Why one organization can’t cater to every Jewish student
Every Jewish student can fit into one mold. Such seems to be the credo of Hillel, the “Foundation for Jewish Campus Life,” an organization with branches at over 500 colleges and the go-to brand for a Jewish university experience.
But not every campus is the same and within each school is a diversity of Jewish students. As an involved Jew at Swarthmore College, a school whose small Jewish community provides a challenge to leading a Jewish life, I do not fall into the same category as an unaffiliated Jew at the University of Illinois or an Orthodox Jew at the University of Pennsylvania, both large schools with many Jews.
It has a national network, donors and a professional staff, but Hillel faces a number of basic challenges to its core mission, putting into question whether it can provide the Jewish experience that each student is looking for.
The Problem with Pluralism
Because so many different types of Judaism are present of college campuses, from secular Zionist to Reconstructionist to Modern Orthodox, individual campus Hillels often end up a messy mixture of traditions. Others are dominated by one stream of Judaism to the exclusion of others. Only on a campus with a large enough Jewish student population will there be enough funding and students to support many autonomous Jewish groups which meet the needs of a large variety of students.
The root of the inconsistent nature of the Hillel experience is that the Hillel Foundation strives to be the type of inter-denominational, pluralistic institution that is just as confusing as it sounds. The mission statement of Hillel, from its website, that “student leaders, professionals and lay leaders are dedicated to creating a pluralistic, welcoming and inclusive environment for Jewish college students,” sounds great on paper, but in practice it’s near impossible to achieve.
Imagine a non-denominational, pluralistic synagogue—which rabbinical school would the rabbi have graduated from? How kosher would the dining facilities be? Which versions of prayers would be used in the services? These questions, along with many others, are the types of issues that could be divisive in Hillels around the country, because on many campuses Hillel is like a synagogue, JCC, Greek organization, and religious school all in one.
This is what we try to embody every week at the Swarthmore College Hillel and it doesn’t work. The service ends up resembling whatever that week’s leader grew up with, which often doesn’t satisfy or feel comfortable to many of the students in attendance.
A bigger Hillel may have several different Shabbat services, which helps to mitigate the great differences in tradition that are present on college campuses but also creates the possibility of one group dominating Jewish life, leaving some students feeling unwelcome. Part of being pluralistic is having respect for each other’s space.
Hillel at Swat and Penn: David vs. Goliath
But at Swarthmore, our problems are different. I was somewhat dismayed to find when I first got to Swarthmore that my school does not have a true Hillel, instead using the Hillel brand to indicate a platform for Jewish student groups. Hillel, as far as I knew, was a place where Jewish kids could gather on Friday nights or holidays for decent food, company and some of the rituals they were used to from their homes and synagogues.
An anti-religious sentiment pervades Swarthmore, which is somewhere between 20 and 30 percent Jewish, and the perceived exclusivity of the Hillel turns some off from staying active while trying to seek their Jewish identities.
If our Hillel is representative of mainstream Judaism while at college, it makes sense that it may be driving Jews away during these years of identity solidification. At my school, it’s common for Jewish day-school-educated kids to show up at a few programs, be dismayed at their small size and rarely show their face in organized Jewish campus life again.
Compare this to the University of Pennsylvania, home to large secular and Modern Orthodox Jewish populations and the mammoth three-story, state-of the-art Steinhardt Hall. Steinhardt Hall has multiple sanctuaries for different minyans, several study rooms and a kosher dining commons that serves “the best meat on campus”, according to Shep, a sophomore at UPenn, who often brings his non-Jewish friends with him to eat at Steinhardt Hall.
I visited Steinhardt Hall last spring, and found it hard to believe that this was part of the same institution as our Hillel, which has no home besides a kosher kitchen and a few spaces shared with other campus groups. I felt that Steinhardt Hall is the way Hillel should be.
A similar story comes from an even larger school, the University of Illinois. Sammy Marks, president of the Illinois Hillel, loves his campus Jewish experience and has found ways to work around the challenges inherent in striving for pluralistic acceptance while encountering great diversity of practice.
