Between three tests, a paper in Hebrew and a day long trip to Gettysburg, it has been one very crazy week. One of the good parts about this week (besides doing pretty well on my exams) was the first Alternative Shabbat Discussion. A few people on the student board (myself included) have been trying to find ways to provide Jewish students on campus with opportunities to have meaningful Jewish experiences. One thing we have noticed is that not everyone seems to connect or participate during Shabbat services. Maybe some people like going to services and hearing everyone else pray. But we thought it would be good to offer those who do not connect to Judaism through prayer the opportunity to do so on a Friday night.
A few students along with the Director of Engagement worked to plan a "what does it mean to be Jewish" discussion. We had created a sort of bingo board and participants marked off the top three activities that connected them with Judaism. Some of the topics were "cooking Shabbat dinner," "eating Chinese food on Christmas," "wearing Jewish jewelry," "supporting Israel," "belonging to a Jewish organization (Hillel, youth group, camp)," and "being outdoors." We each went around and shared what we connected with--what we most associated with our Judaism. For someone it was "participating in Passover Seder," "fasting on Yom Kippur," and "eating Chinese food on Christmas." All food related but each related to very different holidays with very different meanings.
Discussion ranged from talking about what topics were missing from the sheet to "can you be Jewish while being agnostic?" I thought that the discussion and the experience was amazing--people came to this service who came specifically for this discussion! We had students who usually attended other services join us and talk about what Judaism meant to them and how they express their Judaism. One topic I thought was interesting was when we were talking about what topics we didn't think belonged. Someone mentioned that they couldn't see how "being outdoors" related to Judaism. This caused one of my friends to explain the experience of Shabbat on Chapel on the Hill at Jewish summer camp and someone else to describe what it is like to hike Mt. Masada in Israel to see the sunrise. Those are very much Jewish experiences--but unless you went to Israel or Jewish summer camp, you might not have had them. This discussion gave everyone the opportunity to connect to Judaism in a new way, but also to learn about how others connect to Judaism. I thought it was very meaningful and cannot wait for the next one!!
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