Coming from a very competitive school and environment, I knew exactly what it was like being on the outside of reality. I was so desperate to make my resume better that I decided to join the bowling team. It wasn’t until I was named captain that I realized I had the inner strengths with me in my backpack all along. Joining the bowling team wasn’t just about playing a sport, it was about becoming independent and taking a leap into a different part of the world around me. The mere gesture of joining the bowling team allowed me to broaden my horizons and look at the world with a more open mindset. It enabled me to build a home out of an activity, while creating bonds with people who had similar interests as me. Similarly, starting college and adjusting to a new life is a very new experience. When I started my first day of college I suddenly felt that same anxiety as when I first decided to join the bowling team and I instantly felt a need to become part of another association that impacted me as much as the bowling team did.
After conducting research, I decided to focus my interest in pursuing a community at FSU called Hillel. Hillel is located on St. Augustine St. in Tallahassee Florida and is open to the community of local FSU students. Hillel is an organization that brings together students from all backgrounds that share a common interest. Hillel particularly caught my eye since I come from a Jewish household. Growing up surrounded by grandparents from Israel, I was motivated to learn about where they come from and potentially participate in the birthright trip that is part of Hillel. Joining Hillel would give me the opportunity to learn more about the Jewish culture and be introduced to a network of people that I wouldn’t have necessarily interacted with in my everyday life. After researching about Hillel, I want to focus my paper on the different events that are held weekly and how they impact the people in this environment. While there are more participants and more events during the Fall, there are still events held every Thursday and Friday that I will have the opportunity to attend.
On Monday July 9th, I visited the Hillel center. As I walked up the steps of the center, I realized the door was locked. A bell was required to be rung in order to get the attention of the working staff. Right off the bat this let me know that this center held safety as one of their top priorities. As I walked around and familiarized myself with the environment, I realized that this was somewhere that I could definitely picture myself spending time to learn about my culture. I interviewed a board director, Dan Leshem, and a student member, Jason Randall. These two interviewers allowed me to view the “Hillel experience” from two different perspectives, which in the end helped me to further develop my paper. Jason helped me understand what it’s like being part of Hillel as a student and what activities and events mean the most to him. Dan showed me his Hillel experience from the perspective of a board director and the responsibilities he holds being in charge and having such an influential role in so many individuals’ life.
As I sat down with Mr. Leshem he gave me a unique perspective on how Hillel has impacted a large society. After asking Leshem “what exactly Hillel is”, I was informed that “Hillel is a Jewish student run organization that exists on college campuses around the country and world with the mission to offer Jewish students the opportunity to participate and engage in some aspect of Jewish life while at college”. These aspects can include reservations, a wilderness camp that is on a lake, Friday night services, full Shabbat dinners, and Jewmba (Zumba but for Jews). During the summer these events happen just as often (weekly), but with less participants. In the summer session, 30 students are expected for a full Shabbat dinner, while during the fall around 50-75 students are expected. All these events are available to any student who wants to participate. Hillel has leadership members working weekly to promote these events through emails, facebook pages, and their website to reach a large audience of students.
I further questioned Mr. Leshem about how Hillel has impacted him directly. He continued to explain that Hillel impacts each individual differently. “Hillel is not part of any single denomination which makes it possible to serve every Jewish student in any way whether it is in a social or religious context”. The common thread of Hillel is that they provide a community where any Jew on campus can feel like they belong to something. While interviewing Mr. Leshem, I was surprised to find that Hillel has some non-Jewish activates. Activities are open to everybody to enjoy and experience. While Hillel tries to target mostly Jews, their mindset is that they want any individual to have a place where they can feel at home and welcomed.
