Roy Exum: My City’s New Chabad

  • Thursday, May 21, 2015
  • Roy Exum
Roy Exum
Roy Exum

My mother, for years before she died, instilled in me a love for the Jewish people. It is easy for me to explain, “My Jesus was a Jew,” but, in candor, it is more than that. The Children of Israel have been the most oppressed religion in the world yet I have more respect for the nation of Israel, of what they are and what they stand for and what they have overcome, than any other country in the world beside my beloved United States.

As a Christian Protestant, I know little about the Jewish faith and Rabbi Shaul Perlstein assured me yesterday morning that my lack of knowledge is okay.

In turn I know a good bit about Chattanooga and its people and by the time I left the stately building that once was the Masonic Lodge at the corner of Vine Street and Central Avenue, I was more excited for our Jewish community than I have ever been.

First some background: There are three well-respected Synagogues in Chattanooga that hold weekly services and that is because there are different styles of prayer, in a broad sense of speaking. There is the Mitzvah congregation on McCallie Avenue that prays in the way of Reformed Judaism. There is the B’nai Zion congregation in Brainerd that is Conservative Judaism and then there is the former Beth Shalom congregation on Pisgah Avenue, also in Brainerd and today known as The Shul, that is Orthodox Judaism.

Understand, this isn’t like Presbyterians vs. Baptists vs. Church of Christ, etc. The three Synagogues like and admire one another but those of the Jewish faith, when they say prayers, it is a very individual and a deeply personal experience and think of it like here the Jewish community has three options. (Yes, I know I’m messing this up for Jewish readers, but in an effort to get my arms around this, I’m trying to explain it to my other Christian brothers and sisters.)

It is far easier to say “A Jew is a Jew,” like those who share the faith say all over the world in what is known as a Chabad (pronounce it ‘SHA-bot’ and you’ll come close). And what I believe is the most thrilling thing to happen here since the first Jews arrived after the Civil War is that, finally, we have Chabad of Chattanooga for the very first time.

What’s just as exciting is Chabad of Chattanooga has purchased the beautiful building that older people will recall as the regal Masonic Lodge at the corner of Vine and Central and, hopefully by High Holy Days this fall (late September) the Chabad Center for Jewish Life and Learning will become operational.

At any Chabad anywhere in the world, there is no Orthodox, Reformed or Conservative distinction. Every Jew automatically belongs, is automatically a member and is welcomed with outstretched arms. This is not to be confused with the federation’s Jewish Community Center on Access Road in Brainerd – that’s more for social gatherings.

“The Chabad will serve the community with classes in history, religion, philosophy and other faith-oriented topics. There will be children’s programs, a place for our UTC group to meet – they call it ‘Jew-T-C’,” Rabbi Perlstein laughed with delight, “and we are working with Erlanger at the UTC College of Medicine to attract young Jewish doctors to come here for training.”

The Rabbi said a kitchen to provide kosher food is in the works and, while the Chabad will be totally separate, the Shul Congregation will move as it serves to the property. “The leaders of the Shul Congregation will put their synagogue up for sale, which is how we can come up with enough money to purchase the Vine Street property.”

Frank McDonald, an architect who recently merged his firm with River Street Architecture, is leading the firm’s efforts to redesign and adapt the building. “We are actually waiting on the permits, that's how far along we are,” said Rabbi Perlstein. “We have sufficient capital to move ahead and get things done.”

He said every Chabad in the world is self-supporting. “There isn’t any corporate office or world headquarters but in Knoxville they are so far more advanced now than they ever thought they would be. And the best thing about the Chabads is that the networking between the centers is incredible. We have a saying, ‘Wherever there is Coca-Cola there is a Chabad.”

Rabbi Perlstein, originally from Chicago, has family connections with a long line of Rabbis the world over. “Another saying is that ‘every Rabbi gets a one-way ticket.’ What this means is that in our faith you don’t move up to a larger congregation or advance up any ladder. I plan on living my life in Chattanooga and, after my wife and I have been here for almost six years, the only the place I would even consider is Israel.

“I cannot begin to tell you how much I am enjoying the friendships already. That is a huge part of the Chabad for me, to expand my love for Jews and non-Jews alike in our city …. Learning and laughing, sacred and secular, spiritual and physical come together in an inviting atmosphere of warmth and acceptance,” he explained.

“We know, for whatever reason, there are Jews in our area who are not in the three congregations we offer. Now there is a place for them to come and be part of the family.”

Is that great or what! Rabbi Perlstein and I agreed we could easily enjoy one another and talk for hours. He is charming, charismatic, sincere and, in a most delightful way, quite real. What is most unnerving is that he just celebrated his 30th birthday. With his vision and his sure-footed approach, I am thinking that in time he will become one of our brightest community leaders in a way that will delight us one and all, Jew and non-Jew alike, and if you don’t believe in divine providence, just wait until you meet this guy.

Our Jewish community will soon have a long-awaited Chabad and the rest of us will be immeasurably blessed. Trust me, you will see.

royexum@aol.com

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