After summer fires at Chabad of Oregon, Hanukkah brings a moment of hope under a tent in SW Portland
The symbolism is apparent to anyone who passes a gutted building in southwest Portland and sees a small tent where religious items vital to the Jewish faith are sold.
Fire can destroy.
But a single flame can inspire.
Two fires in August – one caused by an electrical malfunction, the other still under investigation – destroyed Everything Jewish, housed in a building at 2317 S.W. Vermont St.
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.
“It’s a place of light and love,” Rabbi Chayim E. Mishulovin said. “People come here with a problem. They want to talk about their faith and learn about their heritage.”
The two fires hit hard, he said.
“The Torah teaches us that God runs the world, and that everything that happens for a purpose, both good and bad,” he said. “It’s all part of the plan. We can’t get haughty in the good times and we can’t let the bad times take us down.”
That core belief has been tested in the days during the weeks leading up to Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights that ends Friday. Each night, another candle is lit on a menorah – eight total – as part of the Jewish ritual commemorating a holy miracle millennia ago.
“When the candles are lit, we rekindle the light,” he said. “It’s the job of being sacred, offering thanks and praising miracles with the power of light from the flame.”
The two fires, on Aug. 15 and 19, destroyed the building, flames lighting up the night sky. Both times Mishulovin and his wife, Simi Mishulovin, were called to the scene and witnessed the power of the flames. Yet, in the midst of such loss, they witnessed compassion.
“On the first fire, the firefighters had moved things out of the way so they wouldn’t be ruined,” said Simi Mishulovin, director of community engagement. “They covered other things so the water wouldn’t damage them. So careful and with such respect.”
A second fire destroyed all that remained in the building.
In early October, arson investigators announced a reward for information about the two fires through Crime Stoppers of Oregon.
Simi Mishulovin said she and her had to find a way to remain positive in the midst of such loss. Claims with the insurance company are making their way through the system. The center will rebuild, but there are plans underway to move closer to downtown Portland.
“We’re coming back strong,” Rabbi Mishulovin said. “There’s no point in rebuilding the same house again in the same location. We are about inspiring more people.”
In the meantime, however, the center and store were of no use to the faithful as Hanukkah approached.
“It’s our biggest holiday,” he said. “We were getting 20 calls every day. Not only did people need things for the holiday, they just wanted to be connected: My husband is dying, my father is sick, can we talk, can we pray for my children, my wife is giving birth. All we could say was we were burned out.”
But the couple refused to give up.
“We didn’t want to let these people down,” he said. “I called suppliers to see what we could get, even though we had no money and had to say I’d pay them when we could sell things. They came through.”
On Thursday, a small tent was erected in front of the burned-out building. Religious items needed for Hanukkah were offered for sale.
But it became more than a store.
“It’s been the gift of interaction,” Simi Mishulovin said. “We’ve been so touched.”
Word spread, with customers coming from across the city and as far away as Corvallis.
“Because of the virus, this is the year many of us will not be with other people,” she said of the coronavirus pandemic. “But here, at the tent – everyone masked up – people were happy and around each other. One man said he was deeply moved by the experience.”
The sale will continue Friday. It closes Saturday – a traditional day of rest in the Jewish faith – and then reopens for a final day on Sunday.
“This has made Hanukkah is all the more meaningful,” Rabbi Mishulovin said. “Fire can destroy good things, but light will always outshine the darkness.”