Marks says he grew up with strong involvement in the liberal Jewish community through Jewish camping and looked to Hillel to provide a “Jewish home away from home” when he got to Illinois. He notes that the master fundraising, programming, and educational abilities of the large professional staff of his Hillel have made it an institution that runs smoothly and can meet the varying needs of the approximately 3,000 Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox Jews at his school, 300 of whom he estimates are active in the Hillel.
While Sammy and Shep are privileged to enjoy excellent Hillel educational and religious programming, from social action projects to well-known speakers and large weekly minyans, those opportunities come because their schools have enough Jews to populate Jewish student groups and enough wealthy alums to fund Jewish activity.
Not all are so lucky, and the fact that some Hillels have the critical mass of Jews to facilitate a diverse Jewish experience does not solve the problems of smaller schools. Nor does it make Hillel’s overall mission clearer or easier to achieve.
The Chabad Factor
So what do we do? Jewish life at Swat is so small that our Hillel often partners with Chabad on Campus to put on events, and few Jewish students are aware that our Chabad shliach isn’t financially connected to Hillel.
Chabad on Campus is emerging as a contender to Hillel for the throne atop Jewish campus life, in part due to its staff—the Chabad rabbi and his family—who are willing to move to the most remote college towns and give everything they have to their mission to bring Judaism to college students.
I’m as likely to make the forty-five minute schlep by bus out to Bryn Mawr, the nearest Chabad, on Friday evenings to eat great food, enjoy stimulating conversation, and sing fun Jewish songs as I am to walk down the block from my dorm to Hillel for awkward conversations about class over lukewarm, middling vegetarian fare prepared by an often coerced “volunteer.”
Recognizing, in turn, that its social element was not enough for many, Hillel has tried to move toward greater involvement in the religious aspects of Jewish life as well, but some Jewish students say that they feel unwelcome at Hillel, whether because the Hillel regulars are unfriendly or the Judaic content is unfamiliar. I know the feeling.
Hillel could learn much from Chabad, whose staff are kind and welcoming and strive to make all comfortable in what can be an intimidating Jewish environment. My campus’s Chabad rabbi even offered to help me plan Shabbat dinners for Hillel as long as I promise to say kiddush beforehand.
That’s a hard offer to refuse, and it makes me wonder whether Hillel—or any one
organization—can be an umbrella for college Judaism. With such size disparity between campuses, different streams of Judaism each trying to establish a base and competition from other institutions, Hillel needs to decide whether it is possible to provide a space for every Jewish student, no matter who they are or where they come from.
I think it’s a mistake to label this piece the Hillel monopoly and pitch it in newsletters as “Why one organization can’t cater to every Jewish student.”
This is the experience of one student at one campus comparing it to two very different colleges. If the author wanted a more dynamic Jewish life, he should have thought about choosing a school more conducive to that.
Had the author or the editor done further research, both would have found tens of thousands of students across the country successful serviced by Hillels.
Chabad, which the author suggests is a more apt group for all types of students, is an organization rooted in ultra-Orthodoxy. That in reality is less likely to be an appropriate home for the majority of Jews than a Hillel.
I am not a Jewish student at a university or college but I am very familiar with the Hillel and Chabad campus life as it pertains to large campuses. I noticed how in the beginning of the post it was noted that there are about 500 Hillels throughout the U.S., but there were less than 4 Hillel/Chabad experiences noted in the story.
In Pittsburgh, the Hillel serves a community of 5,500 undergrads, graduates and young professionals. This Hillel has been touted as one of the friendliest and welcoming Hillels. Parents and students alike make this sentiment when they walk through the doors. But, this is one Hillel out of 500. I point this out to say, out of the 500 Hillels, do you know how many are friendly and how many are unwelcoming?
Also, I don’t think that there should be, or even is an out right competition between Hillels and Chabad Houses. Students come into the university/college atmosphere with tons of choices to make and new experiences to be had. They have every right to visit both institutions and make a choice of which they would like to be part of. A lot of students choose to be part of both.
It was also noted that it’s not thought practical that Hillel can carry out a truly pluralistic environment. I beg to differ. Hillel is an institution for students to meet other Jewish students and participate in educational and social activities. Hillel is not, nor should it be, a synagogue.
I really thought that your article was interesting and brought up really good points. I just don’t believe there was enough supporting evidence/experience or input to really MAKE the point. That being said, thank you for taking the time to share your insight!
