Small numbers of German Jews began settling in Eugene in the late 19th century , but most moved on . In the early 20th century the first Eastern European Jews settled there , and by the 1920s Eugene 's Jewish community began gathering prayer quorums for holding Friday night and Jewish holiday services in individuals ' homes . Historian Steven Lowenstein writes that " [ a ] fter Hymen Rubenstein 's death in 1933 , his home at 231 West Eighth Street was remodeled and named Temple Beth Israel " . It was a traditional Conservative synagogue , and from that time until the 1990s it was the only synagogue in Eugene .