After conducting more research, I found out that Hillel chose the name because it is based on one of the early founding religious fathers of Judaism after the destruction of the temple. According to Funk and Wagnalls New world Encyclopedia, “Hillel, called Hillel the Elder (c. 70 bc-ad 10), Jewish rabbi and teacher, was the first scholar to systematize the interpretation of scriptural Law, born, according to the Talmud, in Babylonia” (1). His writings have been included in several texts and have been concerned with Jews and how they face the outside world primarily concerned with ethics and behaving right in the world. The Hillel faculty here at FSU, see themselves as training future leaders of the world. Fishbane considers ‘Judaism’ to be “that system of shared belief of those who adhere to the teachings—historical, cultural, and legal—now embodied in the literature we call ‘rabbinic’” (xi). Hillel hold events that bring in local rabbi’s that share and incorporate students in the Jewish Torah. These events share criteria of the fathers and ethics of Judaism. This criteria is an example of the non social events that occur day to day at Hillel. While they hold interactive and fun activities, it is important that students don’t forget to participate in the religious aspect of Hillel. According to ?????, “Hillel had a largely undeserved reputation… Hillel’s were often dismissed for serving both too few students and too many of the wrong kind, the ‘Jewish geeks and nerds’” (308). This aspect has changed over the years, especially here at FSU. Today, all Hillel members are welcoming and encourage the participation of any student. It is quite apparent that Hillel’s undeserved reputation has diminished and has become a well known and supported community.
Personally, Mr. Leshem has experience with leading a birthright trip. This experience was very instrumental in his view towards Israel and has shaped his teaching. He continued to describe that the “smallest ideas have the largest transformational impact on the students”.
As the interview came to an end, I decided to take another route and get another perspective on Hillel by interviewing a student. According to Jason Randall, a day at Hillel is very productive. Hillel is open every day of the week and students and individuals can come in and study or hangout. This is so important to Jason because having a place to come and hangout with free Wi-Fi and with friends no matter their religion means a lot. Leadership members are also in the building for at least 2-3 hours a week planning activities because it is such a student run center. For Jason particularly, Hillel creates a sense of belonging and a network of friends. It is a place individuals can go and constantly have people standing by them. Jason continued to describe during the interview that this community is unique because the people here at FSU and part of Hillel have different intentions than those at different colleges. The people here are truly focused around making sure everyone is consistently positive and looking for what they can do to make your life the best possible thing.
After interviewing Randall, I noticed multiple similarities between his experience in the Hillel community and Brown’s. According to Brown, a community is “one of those things that is hard to define, but you know it when you are in it. It is a feeling that you are not alone, that you are part of something greater than yourself—but yet, even when you are in it, you are still yourself” (1). Randall emphasized how influential being part of this home was. While speaking to him, the tone of his voice was empowering. He believed that Hillel brought together the hopes and dreams of individuals and was raising the next leaders of the world. According to Brown and Randall, communities like Hillel are an escape from the outside reality that puts burdens on students. In his eyes, Hillel provides a sanction for students like him to feel part of something while being able to solve problems and get results (2).
To learn more about the Hillel community I decided to visit the office on campus to get a better understanding of the day to day activities that occur. The office is located on campus which is beneficial to students as it is in close proximity. This encourages the 4,000 Jewish students at Florida State University to take part in the community in an easy and efficient way. As I walked into the Hillel office, I noticed it was secure and safe for students. I visited the office around 12:30 pm on a Monday. The office seemed a little empty with just 2 members of Hillel present: a board director, and a student participant. Jason Randall gave me a tour following the interview. The office building was set up in a way that was welcoming to students. There was a large couch, TV’s, and free Wifi for students to use when they visit.
As I spent time in Hillel, I felt very welcomed. The two individuals I interviewed were very interested in persuading me in joining the community. Aside from the interview, Jason Randall and I got to know each other. As I continued conversing with Jason Randall, we realized we knew similar people and were not even from the same home town. This is an example of how Hillel can bring individuals together with similar interests and friends; immediately I felt welcomed and I knew this was a place I could feel at home. Coming from Boca Raton Florida, a very affluent and Jewish area, I have always been used to being surrounded with people that have similar values and cultures as me. Entering a new environment here at Florida State university was intimidating at first. After seeing and witnessing the accepting environment of Hillel I am inspired to be a part of the community. This will give me the chance to surround myself with others that have similar interests as me.
When you are a part of the Hillel community, there are many interactive activities on a daily basis. Every Friday, a Shabbat dinner is held for students to interact with others in the community and eat typical Shabbat foods that individuals can’t find anywhere else. This environment is more interactive than a typical day in the office. While the office provides a location for students to relax and do their homework, a Shabbat dinner introduces ideas and individuals with each other. This gives the opportunity to meet new people and get accustomed to the community. Hillel organizations around the world all take part in unique activities to better the community and their students. Specifically, at the University of Miami, Hillel students and faculty put together a special event to raise money for Connor Golden to help finance his medical bills. Englert, a student that participated in the event stated “when we first came as freshmen last year, it was such an overwhelming sense of community and just- it sounds cheesy but- love for everyone in the program because I think everyone’s so respected” (1). This example of the activities that are held at Hillel shows how influential this program is on students. Hillel is more than just a community, it is a group of people who have similar interests that support each other in various ways.