When I was a senior in high school, an adult friend asked where I was planning to go to college, I mentioned a small prestigious liberal arts college not far from home, and Sara said, “You can’t go there. You need a college with Jewish life on campus.” I instantly realized that she was right, although I hadn’t given that a moment’s thought before she said it.
Too bad that Sam Green didn’t have a Sara in his life; and too bad that our Jewish community has become so divided that students can’t forge a common ground or find a middle course at Hillel, as we did in my college days. Let’s not pretend for a minute that Chabad is the answer for everybody, even if its food is better. While it may be welcoming (at least to those students who meet its Halachic standards), it’s not pluralistic, it’s missionary.
Meanwhile, this story contradicts its own title — Hillel is hardly a monopoly if it runs events with Chabad.
As a former student involved in a Hillel as well as a former Hillel staff member (and now grad student once again involved in Hillel…), I find this story incomplete and narrow minded. Religious life, as the author assumes, is not the only entrance into, or way to experience, Jewish life.
Jewish life has multiple entry points, not only Shabbat dinner or food in general (although it is a great way to get students involved), as seem to be the way that the author connects. The “secular Zionist” is mentioned, but by historical definition, they would not be attending the Shabbat services. Instead, they might be involved in an Israel activist organization (most often run through Hillel) or a national group like AIPAC.
Further, who says Jewish students have to be divided into a sect in order to find meaning in being Jewish? It wasn’t directly stated, but I get the sense that the author perceives Orthodox Judaism as the “most authentic” or “best” way to be Jewish. My biggest thing with students is to get them to be comfortable, and proud even, of their own personal brand of Judaism. “But you’re a better Jew than I am” is my least favorite phrase. If you consider yourself Jewish, you cannot possibly be more or less Jewish than anyone. Also, if you are an observant, Orthodox Jew, are you more observant than an observant, Reform Jew? I don’t believe so.
Hillel’s mission, which is never quoted in the article, is what runs the organization. If they spoke with the Hillel professionals, they might find this rather than speaking with students who have their individual entry points, just like the author.
“Hillel’s mission is to enrich the lives of Jewish undergraduate and graduate students so that they may enrich the Jewish people and the world. Hillel student leaders, professionals and lay leaders are dedicated to creating a pluralistic, welcoming and inclusive environment for Jewish college students, where they are encouraged to grow intellectually, spiritually and socially. Hillel helps students find a balance in being distinctively Jewish and universally human by encouraging them to pursue tzedek (social justice), tikkun olam (repairing the world) and Jewish learning, and to support Israel and global Jewish peoplehood. Hillel is committed to excellence, innovation, accountability and results”, http://www.hillel.org/about/default
>>Hillel could learn much from Chabad, whose staff are kind and welcoming and strive to make all comfortable in what can be an intimidating Jewish environment.
I think the author hit the nail on the head: This is not a zero-sum game. Hillel needs Chabad (and Chabad needs Hillel too). Indeed, Hillel seems like it is working hard to replicate the Chabad model of employing trained and knowledgeable Jewish professionals. For example, the JCSC program–which employed staff often with limited Jewish background and knowledge–has been canceled. In it’s place, there is a trend to employ “Senior Jewish Educators.”
>>My campus’s Chabad rabbi even offered to help me plan Shabbat dinners for Hillel as long as I promise to say kiddush beforehand.
Dear Sam, I have been involved with Hillel for years, and many of the issues you raise are unfortunately true. But you got one point seriously wrong. The mission of Chabad is not to “bring Judaism to college students”. It is rather to convert Jewish college kids to become ultra orthodox Jews. They are not pluralistic, they are just nice to you to attract you. Try to get them to sponsor an event that is about reform Judaism, or about any kind of Judaism that they don’t identify with, and see how they react.
What’s sad about all this is that American Jewish college kids are too naive to see that Chabad is a missionary, rather than pluralistic, organization. Their rabbis don’t go to all those shit holes to bring the Jewish experience to you. They go there for the same reasons that Mormon missionaries go to all those places in Africa and South America. Of course, they would never admit this, but the fact that your rabbi offered to help you on the condition that you say kiddush should be an alarming sign for you. If Chabad was pluralistic and accepted you the way you were, they would say: I say kiddush, and you may join me if you feel comfortable to do so”. Perhaps a little exposure to how Chabad converts Israeli secular kids and thus destroys entire families would change your mind about this dark Medieval organization. With all Hillel’s deficiencies, the world would still be a better place without Chabad.
