Three negative reviews of a guide for Jewish college students
Rabbi Scott Aaron’s recently updated “Jewish U: A Contemporary Guide for the Jewish College Student,” professes to be just that: a book that can guide any Jewish college student through any campus’s Jewish life. Given the incredible diversity of Jewish college students and the wide range of Jewish campus communities, New Voices had three Jewish students from three very different colleges read the book and decide whether Aaron succeeds or fails at his ambitious task. Their unanimous verdict: Fail.
Drew University’s David Wilensky, University of Wisconsin’s Levi Prombaum and University of Maryland’s Judah Gross all agree that Aaron seems out of touch with the lives of Jewish students. They all, however, highlight different reasons for the book’s inaccessibility. Read their reviews below to see what each of these students has to say about the latest attempt to survey Jewish college life.
David Wilensky takes the author to task for focusing too much on Hillel and talking down to students.
Levi Prombaum says that with superficial advice and textbook-style instruction, “Jewish U” is irrelevant to Jewish college students.
Judah Gross criticizes the book for giving too specific advice to too broad a range of students and feels that the author is out of touch with today’s campus.
