Reform
A U-M chavurah is enjoying a
resurgence of interest and support.
Staff Writer
few years ago, only a hand-
ful of students could be
counted on to attend
)-
Reform services at
University of Michigan Hillel.
Times have changed. Two weeks
ago, at the Reform Chavurah's first
)-- -Friday night services of the school
year, 110 voices — and the music of a
guitar — filled the room for tradition-
al Kabbalat Shabbat songs.
Following services, 90 students
`7 -showed up for kiddush, ha'motzi and a
full meal at the chavurah's first-ever
Friday night dinner. And they repre-
sented only a fraction of the 600 peo-
ple on the chavurah's new database —
up by 100 students from last year.
Students active in the Reform
Chavurah have witnessed dramatic
growth, making it the largest Reform
Jewish group on any campus in the
country.
The secret of their success? Phone
calls, fliers, dedicated leaders, lots of
social events and a commitment to
community-building. And with a
Reform rabbi, Rich Kirschen, now U-
M Hillel's assistant director, chavurah
members have the comfort of know-
ing someone on campus is looking out
for them.
Despite its growth, chavurah mem-
bers place a high premium on creating
a comfortable community, one which
provides — but is not limited to —
religious activities.
"This really is a chavurah, a group
of friends," says Geoff Greenlee, a
native of the Upper Peninsula and one
of the group's co-leaders. "It provides
someplace special to go on Shabbat."
But Shabbat services are only one facet
of the chavurah's programming, with
last year's events including a rock
climbing expedition, ice skating and a
hayride.
"It's a place to have fun and good
people to hang out with," says Lisa
Claybon, a junior and one of the
chavurah's co-leaders.
Aaron Starr, another co-leader and
"They didn't need a rabbi to do this,"
he says. "One of the mistakes in the
Reform movement is that we have
cathedralized our Jewish experience
and made rabbis an indispensable
part. Although rabbis are important,
you really have to empower the stu-
dents. And that empowerment is what
makes this a chavurah."
Although the Reform Chavurah has
been a part of Hillel for more than 10
years, membership was erratic until
last fall. That's when four core mem-
bers — all with Reform youth group
experience — sat down and strate-
gized.
"We all did some pretty big goal
setting and developed a plan," says
Claybon.. "And we reached the goal
that we set out to achieve." The
goal was to increase membership
and programming, and Claybon
attributes much of the success to a
combination of organizational skills
and energy placed on publicity.
Chavurah members regularly call
and e-mail the entire mailing list to
remind people of upcoming events.
And everyone who has ever
expressed interested in the chavu-
rah, along with a roster of names
collected from local synagogues and
youth group chapters, are
approached with a personal phone
call.
Despite their successes, chavurah
leaders are far from complacent.
They know maintaining the high
numbers will require continued
work. And they have new goals:
bringing in more graduate students
to the primarily undergrad group,
Above: U-M's chavurah had the
strongest showing from any campus at
last year's national convention for
university Reform groups.
Right: Geoff Greenlee leads another
brainstorming session.
a junior from Troy, agrees. "Our suc-
cess stems from social events: making
it a consistent community that people
can spend time in."
Community also means sharing
responsibilities. In addition to helping
plan and lead services, chavurah mem-
bers are expected to help with phone
calls, publicity and social events.
It is the group's participatory nature
that most impresses Rabbi Kirschen.
scheduling a monthly Shabbat dinner,
purchasing enough siddurim to
accommodate the growing member-
ship and enhancing the religious and
intellectual offerings.
"We want to make this a learning
environment too," says Greenlee, who
is a fourth-year dental student and has
been in the chavurah for seven years.
Rabbi Kirschen is offering a weekly
Torah study session this fall called
REBIRTH page 24
9/19
1997
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