What this article and often others show is that it is a misconception to assume -like Merideth did- that being rooted in (what she calls “ultra-orthodoxy” and I beg her to explain that term, but) adherence to Torah law has anything to do with being accepting, teaching, leading by example and making people feel comfortable. It has to do with your view of people, and your respect for them. Some organizations see people as a number that needs to be entered into a database after the event so that it can be reported back to the boss, others see them as people…
Anyone who will do a study and dig a bit, beyond the political correct responses that you will get from directors of all Jewish organizations on campus (because no one is looking for a fight), will see that Hillel was/is trying very hard to be THE UMBRELLA and have the monopoly… but to their credit, I think they are learning to let go a bit..
I must respectfully disagree with the author of this article. Hillel is not the same on every campus, nor is any other organization. A campus like Swarthmore is going to be different than a UPenn. There’s no question about that. Its important for people to realize that a Hillel is exactly what its students make of it, as Hillel employs staff, but the ultimate beneficiaries of Hillel are the students. If one wants a specific Jewish experience, you have to make it. Hillel staff are there to support students in their Jewish development but can’t be the sole backer. And everyone has a different Jewish experience. And for the record, every Chabad is different as well. Its just like college, every place is different, with different people, populations, issues, and successes. Obviously, some of the larger public schools of the East and West coast are going to have a more critical mass and a larger diverse student body than a smaller, mid-western rural school. Its a numbers and environment game. Most observant students don’t typically go to the rural school. Hillel publishes a list of the schools with the largest Jewish populations and the amenities offered every year- maybe everyone should read it… And, I hate to say this, but when you look at schools, don’t overlook the Jewish nourishment you’re going to need. You may not think about it now, but it will come back and bite you.
If you’re from a major East Coast city, you’re going to be a little perplexed by a rural Ohio/Pennsylvania school. Not to say that Jewish life doesn’t thrive on these campuses, but its different. An observant student is obviously going to be happier at an NYU, UPenn, a Maryland or a Rutgers or BU. Its just the way it is. I don’t think its appropriate for the author to judge Hillel based on what has happened on his campus. His campus is clearly lacking in some Jewish activities, but it might also not be a campus that is particularly interested in religious things. And for the record, Chabad has its own issues. And yes, in some more remote locations, Chabad and Hillel can work together and have success. On other campuses, that may not be the case, especially when there are so many Jews on campus and they are looking for something specific. Chances are they’ll find it at either Chabad or Hillel. One should be aware that Chabad is interested in making Jews more Jewish in the way of Chabad, and NOT bringing out individual expression of Judaism that is best for students. I’ve been to several schools, and EVERY Hillel is different, every campus is different. I’m not really sure what the author was trying to accomplish with this article, except perhaps spur other Jews at Swarthmore to be more involved…
>> [Chabad] is not pluralistic, they are just nice to you to attract you.
No Chabad is not pluralistic, but who ever said that Judaism is pluralistic? Is a Conservative rabbi allowed to perform a weeding with a reform convert or will it get them thrown out of the movement? Is the premise of Reform Judaism not built on a platform of rejection of tradition (again, not particularly pluralist approach)?
>>Of course, they would never admit this, but the fact that your rabbi offered to help you on the condition that you say kiddush should be an alarming sign for you.
Shocking. Absolutely shocking. A Chabad rabbi asked a student to make Kiddush. What a travesty!
The arguments that I have with this post are too long to be contained here in the comments. Please check out my blog post, “Debating Hillel: an enriching or “inconsistent” monopoly on Jewish campus life?” on the Twin Cities Jewish blog TC Jewfolk (www.tcjewfolk.com). Thanks.
No offense but isn’t this silly? Of course Hillel can’t cater to every student. It tries to cut the widest swath it can to meet the needs of as many as it can. This means that in order to meet as many needs as possible, it will meet largely mainstream (whatever that means in this context) needs. There are tends of thousands of Jewish college students and they rotate every year. At the end of the day, the marketplace of Jewish student needs, as expressed by those who care enough to get involved or voice a preference, is what dictates programs.
