Rabbi Levi Raichik is bringing Chabad, a Hasidic Jewish movement, to Athens.
One of the largest Jewish organizations in the world has come to Ohio University.
Rabbi Levi Raichik and his wife Chanee are spearheading to bring Chabad to serve the Jewish community of students and locals alike. Chabad is a Hasidic Jewish movement that is in more than 65 countries with upwards of 3,000 centers.
“Wherever there’s Jews, there’s Chabad,” Raichik said.
Raichik grew up in Los Angeles before going to rabbinical school. His previous experience includes teaching at yeshivas, which focus on teaching traditional religious texts, in Detroit and Argentina. He and his wife have experience teaching students and college-aged people, so he said they are very familiar with how to talk to an average college student.
The Raichiks are just as new to the area as many of the freshmen are.
“We moved in two days before move-in day,” Raichik said.
Athens was not even on the couple’s map until last year.
“The truth is, Athens was kind of on our radar because of all the controversies that happened here last year. It’s not why we moved here, but it put Athens on our radar,” Raichik said. “When that story broke, we were like, ‘Hey, there’s this cool city in southern Ohio that doesn't have a Chabad.’ … So we visited in April, and it seemed like a good place to spread our wings and start our life.”
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Previously, the only option for Jewish students was Hillel at Ohio University, which has been run by Rabbi Danielle Leshaw since 2002 — though it has been on campus since 1938. Hillel is the largest Jewish student organization in the world, with roots at 550 colleges and universities. Hillel focuses on “Jewish culture, education, history, social service and Israel advocacy,” according to its website.
“I’m excited for Rabbi Raichik's arrival in Athens,” Leshaw said in an email. “I trust he’ll do great things, and enhance Jewish life in many new and interesting ways!”
Elana Gloger, a junior studying psychology and biological sciences pre-professional, has known Chanee since she was a pre-teen, as Chanee’s parents ran the Chabad synagogue Gloger has attended her whole life. She said she “actually jumped” in the air when she heard Chanee and Chabad were coming to Athens.
“I think it’s absolutely fantastic to have more representation of Jewish people and Jewish culture on campus just to show ... we are a prominent culture,” Gloger said. “It’s great as another resource for students.”
One difference between Chabad and Hillel nationally is that Hillel is geared toward college students while Chabad focuses on Jewish outreach in general, according to the organizations’ respective websites.
Gloger pointed out another difference: Chabad is based on Orthodox teachings while Hillel is based on Reformed Judaism. Hasidic Judaism is a branch of Orthodox Judaism, which strictly follows tradition. Reformed Judaism is more liberal and modernized. However, Gloger said Chabad doesn't discriminate against non-Orthodox Jews.
While Raichik said there are approximately 700 Jewish students at OU, he said he also plans to interact with locals.
“We are gonna be dealing mostly with students, but there is also surprisingly a pretty nice local population as well. That includes The Plains, Albany — all these little cities around. Not big but surprising,” Raichik said. “ Most of the people know each other and formed a community so we are joining that community.”
The Raichiks are running Chabad out of their home, located at 100 Morris Ave. in Athens. Every Friday, they will host a free Shabbat dinner that is open to everyone. Chabad will host a service for Yom Kippur at the Athens Community Center on East State Street.
“For now, we are focused on getting the word out, you know, getting as many people as possible to hear about us,” Raichik said.
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