Chabad of Oxnard marks 20 years with new waterfront center
Brian J. Varela
Ventura County Star
Rabbi Dov Muchnik moved from class to class at Lamplighters Jewish Academy in Oxnard with a ram’s horn in hand Wednesday morning.
Jewish communities customarily sound the horn, called a shofar, each day for a month leading up to Rosh Hashanah — the Jewish New Year ― in mid-September.
The quick and long blasts Muchnik produced were almost drowned out by the remaining construction on the school’s new building.
Chabad of Oxnard Jewish Center, which oversees the academy, held a grand opening on Aug. 27 for their new facility at 2860 Harbor Blvd. in Channel Islands Harbor. It combines the Jewish community center and the academy under one large roof.
Rabbi Dov Muchnik looks at the Torah scroll at Chabad of Oxnard's new location at Channel Islands Harbor on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. JUAN CARLO/THE STAR
The building, at about 10,000 square feet, is an upgrade over the center's previous 2,000-square-foot facility at Hollywood Beach.
The event also marked the center’s 20th anniversary of strengthening and growing the local Jewish community.
“My mission has always been to try to bring every Jew closer to their roots,” Muchnik said.
Chabad of Oxnard is part of a worldwide movement that promotes a traditional Judaic lifestyle, similar to Orthodox Judaism, said Cheri Dekofsky, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Ventura County.
The center is a synagogue for local families and visitors throughout Ventura and Santa Barbara counties and the Conejo Valley, Muchnik said. It’s also a place for spiritual growth and learning and acts as a venue for weddings and guest speakers.
Rabbi Dov Muchnik, right, spends time with children on their 15-minute school break at Chabad of Oxnard on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. The group just moved into a new, larger facility at Channel Islands Harbor as Chabad of Oxnard celebrates its 20th anniversary. JUAN CARLO/THE STAR
Small start
Muchnik opened the Jewish center in May 2003 in his Oxnard apartment with his wife, Racheli.
After two years, the center moved to a larger Oxnard facility to accommodate the growing congregation. It moved again seven years later to the Hollywood Beach site, where the Lamplighters Academy was housed in a similar-sized building near the harbor.
Chabad of Oxnard now operates out of a spacious two-story facility that overlooks docks studded with masts from an array of ships. The synagogue is regularly visited by about 100 families.
Rabbi Dov Muchnik looks with a smile at the waterfront view from Chabad of Oxnard's new location at Channel Islands Harbor on Wednesday. JUAN CARLO/THE STAR
Shalom Loschak, a 13-year-old Lamplighters student from Goleta, called the new building beautiful and said he enjoys the view.
He’s currently studying the Talmud, a collection of Jewish commentaries and stories, in Hebrew and Aramaic. Despite the difficulty of the subject, Loschak said he likes his classes and plans to take advantage of his last year in the academy.
Emily Espititee, general studies teacher, reads to first and second graders of Chabad of Oxnard at their new location at Channel Islands Harbor on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. JUAN CARLO/THE STAR
Bracha Leba Muchnik, left, 15, of Oxnard and Rochel Lang, right, 13, of Camarillo pray inside their classroom at Chabad of Oxnard's new location at Channel Islands Harbor on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. JUAN CARLO/THE STAR
In the mornings, students from first through twelfth grades learn about Judaism, prayer and Jewish history, ethics and laws. The students get their general studies education through a charter school, which the academy facilitates in the afternoons.
Yaffa Muchnick, the rabbi’s daughter, enrolled in the academy in sixth grade and graduated in 2021. She said the academy gave her the independence to study what she wanted and prepared her for life after graduation. She went to seminary school in Israel and Brooklyn and has recently been volunteering at the academy.
“There’s a warm, loving environment here that you don’t find in all schools,” the 20-year-old said.
Rabbi Dov Muchnik of Chabad of Oxnard blows the shofar at the new Jewish center at Channel Islands Harbor on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. JUAN CARLO/THE STAR
Jewish population grows with center
As the Jewish center grew throughout the years, Oxnard’s Jewish population increased alongside it, said Dekofsky of the county Jewish federation.
The ability for Jews to be able to experience and practice their faith in Oxnard drew families to the area, Dekofsky said. Although there are nearly 30 synagogues in Ventura County, Chabad of Oxnard is the only temple in the city, she added.
About 20 years ago when the Jewish center first opened its doors, Dekofsky said, there were a few hundred Jewish families in the Oxnard and Port Hueneme area. Now there are more than 1,000.
“Whenever there’s a Jewish presence in an area, the population does increase,” Dekofsky said.
Ilan Wilbur, 13, of Oak Park attends Talmud teachings at Chabad of Oxnard's new Channel Islands Harbor location. JUAN CARLO/THE STAR
Racheli Muchnik, head of school at Chabad of Oxnard, leads a prayer class with students Chaya Malka Paller, left, 13, of Oxnard and Shayna Nemtzov, 13, of Ojai at the new Channel Islands Harbor location on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. JUAN CARLO/THE STAR
Most of Ventura County's 50,000 or so Jews live in the east county, she said.
Racheli Muchnik, the rabbi’s wife, said in another 20 years, she hopes to see her kids — there are 10 of them ― and future grandchildren working in the facility. She envisions the Jewish center growing to encompass nearby buildings in the harbor in the coming decades. She’s also hoping for a yacht.
“There’s so many memories of growing my family with Chabad,” she said. “It was such a rich 20 years.”
Brian J. Varela covers Oxnard, Port Hueneme and Camarillo. He can be reached at [email protected] or 805-477-8014. You can also find him on Twitter @BrianVarela805.