Folks, we call make choices and these choices have their positive and negative consequences. But we aren’t entitled to jack. If you choose a school with a limited Jewish population you have to accept the bad with the good. And you can’t expect that Hillel or any organization will swoop in and provide for you and the limited Jewish population the same programming that would be provided at a school with a more substantial Jewish population. Let’s remember — Hillel is a non profit. Somebody else is paying for your shabbat dinner (by the way, the same is true for Chabad), for the staff etc. Hillel has to spend donor dollars in a way that enables it to most effectively and efficiently meet its mission (which is the mission that attracted to donor to begin with). If Chabad or any other group best meets your needs – great! My question for you is what are you going to give back so that the dinner, the program, the rabbi are there for the next student?
To the people out there calling Chabad a cult organization:
A cult by definition is a group that seduces more members to join, with above logic terms and ideas.
Chabad, on the other hand, very name means understanding.
If you disagree with them, that is alright, and im sure they will be happy to discuss it with you. But if someone holds of something (and in Chabads case its Torah and mitzvot) how can you blame them for telling others. Argue-Yes. Remove ability to speak-No.
But until you speak with a chabadnik, it is not right to throw such remarks.I guarantee it does more damage then good.
G D bless israel.
Definitely true at some Hillels, but some of us make it work.
I used to be the President of Hillel (student of course, we don’t employ any staff beyond a single person adminstrative/logistical support) at a mid-sized Canadian University with a Jewish population around 1,000. It’s not perfect, and there will always be some on the outside, but we’ve found ways to make it work. Perhaps people are more willing to compromise because they don’t have other options, but something seemed to click.
Obviously pluralism is a challenge, but we have found ways around it. For example, we do dinners in a graduated fashion, wherein a large group (100+) will come for dinner, maybe 30 will stay for an optional birkat, and 15 stay to tisch. And those who leave don’t feel out of the loop, because they include a lot of the leadership!
I should say, we also may be an outlier since we don’t affiliate with Hillel International (what they call a “Chartered Hillel” – though I’m not sure what authority they have to “charter” Hillels, since we’ve been around decades longer than they have!).
I don’t understand why people attack Chabad for being conservative, or for not being pluralistic. It is a Chassidish Torah observant movement of Judaism. The shlichim (emissaries) are highly motivated to reach out to Jews everywhere. What you take from it is up to you: you can go there to get a free meal, hang out with other Jews on Friday night or to learn. And whatever your reason is, they will never turn you away. Why can’t people who embrace pluralism accept that? You are free to come and go as you please, Chabad, Hillel, Habonim etc. That is pluralism, not that every organization espouses exactly the same creed.
First of all, I’d like to say that the whole concept of Chabad vs Hillel is ridiculous, not to mention completely against Chabad philosophy. At Chabad, just like it should be at every Jewish institution, a Jew is a Jew is a Jew, no matter your background or level of observance.
I go to a very large school, with a Jewish population of about 6,000 kids. Hillel was the only functioning Jewish org when I got on campus. 1.5 years later Chabad came on campus as well. The result was amazing. I’m proud to say that our Chabad and Hillel worked together very well. Hillel focused more on Jewish socials and Chabad focused more on the observances and traditions side of things, and the two groups planned more than a few events together. Sadly the Hillel lost its funding during the economic downturn. Chabad is still going strong, stronger than ever actually. We have over 200 kids at Shabbat every Friday. 99.9% of them are NOT OBSERVANT AT ALL! I’m talking frat boys who go out and get drunk afterwards and sorority girls who dont wear nearly enough clothing for a Friday night service. But the Rabbi and his wife don’t care! They’re just happy that Jews are celebrating Shabbat, in whatever way they can! So saying that Chabad won’t attract students because they are “too traditional” or “Ultra-Orthodox” is out of the question. My Rabbi has more friends on facebook than anyone I know and when he sits outside the Student Union every Wednesday, people from all walks of Jewish life stop by to say hi. He’s “The Rabbi” of our campus, and is loved by just about everyone. Whether a student is “Orthodox” or “Reformed” (I can’t stand labels), Chabad has something for them to connect with. And how excluding can it be when our Purim party this year was in the VIP of a college bar across from campus that our Rabbi rented out for the night? Yeah, only Orthodox kids would go to that, for sure… ??
