MAY 28 • 2020 | 75
for college students by college students
May 28, 2020/5 Sivan 5780
O
n March 11, I was about six
weeks into a semester abroad in
Budapest, Hungary. Restaurants
and pubs began to close, and my new friends
and I decided to treat this night like it was
our last. We wanted to try and enjoy every
second we had left, which we foolishly
thought would actually last many more
weeks. A few hours later, we found out that
this night would, in fact, be our last night
abroad and we would immediately begin the
journey home to the United States.
At first, I was hit with shock and sadness,
like any 20-year-old would be. Once I finally
made it home, I took time to reflect on how
lucky I was to be able to go in the first place.
A week after I came home, all my friends
from Michigan State University started to
leave campus and head home as well, due
to the university’
s decision to move classes
online. Previously, I had mostly thought that
the COVID-19 pandemic had only affected
Europe, but seeing my friends leave East
Lansing put everything into perspective.
Now my friends’
lives and community at
school were forced to be shut down as well?
I started to think about MSU Hillel, an
organization and community that has given
me so much since my first days at MSU.
Through my involvement, I was elected to
the Jewish Student Union’
s Executive Board
as the vice president of community pro-
gramming. As a student leader, I understand
the hard work that goes into planning events
and programs for the Jewish community
on campus, and I was distressed for my
peers who put in so much effort to make
the Spring 2020 semester exciting and inno-
vative. I knew if I had been in their shoes, I
would have been devastated.
Through my involvement and passion for
Jewish life on campus, I made the decision
to run to be the president of the Jewish
Student Union for the 2020-2021 academic
year. Shortly after everyone settled into their
quarantine, elections were held, and I was
selected as president of the organization that
meant so much to me. I worked extremely
hard to get here and cannot wait to see what
next year brings for Hillel and for myself as
a leader.
Through early meetings with the new
Jewish Student Union Executive Board,
we’
ve discussed the upcoming year, but it
is difficult and exhausting to think about
the future. As a student leader, I find myself
wondering what will happen if classes are
online in the fall. What if we are not able
to have gatherings of more than 50 people?
How will we have Shabbat or plan big events
that students look forward to every year?
I think about these questions daily because
serving my community might look different
than I had previously imagined. But all we
can do is take everything one step at a time.
I am continuously trying to come up with
ways to help my community, whether that’
s
trying to come up with online programs
and events or working on a game plan for
all scenarios in the fall. Knowing I have a
great support system around me and people
who are willing to help, like the rest of our
executive board and MSU Hillel staff, makes
this process so much easier and less stressful.
I am hoping for the best outcome for the fall,
but whatever happens, I know we will get
through this together. @
Julia Levy is president of Michigan State University’
s
Jewish Student Union.
Leadership in the
Time of COVID-19
Uncertain future leaves students planning
for the fall one step at a time.
Julia Levy } jewish@edu writer
Participating in Good Deeds Day is a highlight of the
academic year for Jewish students. Pictured here are
Julia Levy, 20, Marlboro, N.J.; Danielle Contorer, 20, and
Sammi Elkus, 20, both from Huntington Woods, Mich.
MSU HILLEL