Last week, the Twitterverse was all a-tweet with buzz from the GA. Live-tweeting by countless people and organizations left those of us at home still able to feel like we had a front-row seat. Just take a look at this post by @EstherK on My Urban Kvetch.
Of all the tweets tagged #ga09, I think my favorite was from My Jewish Learning (@jewlearn), who quoted a Hillel leader as saying, “Another campus leader, another ‘anything is possible!’”
It’s true! College students are, by nature, the way of the future. But this is especially true within Judaism. Jews are still struggling with perceived problems like intermarriage and apathy that are leaving our numbers dwindling, not to mention a complete overhaul of what it means to be young and Jewish. The Jewish counterculture is nothing new, but they want to be heard more than ever. We’re moving toward postdenominationalism and new ways of defining our own Jewishness. (How are you defining your own Jewishness as a young Jew? Share your story on The Kibbitz Network or with jewishyouthstories AT gmail DOT com.)
What does that all mean? I think, more than anything, these new forms of Jewish expression (think HEEB, JDub, Jewcy, NewShul, PopJudaica, etc.) can be scary to our parents’ and grandparents’ generation. Infusing “hip” with “Jew” can seem to delegitimize thousands of years of tradition and culture. But that’s not what we’re doing–we’re simply taking ownership of our own culture and religion.
So how do campus leaders come into play? Because we’re the ones that are taken the most seriously. The ones among us that are active in Hillel, Chabad, synagogue youth groups–and publications like New Voices–have the unique ability to be young, progressive and powerful from within already-respected institutions and organizations. These forums were set up for young Jews by previous generations for this very reason: to make a difference.
Don’t let the opportunity slip by. Get active on your campus and step up to make a difference. Define what it means to be young and Jewish today. Host forums about intermarriage, invite Holocaust survivors to speak, run classes to teach young Jews what they didn’t learn in Hebrew school. Prove to the older generations that the future of Judaism is in good hands. Speak up! I’m doing it here. Where will you take a stand?
(And all you tweeters out there, follow me! I’m @_ashleylauren.)