Can you ever make everyone happy? No. But Chabad’s open-door, NON-JUDGMENTAL, and never pushy attitude has sure made Jewish life on campus a LOT more active. Thank G-d for Chabad!
PS- As a last note to those who say Chabad exists to convert people to Orthodox Judaism… First of all, you can’t “convert” to Judaism if you’re already Jewish! Secondly, if this was true, there would not be over 200 kids at Chabad week in and week out. And lastly, please GO to Chabad and speak to these people, and at several different centers, before you make judgments about an entire movement of Judaism. You’ll find that Chabad is one of the most welcoming Jewish environments you’ve ever encountered.
I disagree completely with Sam Green’s assessment of Chabad. Though he may believe that the Rabbi there is out to help him individually and not to indoctrinate him, my personal experience speaks to a different situation.
I went to Chabad for a year, largely because I felt that the large Hillel at my school was problematic, with too many cliques and not enough friendly, welcoming people. Chabad lured me in with homecooked Shabbat meals (which they do not charge for unlike the steep price of our Hillel’s Shabbat meals). The Rabbi, it seemed, was genuinely interested in helping me to cultivate my own sense of Judaism, and to encourage me to get to a place where I feel more a part of the Jewish community, locally and globally.
The truth is that he was consistently pushing me outside my comfort zone (and not in a positive way), consistently seating me near more observant Jews (usually in a ratio where I was outnumbered), encouraging them to debate me. He consistently made me feel as if my views were not “the Jewish” view. When he became Facebook friends with me, he saw clearly that my profile says that I’m gay, and yet the next time I went into Chabad (and every time from then on), he would tell me he had a nice young lady for me to meet, and would tell me every time that his mission was to find me the right woman to marry. This did not occur until after we became Facebook friends and he found out that I was gay. From that point on, he consistently would try to indoctrinate me about the immoral and anti-Jewish nature of homosexuality (his opinion, certainly not mine), and the discourse went to being very one-sided. I felt very unwelcome, and never returned.
What I like about a more pluralistic Jewish environment (Hillel has become much better in the past few years here) is that there is a space for me to sit down with Jews of very diverse backgrounds, and we have very polite, very serious discourse about heavy issues in Judaism, around homosexuality, gender, feminism, etc. and I never feel like my ideas are shut down because I can’t quote from the Torah to back them up. Nor do I feel like I’m not welcome because of who I am.
I have a few very close friends at my school who are Orthodox and struggle with Judaism and homosexuality. They are very close friends, and they never invalidate my very existence like the Chabad Rabbi did. And they always do their best to challenge themselves to think more critically, less judgmentally, and more openly.
Just my two cents.
Mostly, my problems at Hillel have stemmed from feeling very isolated. There are two reasons for this: one, I did not feel welcomed or included at two of the three hillels I went to –and in fact, my closest Hillel was the worst. And two, the hillels were not very varied enough to make me feel like I belonged. Most students were about 10 years younger than me. My situation might be rare, as a reentry student. But on the whole, I found the local hillels to be mismanaged.
The best one was the most distant. It served a wide variety of students — and it seemed like the majority came from the diverse, multi-campus community college system near by it, not from the state school. As I was also a community college student, I felt like I fit right in. In addition, there were a wide range of ages (some my age, some younger (by 10 years) and some older (by at least 10 years), and we had a meal around a single table, in a small house, and it felt very cozy and welcoming. The organizer and his girlfriend tried very hard to make everyone feel welcome.Unfortunately, that was a 3 hour drive away, so I almost never went. It was so good though, that I was thinking of transferring schools, and moving there.
The 2nd best was about a 90 minute drive away, and it was huge. It mostly just served an extremely prestigious state school, and while there was some diversity in ages, there was no diversity in student focus. In addition, while I found the breadth of programs to be very intriguing, on the whole, it was weirdly alienating. We ate in a huge banquet hall, at random small tables, where no one talked to strangers. I saw a few guys my age, but they were randomly scattered around, and just as isolated, it seemed. There was no effort made to get people to socialize. Because I didn’t go to the very prestigious state school, I felt awkward, and like I didn’t belong.
