At some college campuses, Jewish student organizations provide a myriad of events, securing their presence at the forefront of campus life. At least once a week, Jewish students attend lectures, hear prayers, or go to a kosher dining hall.
Not long ago, Jewish organizations realized that new voices were needed in order to maintain a strong Jewish campus presence. Hillel, the most prominent Jewish student organization, has made significant efforts to recruit non-traditional Jewish students by providing new, innovative programs to meet the plethora of political opinions, culinary traditions, and religious observances that Jewish students now maintain. They run a range of programs, including those for GLBTQQ (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Questioning) and non-traditional religious services.
Although complaints are abounding that not enough students participate in Jewish activities on campus, this criticism is often directed at universities with large Jewish populations. What those who complain fail to notice is that while many Jewish students at large universities may not participate in campus activities sponsored by Hillel or Chabad, they can often be found hanging out on the lawn surrounded by a group of Jewish peers, or at least non-Jewish peers who enjoy spending time with Jews.
But while Jewish campus initiatives have made major gains, focus needs to turn away from those campuses with large Jewish populations and, instead, turn to cementing Jewish communities in smaller areas that have less of a Jewish presence.
Students that attend universities with large Jewish populations find it easy to stay connected to the religion; many of their classmates are Jewish, and there are so many Jewish students on campus that they don’t have to think twice about missing a day for Yom Kippur or Rosh Hashanah. In fact, their professors and fellow students are probably well-informed about the holiday and its meaning. The services and events offered by their local Hillel are probably diverse; they probably have energetic debates about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, perhaps they have religious services offered in a multitude of denominations, and they surely have a plethora of interesting events that are in no way connected to religion or politics.
But campuses with smaller Jewish populations have a completely different atmosphere. On these campuses you will probably find students with little or no link to the broader Jewish community. These Jewish students may have classmates who have never before interacted with Jews. They probably find themselves rescheduling examinations or missing important classes for religious holidays. They will also often feel as though they are “representing” Judaism, and therefore feel like they must fit into a certain mold in order to engage in campus Judaism. If they are lucky enough to have an active Hillel or other campus organization at their college or university, it probably does not have the resources to create the kind of innovative programs that attract a diversity of students. As a result, those Jewish students who do attend end up being stuck doing the same activities they did in Hebrew school, and those who feel their political or religious ideologies do not fit the norm, just don’t attend.
Initiatives like the Soref Fund or the Institute for Southern Jewish Life are wonderful starts that focus on providing support to small Jewish communities, for they are tailored to college campuses. But more needs to be done. National conferences, trips to other Jewish schools, or perhaps even sister-school initiatives could provide more scope for those Jewish students seeking a different experience.
Providing diverse support to one or two focus regions with large Jewish populations risks the loss of those lesser-connected Jewish communities and groups. In order to promote an international community of college campuses, organizations need to be more focused on gathering those students who have been disconnected and disenchanted from the “typical” Jewish campus life.
Yael Miller is a graduate student at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.
