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Hillels Help Students
Celebrate High Holidays
STUDIO
330
JULIA STRONGWATER
Special to The Jewish News
F
or many observant Jewish
students who attend college
hundreds, perhaps thou-
sands, of miles away from
home, finding a meaningful way to
spend the High Holidays on campus
can be a difficult challenge.
"The services offered on my cam-
pus are like the ones I go to at home,
but I know that for many of my
friends who are not as religious or do
not know Hebrew, it is difficult for
Happy New Year to all our
friends and customers
We look forward to
another year of
assisting you in all
your gift-giving needs
Julia Strongwater is a writer for the
Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
College Dilemma:
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9/18
1998
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them to find a service where they feel
comfortable," said Michele Kornbluth,
a student at the University of
Delaware.
Many students lacking strong
Jewish backgrounds want to learn
more about their religion during this
time, yet feel intimidated to attend
services or enter a Hillel, according to
Rhoda Weisman, director of Hillel's
Steinhardt Jewish Service Campus
Service Corps, a 4-year-old program
founded by philanthropists Judy and
Michael Steinhardt that places college
graduates in Hillels to work to pro-
mote Jewish life on campus.
To help combat these problems,
Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish
ew York (JTA) — For
many Jewish college stu-
dents, the choice can be
difficult: attend classes or
go to High Holiday services:
"When I attend services, I am
constantly thinking about what I
am missing in class, and if I attend
class, I feel bad about not celebrat-
ing the holidays," said Jeff
Margolies, a junior at Tufts
University.
By the time Rosh Hashanah
begins, the school year is in full
swing and students are busy with
assignments and preparing for
exams.
Some colleges and universities
have informal policies that allow
students to reschedule exams and
major assignments due to religious
conflicts.
There is no university policy at
Cornell University that exempts
students from class or work; how-
ever, the campus Hillel Foundation
can "write a note excusing us from
gym," said Rachel Harris of
Cornell. "Otherwise, we have to
discuss the matter with our profes-
sors individually. They are usually
pretty understanding," said the
senior at the Ithaca, N.Y.-based
school.
Across the nation, however,
many campuses have increased
their awareness of the High
Holidays during the last decade.
"There are fewer academic con-
flicts now than ever before because
the Hillels on campuses and other
campus professionals concerned
with Jewish campus life helped to
sensitize the administrations to
concerns of the Jewish students,"
said Rhoda Weisman, the director
of Hillel's Steinhardt Jewish
Campus Service Corps.
Weisman added that if students
do encounter any conflicts or con-
cerns, they should contact the cam-
pus rabbi or Hillel director for
assistance.
"Usually, students just tell the
professor that they have to observe
the important holidays and ask to
be excused. Whether to excuse the
student is up to the discretion of
the professors, but most are accept-
ing," said Margaret McKnight of
the Office of Religious Affairs at
the University of California at San
Diego.
But conflicts still arise. At
Miami University in Ohio, Greek
Week, when fraternities and sorori-
ties participate in activities that
raise money for charities, was
scheduled during the High
Holidays. This was a major issue
for Jewish students who want to
get involved in Greek life on cam-
pus, said Hollis Kramer, a former
Hillel Steinhardt campus fellow.
"One of the biggest issues that
Jewish students on campus face is
that the non-Jews do not know
about the holidays," she said.
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