jewish@edu
for college students by college students
Festifaith
U-M Hillel students help plan major interfaith
event on campus.
Elana Graf and Melissa Rosenbaum } jewish@edu writers
I
n Judaism, we believe people are made
b'tzelem elohim, in the image of God.
Every human has inherent value because
they are made in the image of God. To me, this
means we should be open to learning about
others and their beliefs.
This year at the University of Michigan we
have begun creating interfaith programming
to learn from others. On Sept. 23, we had our
first event, Festifaith, a celebration of different
faiths on campus. This was the largest interfaith
event to happen on campus in recent years.
The goal was to bring different faith groups
together for a celebration of one another's
faith, to create space for discussing faith and to
show faith publicly to the campus-wide com-
munity.
We had nine faith-based groups involved
in the event including Hillel, Catholic Student
Association (CSA), Muslim Student Association
(MSA), Bhakti Yoga, Sikh Student Association,
Canterbury House, Wesley, Young Life and Lord
of Light. Throughout the day, we had student
performances including singing and speaking.
Our focal point was a structure of large post-
ers in the center of the Diag (central square on
campus) where attendees could write answers
to questions including "What does faith mean
to you?" "How do people with diverse faiths
on campus interact?" and "What could inter-
faith programming look like on our campus?"
Festifaith was extremely successful. The
question posters were full by the end of the day
and will now become a traveling display for
campus. We had many students attend, answer
the questions and watch the performances.
Many members of the U-M administra-
tion, including President Mark Schlissel and
Vice President for Student Life Royster Harper,
attended and showed support for our program-
ming. President Schlissel provided opening
remarks to the crowd about the importance of
religious freedom on our campus and gave his
full support for future interfaith programming.
The planning of this event began with stu-
dents from Hillel, MSA and CSA all attending
Leadership Connection, a leadership retreat
run by the university. We became friends and
U-M President Mark Schlissel, center, with students
involved in Festifaith.
discussed the importance of having interfaith
programming on campus. We also learned that
a minister from CSA was working to create
interfaith programming so we combined into
one group.
Throughout the summer and the beginning
of the year, all of us have been working hard to
make interfaith programming happen. We have
all become friends, and being part of the plan-
ning committee has been an amazing interfaith
experience in itself.
Moving forward, we plan to have many more
interfaith programs to continue the conversa-
tions that began at Festifaith. Our next event
will be a panel with faith leaders answering
questions about their faith and how they prac-
tice. We then hope to have a dialogue series
around different faith-based topics for students
to learn from one another.
We are all really excited to continue and
grow these types of events. Interfaith program-
ming is creating space for students to learn
from others and see everyone as made b'tzelem
elohim. @
Melissa Rosenbaum of Rye Brook, N.Y., and
Elana Graf of Minnetonka, Minn., are seniors at
the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
LET US FIND THE RIGHT
HOME LOAN
FOR YOU
DAVID KANER CARRI GOLDRING DAVID WECHSLER
NMLS # 140076
NMLS # 1400069
NMLS # 931641
Buying a home is a big deal. Financing it shouldn't be.
Whether you're buying your first home or your next home, we can help you make a smart move.
You can trust us to give sound, smart advice and help you find the mortgage that is just right for you.
Our customers' agree as David Kaner was just recognized by the Jewish News as one of the
"best mortgage originators in southeast Michigan".
Our award winning home team invites you to visit us at our new Farmington Hills office (we outgrew
our former location) located across the street from the Holocaust Memorial Center. We welcome the
opportunity to help you make your dreams come true.
Conventional I FHA/VA I Jumbo I Portfolio Options I MSHDA I Homepath I Construction I HARP & USDA
28124 Orchard Lake Road, Suite 107 I Farmington Hills, MI 48334
800-372-2205 I homeloans@thefsb.com I thefsbhomeloans.com
FirstState
MORTGAGE COMPANY, LLC
License #488024
1959490
34
December 11 • 2014