Georgia’s historic Camak House, which sits on a two-acre property in downtown Athens, will come alive once again when Chabad-Lubavitch of Athens completes preservation and refurbishment of the 188-year-old home and property. Once the residence of James Camak, a mathematics teacher in whose home the Georgia Railroad Company was chartered, the site will eventually become a Jewish center for students at the University of Georgia and local community members.
Nestled among the tree-lined heart of a city that combines Southern charm with college-town vibrancy, the historic property, which Chabad purchased earlier this year, will become an oasis for Jewish students. It will allow them to relax and unwind in the gardens and pray, study and celebrate in a planned additional structure that will include dining space, a commercial kosher kitchen, multipurpose rooms and a synagogue.
Chabad of Athens and UGA—directed by Rabbi Michoel and Chana Refson—is in talks with the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation on how best to utilize the property while maintaining its unique character and storied history.
Initial plans propose that the Refsons, with their eight children, will occupy part of the property—the first family to live there since 1947—and other proposed structures will be a synagogue and space to host the students who frequent the center for Shabbat meals, classes, and just to hang out.
“Acquiring this property is the beginning of a dream for Chabad of Athens,” says Rabbi Michoel Refson. “Step by step, while working within the framework of the historic aesthetic and feel, we will bring life to this home once again.”
Since 2005, the Refsons and their growing family have been serving the Jewish population at the University of Georgia, which numbers about 2,000 students. Additionally, they make the center inviting for the area’s approximately 1,000 Jews, which makes for a unique community of students and locals.
Chabad offers an array of programming throughout the week, including a selection of accredited Torah classes, Israel education, a weekly Tuesday-night kosher dinner, and “lots of one-on-one study,” adds Chana Refson, and culminating with the week’s highlight, the Shabbat dinner.
“This building means history, yet also growth,” Chana Refson tells Chabad.org. “There will be more space to continue what we do on a larger scale, and the location will help attract a more diverse crowd.” She explains that they’ve moved twice as they grew. The weekly Shabbat dinner can see more than 140 students participate; their old center was bursting at the seams, needing use of an outdoor tent to accommodate the crowds for almost two years now.
The new space will bring the local community and the students together, she says, with more space to focus on the needs of the different demographics. “We’ve seen great interest from the local community, and we will begin offering family and youth programming now as well,” says Refson.
For the students, the center will be “an oasis in Athens,” she adds. “Athens is a bustling party city. We will have a serene outdoor space for the students to relax, study, and get together with friends while surrounded by nature.”
Rabbi Michoel Refson notes that student housing in the downtown area has grown tremendously over the last decade. “There’s lots of development; it’s become a very central area for students. The location is exactly what we were looking for.”
A Center That’s ‘Made to Have Meaning’
Austin Blase, who just graduated from the University of Georgia, says that for him, Chabad was a true home away from home while away from his family in Atlanta. “I had a great relationship with the rabbi and Chana,” he says. “They are there to help everyone. Everything is tailored to a student’s lifestyle: Shabbat meals, services, High Holidays; it’s made to have meaning for college students. That’s why people enjoy going.”
Blase would help the rabbi set up for the Sinai Scholars classes and find himself engaged in deep conversation. “It was easy to talk to him, just to go there and talk about my life, unrelated to Judaism, just ‘How are you?’ ”
Away from the elaborate events and busy dinners, those behind-the-scenes conversations with the rabbi and rebbetzin are what form strong, lasting relationships between students and Chabad emissary couples. Chana Refson explains that a large part of what she does is listen to students in crisis, day and night, walking them through broken relationships and shattered hearts and difficult family issues. “It's not a 9-5 job; it's our life,” she emphasizes.
“It's about being that parent figure when a student is away from their own family—and some don't even have that connection with their own families,” says Refson. “When a student walks into the Chabad House, they feel genuine warmth and care. We make sure every single person is spoken to every time they come.”
“They took us in as their own kids,” attests Blase. “They care so much.”
Blase says that the environment is so inviting and homelike that he and other students chose to stay even when school wasn’t in session, such as during the High Holidays. “The Refsons made it so that you wouldn’t have to go home; you’re always welcome at Chabad.”
“Chabad gave me something more than a community on campus,” says Marissa Dye, a native of South Carolina and a freshman at University of Georgia. “It gave me the family that I don’t have at home.” Dye says she loved being around a “close-knit family within such a large campus community. She, too, has chosen to stay on campus for the holidays, with her mother joining her there for Yom Kippur. “For Passover, lots of friends invited me to their homes in Atlanta, but I chose to stay.”
Dye is a regular attendee at most Chabad events, and one of her favorites is the Sinai Scholars course, held three times a week. “I didn’t know most of the students there, but we found ourselves sharing lots of personal experiences. I would stay back after everyone left and find myself talking with the rabbi and Chana about tons of different things,” she says. “Going into college, I didn’t have a strong sense of my own connection to Judaism. Chabad was the space where I was able to develop that.”
That atmosphere made Chabad the place to be for Jewish students, and the rabbi was on the lookout for a new property, together with local community member Irvin Alhadeff, who has a real estate background. Alhadeff helped find the property and liaised between the sellers, bankers and attorneys to close the deal. “It wasn’t easy, but it was great. This is a really exciting chapter for us,” he says.
Alhadeff met the Refsons soon after they moved to Athens. “I became enamored with the rabbi and his family,” he says. “I love the feel of Chabad; it makes me feel welcome.”
He hopes that the new campus will help them serve more local folks like himself. “It’s important to have a mix. I’m an older guy, but it’s fun for me to be around the kids. This will be a fabulous opportunity to increase Jewish knowledge and give the students a place to come and hang out. It will enhance Jewish life here.”
Blase agrees: “I know this building is crucial. They’ve been operating on a smaller scale, but the popularity and growth means they need the space to accommodate everyone.”
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