When Rabbi Dovid and Goldie Tiechtel boarded their flight in 2003 from New York with their 3-month-old son, little did they know what life would be like in the Midwestern town of Champaign, Ill., about three hours from Chicago, the nearest major city. This past August marked 10 years since the Tiechtels established the Chabad Center for Jewish Life at the University of Illinois and Champaign-Urbana with its very first Shabbat meal, which hosted just 11 students.
Since then, the Chabad Center has grown to welcome more than 100 people for weekly Shabbat dinners and up to 300 for Jewish holidays.
Yet for the Tiechtels—more than the number of students at various meals and events—the past decade on campus has been about establishing personal relationships, and building the next generation of Jewish leaders and families in the region.
"When we came, we were literally meeting people one by one," says Goldie Tiechtel, co-director of Chabad at University of Illinois and Champaign-Urbana. "People weren't looking out for Jewish life. Whatever was done was done very quietly; there wasn't the sense of a larger, broader Jewish community."
She and her husband aim to create "something the students will be proud of—an active, full Jewish life. And now, we're at a point where students are looking for us, coming to Chabad, and it's a beautiful thing to see."
Students validate that point, and the relatively newfound roster of activities and positive influences.
“Chabad has affected my college experience by allowing me to have a place on campus where I can practice Judaism and a place at school that feels like home,” attests Shira Schwartz, a human-development and family-studies major from Skokie, Ill. “The rabbi says all the time that Chabad is ‘home away from home,’ and it really is for me.”
Schwartz, the current president of Chabad’s student board, first attended Shabbat dinner as a freshman—and has been a regular ever since. “By participating, I have met a lot of Jewish students and learned a lot about Judaism. The board has also helped me become a leader and advocate for Jewish activities on campus.”
These activities include daily prayer services, weekly Torah study and discussion classes, a study-abroad session in Israel, in addition to programs in dormitories, quads and fraternities/sororities.
A Growing Abundance of Kosher Options
What has also made a huge impact on campus was Chabad’s partnership with the university, beginning seven years ago, to bring hot kosher dinners to the meal plan every evening, and as of last year, kosher lunches every afternoon.
Stan Dayan, a sophomore from Skokie, Ill., worked for a while in the kosher dining facility in Lincoln Avenue Residence/Allen Hall. “Having the kosher food there makes a huge difference and brings more Jewish kids to campus. It’s amazing to have a nice hot meat meal in the dining hall right on campus, and items like deli sandwiches and salads for lunch. There are kosher options in the campus grocery store, too, like fresh-packaged meats.
"It’s so much easier to keep kosher now,“ says the kinesiology major, “and it makes kids more aware of a Jewish presence on campus. The food is really good, too. Even kids not in the dorm where the kosher kitchen is—and even non-Jewish students—want to eat the food because it’s great quality and really better.”
Just as notable is the fact that this sports-centered campus introduced kosher hot dogs at Memorial Stadium, home of the Illinois Fighting Illini football team, on Saturday nights. And for the first time this year, also an innovation for campuses nationwide, kosher hot dogs will be sold at basketball games throughout the season.
“We work hard to partner with the university to make these things happen,” says Rabbi Tiechtel, who also serves as an adjunct professor at the law school and is a part of the office of the dean of students. “We want to be a resource for all student needs and be the center of Jewish life at Illinois.”
In a greeting to Chabad recognizing its 10th anniversary, Bob Easter, president of the University of Illinois, writes: "College is about much more than classrooms and laboratories. During their years on campus, students also learn from the world around them, developing social and cultural awareness that will serve them for a lifetime.
"For more than a decade, the Chabad Center for Jewish Life has been filling that critical need, providing a home away from home for our more than 4,000 Jewish students and nurturing an environment of understanding that enriches the lives of every student. On behalf of the entire University of Illinois family, I wish the center the very best as it begins another year of distinguished service to our students, to the [school] and to society."
Planning for Continued Growth
In July 2005, the Tiechtels purchased a house in the heart of campus. But it didn’t take long for them to outgrow the building, and they are working on plans for expansion.
“We are busting” at the seams, says the rabbi, so they rent an outdoor tent for large programs and holiday events. They would keep it up all year, he added, if it weren’t for the weather.
Deerfield, Ill. resident Judy Schraiber has become well-acquainted with Chabad as a result of her children’s involvement. “We are so happy that our kids have a close relationship with Jewish tradition. While many take ‘time off’ from Judaism during college, my kids have chosen to stay connected.
“They have also taken leadership roles on the Chabad board, which is great for their confidence and career success,” says Schraiber. “We hope that Chabad continues to grow in terms of the number of kids participating, as well as financially to support a larger facility and continued programming.”
For Larry Gould’s son, Gabe, Jewish life on campus is synonymous with Chabad. It gives students a place to explore and learn and meet other like-minded kids, he said, and "it has given Gabe a connection that is immeasurable."
![Rabbi Tiechtel with students in Prague earlier this year as part of the annual "Alternative Spring Break" tour to Berlin.](https://w2.chabad.org/media/images/768/RcNv7688038.jpg?_i=_n1EE2C1B85E06D4EEE075B7D6D803E775 "Rabbi Tiechtel with students in Prague earlier this year as part of the annual "Alternative Spring Break" tour to Berlin.")
“The Tiechtels give everything of themselves, and I pray for their continued health and strength," he adds. "I hope the students and the entire community support Chabad by continuing to show up and spread a healthy message of inclusiveness and community.”
For alumni, the connection evolves, even long after they leave the university.
Dr. Richard Rosenfeld, a 1978 graduate and physician who lives in Deerfield, Ill., says that his daughter, Meredith, who graduated in 2012, wanted Jewish influences at school and somewhere she could feel comfortable.
"As a parent, I was glad to know that there was a place on campus—a home away from home—that could nurture her physically, emotionally and spiritually. There was no Chabad when I attended U of I, and I'm so glad it was so welcoming for my daughter.
"The little bit that I've gotten to know them, I see what a great example the Tiechtel family is for the whole Jewish community," he says. "They really care about people. I cannot think of a better role model—they walk the walk and talk the talk; they preach it and they live it. It's amazing to be around them."
Others echo similar sentiments. “Through Chabad, I have developed a completely different outlook on my work and life priorities, and a deeper appreciation for my fellow Jewish brothers. And I have gotten to meet some incredibly talented, smart and generous people,” says Joel Holland, who works in real estate in Chicago, sits on Chabad’s advisory council and speaks with Tiechtel weekly.
“Rabbi Dovid is ensuring students can create time and appreciation for our heritage every day,” he adds. “I see the future simply as the continued growth of the exact mission that started 10 years ago.”
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