Voices in Jewish Education

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Campus Challenge

Doing what is Jewish on the college level adds value to the lives of our newest adults.

Q: What will it take to make Jewish
education exciting, meaningfid and
ongoing for all ages?

RHODA WEISMAN
Special to the Jewish News

New York

E

very age group within the
American Jewish commu-
nity poses unique educa-
tional challenges and
opportunities to Jewish leaders, but
few groups are more contradictory or
complex than college students.
No longer adolescents and barely
adults, college students are not looking
to duplicate the Jewish community of
their youth. They are sophisticated con-
sumers of cultural products who are
barraged with countless, attractive ways
to spend their money and their time.
As freshmen, their first questions are
"How do I adapt to campus?" and
"Which choices are going to be best for
me?" The task of the Jewish leader on campus is to successfully wrap a
3,300-year-old message in state-of-the-art packaging that speaks to
"What's in it for me?" with meaning, creativity and excitement.

Hillel Programming

Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life is the Jewish commu-
nity's beachhead in this effort and the Steinhardt Jewish Campus
Service Corps (JCSC) Fellows are the vanguard. JCSC Fellows are
recent college graduates employed by Hillel on more than 100 cam-
puses to "engage" uninvolved Jewish students on their own terms, in
their own language, wherever they are physically, intellectually, socially
and Jewishly. I have had the great privilege of directing this seminal
program since its inception six years ago.
The JCSC program has taught us the key to making Jewish learning
exciting, meaningful and ongoing. We offer a culture that is committed
to growth, change and creativity, built on a love for Jewish living and tra-
dition. We believe that Jewish education should always adapt to the learn-
er's wants, needs, hopes and dreams. Ultimately, the duty of Jewish lead-
ers on college campuses is to engage students in "doing Jewish" in ways
that add value, meaning, interest and fun to their lives.

Outreach Experiences

Allow me to share highlights of the many lessons we have learned in the
renaissance that has taken place on campuses and in communities across

the world. Consider these topics:
• Meeting the Needs of the Learner:
Adults, including these college stu-
dents, respond to interactive learning
when their thoughts, opinions and
experiences can be brought to bear
on the topic at hand. If the content
doesn't speak to the learner's life
experience, it will be of little value. If
it doesn't happen in settings that are
current and competitive with secular
activities, it will be of little interest.

• Creativity, Experimentation and
Failure: We cannot rely on yesterday's
educational methods — let alone the
methods of last week, last year or the
last decade. We should constantly
exercise our creativity through experi-
mentation and adaptation. We must
regularly build on our successes and
learn from our failures.
• The Leader Makes or Breaks the
Culture: Campus leaders are both
teachers and role models for students.
The culture they create through their
relationships radiates outward. By promoting Jewish learning that
enables participants to interact and openly discuss Jewish issues, lead-
ers create dynamic, pluralistic and welcoming Jewish communities.
• Building Caring Communities: Learners respond best when they are
in a comfortable environment that is open and non-judgmental.
Learning environments should always include opportunities for tzeda-
ka (meaningful service to others), gemilut chasidim (acts of lov-
ingkindness) and hachnasat orchim (welcoming the stranger).
• Master Teachers, Scholars, Retreats and Shabbatons: There is nothing
more exciting than learning from master teachers who make
Jewishness come alive through their knowledge, charisma and experi-
ence. Learners should be exposed to teachers who impart wisdom and
knowledge over a period of several hours, or even several days.
Retreats and Shabbatons are priceless experiences.
Can Jewish learning and living thrive in the new millennium, on
campus and off? Yes, because the unreal world of pop culture does not
provide the support, the caring or the meaning of Jewish life.
Jewish learning is only as appealing as its Jewish leaders. If we are
supportive and empathetic in our relationships, and find joy and
meaning in Judaism, those around us will too. And they will keep
coming back for more. ❑

Rhoda Weisman is senior adviser for creative development and direc-
tor of the Steinhardt Jewish Campus Service Corps at Hillel: The
Foundation for Jewish Campus Life.

