music . 
 Husbands @-@ Hankin has had four assistant or associate rabbis working with him . Shoshana Spergel joined Temple Beth Israel in 1998 as interim rabbi when Husbands @-@ Hankins went on a sabbatical ; Jonathan Seidel was assistant rabbi from 2001 to 2003 . Maurice Harris , a 2003 graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College , joined as assistant rabbi in 2003 . He is one of the signators of The Open Letter Concerning Religion and Science From American Rabbis , part of the Clergy Letter Project which " encourages and embraces the teaching of evolution in schools " . In 2011 , Boris Dolin joined the congregation as its newest associate rabbi . 
 
 = = = Attacks by neo @-@ Nazis = = = 
 
 On March 20 , 1994 , Chris Lord , an individual associated with the Volksfront and American Front , fired ten rounds with an assault rifle into the temple , damaging the interior . The attacks were prompted by a newspaper article about several members of Eugene 's Jewish community , including a lesbian . Community organizations , including a local gay rights group , responded by standing vigil outside the synagogue during Passover services . Lord and an associate were caught and convicted , and Lord was sentenced to four and a half years in prison . 
 On October 25 , 2002 Jacob Laskey , his brother Gabriel Laskey , Gerald Poundstone , Jesse Baker , and one other man , all members of the Volksfront , drove to Beth Israel with the intent of intimidating the congregants . While a service with 80 members attending was taking place , the men threw rocks etched with Nazi swastikas through the synagogue 's stained glass windows , then sped off . The men were caught , pleaded guilty , and were convicted . They served sentences ranging from a 6 @-@ month work release term and five years probation , to eleven years and three months in federal prison for the ringleader , Jacob Laskey . 
 
 = = = East 29th Avenue building = = = 
 
 Originally sized for 75 families , Temple Beth Israel 's Portland Street building had been renovated and enlarged over the years to 7 @,@ 500 square feet ( 700 m2 ) to accommodate 250 families and 150 students . Despite these additions and the loss of members to Congregation Ahavas Torah , the synagogue was not large enough , particularly during the High Holidays , when extra space had to be rented . In 1997 the congregation purchased the property of the University Street Christian Church for $ 500 @,@ 000 ( today $ 740 @,@ 000 ) , and began planning for a new facility . The members considered renovating the existing building on the property , but felt a new building would better suit their requirements , and razed the church . 
 In 2003 the congregation got a permit to begin construction of a new facility on the now @-@ vacant 1 @.@ 37 @-@ acre ( 0 @.@ 55 ha ) plot of land at the northwest corner of East 29th Avenue and University Street . An initial capital campaign raised more than $ 1 @.@ 8 million , which fully paid for the land , and by August 2007 an additional $ 1 @.@ 7 million had been raised towards anticipated overall project costs of $ 5 million . 
 The environmentally sensitive building was designed by Mel Solomon and Associates of Kansas City and local company TBG Architects & Planners , and built by McKenzie Commercial Construction of Eugene . The building used " energy efficient heating , ventilation and lighting " : specific design issues with the building 's energy efficiency included the fact that the largest room in the building , the sanctuary , was also the least @-@ used , and , in accord with Jewish tradition , had to face east ( towards Jerusalem ) . 
 On June 8 , 2008 the congregation dedicated its new building at 1175 East 29th Avenue . At approximately 25 @,@ 000 square feet ( 2 @,@ 300 m2 ) , the facility included a sanctuary , commercial kitchen , banquet facilities , and classrooms , and housed the synagogue , the Lane County Jewish Federation , and the local Jewish Family Service . The project ended up costing $ 6 million , of which $ 4 million had been raised . 
 Made of concrete , steel , and wood , the building achieved Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design compliance " through the integration of stormwater management strategies , high efficiency irrigation , the use of recycled and / or recyclable materials , and drought tolerant plantings . " Completely recyclable materials used in the structure included carpeting and wood beams . 
 
 = = Recent events = = 
 
 In 2008 , Temple Beth Israel participated in Banners Across America , an " interfaith witness against torture coordinated by the National Religious Campaign Against Torture , " as part of the Jewish Campaign Against Torture . Organized by Rabbis for Human Rights — North America in honor of Torture Awareness Month , the Jewish campaign included over 25 synagogues which hung banners protesting " the use of abusive interrogation techniques by the American military and intelligence community " . That year , congregational membership reached almost 400 families , and the Talmud Torah and pre @-@ school had about 200 and 40 students respectively . 
 The congregation sold the old synagogue building on Portland Street to Security First ( Portland Street ) Child Development Center for $ 815 @,@ 000 in 2009 , carrying the Center 's financing . The building was converted for use as an educational center , while retaining some of the original architectural elements . Difficult economic conditions forced the Child Development Center to give up the building in 2011 , and Eugene 's Network Charter School planned to move into it in autumn 2011 . 
 Harris announced he would be stepping down as rabbi in 2011 , and the synagogue hired Boris Dolin as his successor . Born and raised in Oregon , Dolin had worked at Temple Beth Israel as a teacher and youth group adviser from 1999 to 2001 . A graduate of the University of Oregon , with a master 's degree in Jewish Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary , he was ordained by the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College . 
 As of 2011 , Temple Beth Israel was the largest synagogue in Eugene . It was a member of the Community of Welcoming Congregations , " an Oregon and SW Washington interfaith ministry and advocacy organization working toward full inclusion and equality for transgender , lesbian , bisexual , gay and questioning persons . " The rabbis were Yitzhak Husbands @-@ Hankin and Boris Dolin . 
 
 