Kashrut

How do we explain it? By Alyssa Appelman
KOC Editor
University of Missouri   When we try to explain those rules to non-Jews, we come off sounding more than slightly archaic (“God only wants us to eat animals that chew their cud and have cloven hooves.” “God doesn't want us to boil a kid in its mother's milk.” “It's not humane to eat an animal with properly draining its blood.”) So how do modern-day Jews justify the laws that separate Treif from Kosher?

Why do we do it? By Nichole Hellman
University of Arizona   Double-decker bacon cheeseburgers, pepperoni pizzas with extra cheese, sausage patty egg McMuffins … Aside from the incredible fat content of these greasy delights, why do we deprive ourselves of such manmade luxuries?

Keeping Kosher By Mark Greenberg
KOACH Field Worker   I told my non-Jewish friends we were going on a scavenger hunt and I was going to show them that keeping Kosher wasn't that hard. We started out at the traditionally very small section in the “ethnic” food aisle. We made up rules and I showed them what to look for.

Making it Kosher (Read More...)

Jewish Food

From Knödel to the Hillel Sandwich By Alisha Deluty
KOC Assistant Editor
JTS / Columbia University   So much of Jewish culture and practices revolve around different types of food. Each holiday has a set of special dietary customs, whether it is to eat hallah on Shabbat, apples and honey on Rosh Hashanah, or hamantashen on Purim, or not to eat anything at all on Yom Kippur and eat only unleavened foods on Passover.

Mommy's Boy Learns to Cook By Joel Chorny
George Washington University   This article is not about how my mother and grandmother make the best food in the world, but rather this article is about a sad realization we all have to make at some point and that I have come to accept after just one semester of living away from my parents: Our mothers and grandmothers are not always going to be around to make our favorite dishes for us.

Back to My Roots By Rachel Rubin
University of Missouri-Columbia   Where I come from, the hot dog is Big. Bigger than the Italian beef sandwich and the deep-dish pizza combined. Made just right with mustard, onion and relish and just a dash of celery salt. No one would dare defy tradition by using ketchup.

Jewish Food By Rabbi Ed Romm
Director of Education and Campus Programs, Fuchsberg Center for Conservative Judaism in Israel   There is an expression which says "you are what you eat". When it comes to the Jewish people, the expression is right on target.

Culinary Cunning (Read More...)

Shabbat Shalom!

What do you like about Shabbat? By Alyssa Appelman
KOC Editor
University of Missouri, Columbia   I think that variety of responses is actually what I like most about Shabbat. I like that it can provide different people with different types of comfort, whether it's the community or the traditions. I like that Shabbat can be meaningful to different people in different ways.

New Community By Adam Schwartz
University of Tennessee   Every Friday, as the afternoon turned into evening, my father would take my siblings and me to the window, and we would watch the sunset. This was our special Shabbat time and I treasured it. It took several years for me to realize that sunsets happened on nights other than Shabbat Eve.

New Traditions By Stephenie Carlson
University of Missouri-Columbia   I wasn't raised in a Jewish household. I don't have childhood memories of candles being lit on Friday night, of kiddush being chanted over wine and I had my first bite of challah a little over a year ago. Only in March of 2007 did Shabbat begin to mean something to me and play a role in my life.

Shabbat in Israel - For Everyone? By Itamar Kremer
Shaliah to the Conservative Movement   Chulent, shul, kiddush?
Try trips, humus and vodka red bull...

Shlepping on Shabbos.... (Read More...)

Going Green

Why Us? By Alisha Deluty
KOC Assistant Editor
JTS / Columbia University   Having lived in New York City for my entire life, I have always been somewhat immune to the masses of garbage and pollution that exist. Just looking outside my window here on the Upper West Side in Manhattan, I see the large black garbage bags that line the streets. This, as well as the polluted air, which I have become used to breathing, harms the environment. But why should we as Jewish college students, be so concerned with the protection of the earth?

