MAZEL TOV, AUSTIN!
NEW CHABAD RABBI AT UT
 
Rabbi Yosef and Rochel Levertov are thrilled to introduce to the Austin community a new rabbi in town, one very close to their hearts. Rabbi Zev Johnson arrived in town this June with his wife, Ariela, and their infant daughter. Rabbi Levertov appointed the couple to manage campus activities for Chabad at the University of Texas in Austin.  They are co-directing the Chabad House, together with their newborn baby, Menucha, “who has already become a hit with the students,” remarked Rabbi Johnson. “Ariela and I are beyond excited to be here.”
 
Rabbi Johnson, or Rabbi Zev, as students often call him, is no stranger to UT. Hailing from modern Orthodox circles in Dallas, Zev attended the University of Texas for his college years, majoring in history. He describes how at his first encounter with UT’s Chabad, he connected immediately with the Levertovs and their way of life. “They provided an inspiring message of practical mysticism. They showed me how a traditional Jew can live productively and successfully in the modern world.” Ariela, the Rebbetzin, clarifies, “They formed a close, beautiful relationship. They answered a lot of his questions. He loves the Tanya (classic Chassidic text blending Kabbalah and Talmud), the niggunim (melodies)….”
 
Rabbi Johnson went on to study at the Chabad-Lubavitch Rabbinical College of America in Morristown, and received his ordination earlier this year from the Ma’ayanot Institute of Jewish Studies in Israel. He returned to Austin regularly to spend time with the university students and to assist Rabbi Levertov on campus. “Zev’s passion is Austin: the students, the community, the campus,” explains Ariela. It has become her passion, as well. When she fell “head over heels” for Zev, Ariela was already looking to devote her life to outreach, or shlichus, as it is called. She cites the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s message about the importance of every single Jew as being very influential for her. She loves to teach and study, to help people to find their roots.
 
Although they arrived in the summer, a slow time on campus, the Johnsons are already making waves at UT. Shabbat attendance is on the increase, with more than 25 guests at the Shabbat table on Friday nights. Cheryl Nolan, a senior at UT, remarks, “I’m not super-religious, but I’ve been going to Chabad on and off for a year. They [the Johnsons] bring so much life and so much energy, and inspire me to learn more.” Others echo this experience. Frankie Shulkin, a sophomore at UT and Internal Financial Director for student government, states, “It’s really exciting to have a new face here that Jewish students can look to. You can already feel the family’s energy, and their passion and commitment to making Jewish students feel welcome at UT. I am confident that they will find great success because their doors are always open, and their Shabbos table is very warm.”
 
UT Austin is a fertile ground for outreach, with over 4,000 Jewish students, many of whom are unaffiliated. For over 24 years, the Levertovs have been serving the campus as well as the greater Austin community. The community’s growth in recent years and the addition of Bais Menachem Hebrew Academy and the Chabad Center for Jewish Living in Northwest Hills has made it difficult for them to focus on campus activities. They are grateful to the Rohr Family Foundation for making it possible to bring on a rabbi exclusively devoted to the Chabad House.

Many new things will be happening at Chabad House, not the least of which will be a major renovation, which will begin in earnest after the high holidays. “We look forward to continuing to expand our activities in such a way that every single Jewish student on campus will be able to appreciate,” says Rabbi Johnson. “Each Jewish student is a gem. As an alumnus of UT, I am humbled, yet at the same time inspired, to be able to give back to my student community.”
Rabbi Zev Johnson can be contacted at 472-3900 or rabbizev@alumni.utexas.net. He also goes by Rabbi Zev Johnson on Facebook.