The worst was my local Hillel. Now, this might just be a case of knowing it better — they all might have been bad. However, I really think that it was the worst. It started out good, though. Around the time that I was thinking of moving to the most distant one, I noticed that there were many very good programs that seemed better, close by. Housing was out of my price range at the distant one, and since things, at a closer glance, looked better nearby, I decided to stay.
My decision to not move was a serious mistake, however. The beginning programing for me (at the closest local Hillel), that attracted me, was rarely attended by other students — and the student organizers back then, while doing a good job with getting good events together — were not friendly, and were very uptight. I didn’t mind too much, because, back then, I found the current local Hillel programming to be valuable in its own right, and, aside from the few student participants or only other snarling organizing girl in the background (most of the organizers at my local Hillel were girls), it was worth going to.
However, as time went by, and the organizers I liked graduated (I didn’t graduate my community college in part due to institutionalized antisemitism,, and budget cuts and mismanagement of some essential departments), things got progressively worse. Most of the students at my local Hillel were from a backwater 4 year state school — not from my community college . Despite being local, most students were actually from the opposite side of the state. Most Hillel students were also girls — as were the Hillel intern organizers (which at first I found intriguing, but later a serious liability). I differed from the other students in this small Hillel an incredible amount: I was the wrong gender, the wrong age, from the wrong school, from the wrong area, and of the wrong political persuasion. Unlike the furthest Hillel, three hours away, very few students from my small community college district attended. This might be a location thing — the local Hillel was in a small college town, in the same town as the state school, and free transportation was offered to it from the state school (which had everyone in dorms) — while the community college kids had no such free ride, and had to struggle quite a bit, trying to get there on their own, from much further away (about two towns distant).
In addition, unlike any other Hillel I’d passed through, I noticed that the local Hillel girls were very much into cliques — and dominated the Hillel. It didn’t help that I was so different as to be almost unrelatable, but many times the girls didn’t try — not for me, AND not for the other community college students (one of which (a girl) become quite irate over the disparity). They were more welcoming to the visiting Mexican catholic students (from their own state school) than to their own fellow Jews, two towns over, from the community college (I’m excluding myself from this analysis, because I am such a special case).
The local Hillel female interns mostly used Hillel as their own private club.
On one Shabbat day, it was especially festive — and oddly exclusive. Later I found out why: one of the female friends of the female interns (not an intern herself, I believe), was having a birthday. No expense was spared, and lots of cake and ice cream was served — to her friends, mainly. I never felt like such an outsider. I’m sure that the other students who were not her friend, must have felt very awkward too. They had no power however — the female interns formed an exclusive club, were not friendly or welcoming (although, were oddly less overtly hostile than their more successful predecessors), and dominated the use of the facility and its resources.
I have thought about this a great deal, because the experience was a profound disappointment for me. Where I live, there is antijewish racism, and I really needed — and still need — a strong Jewish community. The Jewish community here is on the decline, however. The example of the visiting Mexicans is the norm here — most Jews — the most vocal and empowered at least — are far more interested in the well being of Mexicans than the well being of their own fellow struggling Jews.
I am seriously thinking of moving away. I came cross this page ( http://www.newvoices.org/campus?id=0079 ) while searching for a distant school with a healthy Jewish student organization, unlike the problems in my small local Hillel. The problem with being excluded from my local Hillel has been present with many different directors, so I can only assume that the local governing board is at fault (for picking bad directors who exclude and pick excluding interns). However, I have heard complaints about Hillel from many different people around the web, so there must be a systemic problem. In addition, I felt like the 2nd closest Hillel was poorly managed too, by not having enough mixing activities (and it was big enough (and slightly diverse enough) that my presence would not have been so awkward).
For me, with my situation as a politically conservative, socially liberal, reentry student (quite the opposite from what I’ve encountered here, in the local politically liberal, social conservative cliques), I think that my best bet is to move very far away… very far away indeed. I’ll probably do best in a school that not only has a large Jewish population, but one whose Jewish population either matches my characteristics (kind of rare) or is diverse enough (both in economic class, religious orientation, age, and focus of studies) to be accepting of my differences.