What Can We Do? By Adam Shery
Middlesex County College   The Jewish concept of Tikkun Olam, or repairing the world, is at the forefront of topics discussed among Jews today. While there are many prominent ethical problems in need of "repairing," I feel that the most literal meaning of Tikkun Olam is the healing, or more accurately, the saving of humanity itself, by way of the environment.

Who Can Help Me?   COEJL, Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life offers support and resources.

Our End of the Deal By Richard S. Moline
KOACH Director   The heavens belong to Adonai; the earth God has entrusted to human beings, says Psalm 115. What role, then, do we play in caring for the earth? If environmental protection is a universal issue, what makes it particularly Jewish? KOACH Director Rich Moline examines the intersection between God and humanity and the role it plays in protecting our planet.

Jewish Dictionary (Read More...)

Gender in Judaism

Here and Now By Alyssa Appelman
KOC Editor
University of Missouri, Columbia   During the course of my childhood, my synagogue had a female rabbi, in addition to female presidents, female teachers and female torah readers. It all seemed so common. It didn't even occur to me that women were previously restricted from such roles.

We've Come So Far By Emily Wasserman
Washington University   When I was a little girl, I was exposed to a movie that would eventually become one of my favorite films of all-time. As I watched "Fiddler on the Roof," it was as if I was seeing my ancestors live, congregate and eventually persevere through the noxious pogroms. Also, Tevye's rendition of "Tradition" proved simultaneously hilarious and unforgettable.

We've Got So Far to Go By Abby Seeskin
Macalester College   It's hard from here to determine what exactly we, as college students, can do to make Conservative Judaism a more gender equal religion. We can't rewrite the Torah or the rabbinic teachings, nor can we magically produce female scholars from the past who never existed. In fact, it's pretty hard for me to conceive ways of undoing centuries of gender inequality. But we can take steps, albeit baby steps, in the progressive direction.

When a Kippah is not just a Kippah By Sherri Vishner
KOACH Associate   When someone is trying to point me out in a crowd, or giving someone else a description of me, one of the first things they say is, "she's the one in the kippah".

How to figure out who is sitting next to you on that transatlantic flight.... (Read More...)

Jewish Jams

Behind the Music By Alyssa Appelman
KOC Editor
University of Missouri, Columbia   I can’t hear Salaam without thinking of USY. Shir Al Ahava immediately conjures up memories of camp. Havdalah brings me to tears, as it clearly reminds me of my trip to Israel and Hallel always makes me reminisce of my days at Schechter. Even more modern/non-prayer music brings me back to a different time and place.

Virtual Jewish Music By Eva Heinstein
Hebrew University   For those who can't take a long walk through the streets of Jerusalem, a short walk to the nearest computer will suffice. Two exciting projects are being developed online, here in Jerusalem, that aim to provide resources for those interested in exploring the diverse genres and styles of Jewish music.

Confessions of a Song Leader By Shira Berkowitz
University of Missouri-Columbia   I remember some of my first Shabbatot in preschool singing about things we like about Shabbat, then in later years standing with my arms around friends at summer camp or lying on the floor singing at the top of our lungs, which progressed into jumping around the room in circles of friends singing nigunim (wordless melodies) at USY conventions, followed by hours of sitting at the Shabbat table in my college years singing every song we can think of.

Music in Jewish Tradition By Rabbi Shalom Kantor
KOACH/Hillel Rabbi
Binghamton University   I love Jewish music! I don’t care if it is Hassidic niggunim or Klezmer, Debbie Friedman, traditional Sephardic music, or some of the newer genres that you might find being produced by J-Dub records–Jewish music is something that just speaks to my soul.

Would-Be Jewish Country Songs! (Read More...)

Jewish Greeks

Going Greek on Campus By Alisha Deluty
KOC Assistant Editor
JTS / Columbia University   Cultural fraternities and sororities developed due to discrimination that existed in Greek life. Existing fraternities and sororities prohibited certain cultures and races from joining. A few multicultural fraternities and sororities were established to foster diversity.