After experiencing the community of Hillel in my own eyes, I decided to take a virtual route through their website. The Florida State University Hillel website offers a wide range of information about the events that take place mostly in the fall and spring terms. Community buildings and Israel Birthright trips are available to students. The website makes it engaging for students to learn and feel welcomed in joining these events. While the website does not offer as much information about the organization, it provides motivation for students to engage with the community by visiting the office and meeting members of the staff. The range of tabs on the website give insight on the environment of Hillel. Staff members work diligently weekly to put together and upload an organized schedule with events coming up to keep students and members in the loop and updated.
The Hillel website has opportunities to get involved in other ways such as subscribing to an e-newsletter and joining the Facebook group. According to hillelatfsu.org, “we help students find a balance in being “distinctly Jewish” and “universally human” by encouraging them to pursue jewish learning and to support Israel and global Jewish peoplehood” (2). Whether an individual is browsing the Hillel website or actually entering the office, it seems that it is guaranteed that one will learn and feel immediately welcomed into the community.
According to BBC, Shabbat dinners occur every week while Jews “observe the Sabbath, the Jewish holy day, and keep its laws and customs. The Sabbath begins at nightfall on Friday and lasts until nightfall on Saturday” (1). Most individuals look forward to this time as it is as “god’s gift” as a time with no television or busy schedule. This dinner acts as a distraction from stressful things in life. Shabbat dinners here at FSU are held every Friday night and are welcoming to any student whether they are part of the community or not. This is important to the mission statement of Hillel as they want everyone to feel welcome and part of the Jewish culture. To find out more about the Hillel community, I decided to be take part in one of the Shabbat dinners. I brought one of my friends along with me that had no knowledge of the Hillel community to see how welcoming other students would be. As I entered the dinner, my friend and I were instantly approached. It was apparent that students and faculty were happy to have new individuals present to share their love for Hillel. The meal consisted of basic Jewish food such as challah bread, fish, and soup. This is important for Jewish students because it is a time where they have access to Jewish foods, which is often hard to find on a college campus. During the dinners, leaders and staff members shared their interest in Hillel and talked more about the origins and what occurs on a daily basis for new individuals like myself. This Shabbat dinner acts as a text within the organization. According to Foster, when individuals eat meals together, it acts as a communion. Students getting together once a week for a sit down meal is more of a gathering. This is a time for students to meet new people and share their interests with individuals who are very similar and part of the same community as them. As I talked with Jason Randall at the Shabbat dinner, he emphasized that the dinner is an escape for him. It’s a time for him to enjoy his Jewish culture while not thinking about the other things in his life like school work or society around him. As I looked around everyone seemed happy and part of the activities and conversation around them. I talked with other students and staff leaders about what Shabbat dinners mean to them. I was surprised to hear that this ritual was life changing. Jason Randall stated “every week I look forward to the time that I can relax and be a part of a home surrounded by the people and organization that I love”. Coming from a Jewish household, I know what a traditional Shabbat dinner is like. The Shabbat dinner held by Hillel was very unique from the traditional dinners I am used to. This dinner gave me the opportunity to break out of my shell and meet new people.
From the moment I entered the environment of Hillel, I knew I wanted to be a part of this home. After doing extensive research and even meeting dozens of people that are part of the community, I learned more about the association and the impact it had on its participants. Although I only took part in a few of Hillel’s activities, I plan on taking part in many more during the fall and meeting new people. Throughout the past few weeks i’ve learned about important texts that impact a society. A text is defined as any message that may impact society. In the Hillel community, the Shabbat dinners are the most important text. The message that these dinners deliver is a sense of unity and communion. Even when I am not present for activities, all events are still communicated to potential participants like myself. Hillel keeps in contact with its students through emails, facebook notifications, and their website. Everyone knows it is a big change adjusting from high school to college, but little did I know it would be an even bigger adjustment from being part of the bowling team to Hillel.