Though records of Jewish miners in Humboldt County, CA date back to the 1850s, there’s been very little in the way of Jewish infrastructure for the county’s 3000 Jews. Things are about to change there now that Chabad representatives have settled in this old Gold Rush town, where they’ll be reaching out to local Jews and students at Humboldt State University.

Rabbi Eliyahu and Mushkie Cowen recently moved to Arcata. According to Rabbi Cowen, there are some 500 Jewish students—only a small percentage of the university's 7,773 students—and the Chabad representatives say the small number will facilitate great programming and an opportunity to reach Jewish students more effectively.

“I plan on sharing a cup of coffee with every Jew in Humboldt County at least once,” says Cowen.

Nestled among the towering Sequoia redwood trees and the sea, the area, once a regional center for logging, mining and fishing, is today a haven for counter-culture, progressive politics, and old-growth forests.

“Humboldt county has traditionally been seen as an outlier in terms of Jewish identity and education,” Cowen says. He points to extremely high-rates of intermarriage and the absence of a full-time rabbinic presence in the area. By visiting the many unaffiliated Jews in the region, the Cowens hope to bring them together.

When they visited Arcata this past Purim, Eliyahu and Muskie threw a Purim party that drew 40 students and locals, indicating a real interest in seeing Jewish activity come to Humboldt. The Cowens have secured a hall for High Holiday services and plan to host the school’s first services on campus. Until now, interested students had no choice but to travel elsewhere for High Holiday prayers.

“We’re incredibly excited about moving out here,” says Mushkie Cowen. “People have already approached us on the street asking about how they can get involved.”

The Chabad House serving the needs of the students was made possible by a grant from the Rohr Family Foundation.