Jewish Fraternity By Joshua Borenstein
New York University   Is a membership of all Jews enough to qualify us as a "Jewish" fraternity? None of us believed it was. We agreed that if we did not work hard to incorporate Jewish values into the identity of our chapter, then we would be no different from any other fraternity on campus.

Secular Fraternity By Steve Silver
Northwestern University   Some might call it blasphemy, but yes, I’m a Jew in a non-Jewish frat at Northwestern University – Beta Theta Pi to be exact. And the question I always hear the most is, "Why?"

Greek Life and Jewish Life...Having Both By Michelle Samuels
KOACH Midwest Field Worker   Jewish Greek Seder was held at one of the Jewish fraternities and we had over 150 Jewish Greeks in attendance from both Jewish and Non-Jewish Greek Houses. By my senior year, the seder had grown to over 250 students. 

The Playoffs (Read More...)

Jewish Ethics

Aligning Your Moral Compass By Alyssa Appelman
KOC Editor
University of Missouri, Columbia   I find religion fascinating. I always have. It offers people everything from community and a sense of belonging to tradition and a sense of history. But the fact that religion also provides the basic foundation for ethical discussion is icing on the cake.

Avocados and the Shmitah By Sam Kessler Gilbride
New York University   This is it, I say to myself, quietly and under my breath. This is what the Torah is talking about. Here, in practice, is the true essence of environmentalism—the practice that gets past all the hype, past all the unsigned treaties and international scandals, past all the lobbying and lies, past all the television specials and Hollywood movies and doomsday novels. These two men, I thought, are doing what Jewish men have done in the land of Israel for three thousand years.

Righteous Gentiles By Rachel Weisel
University of Pennsylvania   Of all the facts, figures and photographs in the museum, their stories left the biggest impression on me. Maybe this was because hearing about the Righteous Gentiles made look me look inside myself and ask some painfully difficult questions: What would I do in their situation? Would I willingly put my own life and the lives of my family members in jeopardy to save somebody else?

On the Eve of a New Year... By Rabbi Elyse Winick
KOACH Associate Director   The holidays come early this year. I know that’s not true, since Rosh HaShanah is always at the beginning of Tishrei, but I look outside and the trees are still green and it feels early. I stop for breath and look into my soul and I think, no, not yet, too soon.

Joke Alphabet Soup

Back to School

New Year, Fresh Start By Alyssa Appelman
KOC Editor
University of Missouri, Columbia   Once you get past the end of high school, where all anyone cares about is the name of the college you've chosen, you start to think about what the next few years are actually going to look like. You start to wonder about your academic and personal life and how they will differ from what you've experienced thus far.

Finding Your Place on Campus By David Schwartz
Washington University   When you walk onto campus to begin the school year, you are walking into a very fluid social scene (more solid if you are returning, but still not "set in stone"). You may have to force yourself to not be shy, but the reward is worth it.

Jewish Ties, Easy Transition By Matt Kleiman
University of Wisconsin- Madison   No need to state the obvious, but here it goes: the transition to college is a huge change. How will I like my roommate? Will classes be hard? How am I going to make all new friends? And, of course, the question that might not be lurking in your head, but should be: "How will I find my way Jewishly on campus?"

Welcome Alisha Deluty! KOC's New Assistant Editor By Alisha Deluty
KOC Assistant Editor
JTS / Columbia University  

My "To Do" List By Richard S. Moline
KOACH Director   This is the time of year many of us face with some trepidation. Those long summer days are getting shorter. The summer routine (or lack thereof) gives way to a different kind of structure. A certain fear of the unknown seems to slowly creep upon us.

Joke Meeting the Parents

Jewish in America

Is "American-Zionist" a contradictory identity? By Josh Tobias
KOC Assistant Editor
Brown University

When I was in elementary school, the question that was all the rage on the playgrounds of the Solomon Schechter Day School was which side we would fight for in a hypothetical Israeli-American war.

