In the early 1990s a group of newly observant members began holding more traditional services in a back room of the synagogue , complete with a mechitza , a partition separating men and women . The " more feminist @-@ minded " members strongly objected to having a mechitza anywhere in the Temple Beth Israel building , even if it were not in the services they attended . The latter group eventually circulated a petition which stated that either the mechitza would have to be taken down , or those members who wanted it would have to leave . Kinberg also signed the petition . Faced with this opposition , in 1992 the Orthodox members left , renting new premises and hiring their own rabbi , creating Eugene 's second synagogue , originally called " The Halachic Minyan " , and in 1998 renamed " Congregation Ahavas Torah " .