Seinfeld, JDate and Chinese food: New definitions of American Judaism By Lia Lehrer
Northwestern University

As an American Jew, I participate in many ancient rituals relating to the holidays. We have sedarim on Passover, we eat latkes on Hanukkah and, most importantly, we eat Chinese food on Christmas.

Jewish Americans or American Jews? By Alana Chill
Cornell University

Cornell University has two Hillel logos, used for different types of events. One logo is said to give off the impression that "we are students at Cornell University who are Jewish," while the other is said to promote the image that "we are Jews who are a part of the Cornell University community."

Jewish in America By Rabbi Ed Romm
Director, Center On Campus
Fuchsberg Center for Conservative Judaism, Jerusalem

When I was asked to write on being "Jewish In America," I was at first surprised. I have been living in Israel for close to 30 years. I direct a program for "overseas" students who study in Israel. Also, I have not spent more than two weeks at a time in America since making aliyah.

Joke Red, White and Blue Star of David: American-Jewish Humor

Jewish Pluralism

"They're Jewish Too" By Alyssa Appelman
KOC Editor
University of Missouri, Columbia

At least for me, Judaism has always had a sort of a narrow connotation. It's not that I don't know a lot of Jewish people; I just don't really feel that I've been exposed to that much diversity within the community.

Accepting Multiple Identities By Avi Smolen
KOACH Intern
Rutgers University

While it's great to know who you are and to hold strong beliefs, the question arises as to how you deal with people whose opinions and beliefs differ from yours. This is where pluralism comes in.

Finding Judaism Abroad By Tanya Weitkamp
Missouri State University

Yeah, it's been said a thousand times before. I'm a Jew, you are a Jew; we are all Jews. But I didn't really get it until I started traveling abroad.

Judaism is Made for Pluralism By Mark Greenberg
KOACH Field Worker
Washington D.C.

There is a midrash that I love. The story goes that in the World to Come, Rabbi Akiva is teaching in his House of Study. God places Moses in the back row and he doesn't recognize anything Rabbi Akiva is teaching.

Sivan D'var Torah By Rabbi Aaron Alexander
Assistant Dean
Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies
American Jewish University

Sefer Vayikra mapped out for us a complicated and detailed blueprint for encountering God, praising God, and apologizing to God -- the sacrificial system. The first verse of Bamidbar counters by claiming that experiencing God can actually be quite simple. One need not wear extravagant priestly garments; one need only a wilderness and a Tent of Meeting.

Joke Receiving the Ten Commandments

"Jews in Showbiz"

Acting, Czechoslovakia, and the Power of Living with Kavvanah
By Josh Tobias
Brown University
KOC Assistant Editor

Despite the strength of their acting skills, or the quality of the makeup job, the actor can never be the character that they are playing. An actor is always expressing a lie, conveying information that is not true.

Put on Your Yarmulke...
By Sarah Goldfarb
Penn State

Although it may not be the most politically correct song, no one can resist singing along to Adam Sandler's "Hanukkah Song." Ever wondered whether Sandler’s song is factually correct? I dug up the truth on the Jewish roots of the stars mentioned in his festive song.

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Jews in the Spotlight
By Becky Adelberg
KOACH Midwest Field Worker

There is an excitement in our culture with being connected to a celebrity, either through relatives, having interacted with someone famous (even if he/she was just an extra on a PBS special) or the rare chance of a celebrity spotting.

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Iyyar D'var Torah
By Rabbi Charles Savenor
Associate Dean, JTS Rabbinical School

Parashat Emor and the need to open our hearts and doors to those left outside.

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Campus Update
By Justine Slovin
KOACH Intern
University of Arizona

Check out this update from our intern at the University of Arizona!

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Joke

A Jewish dog in shul?

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"Social Responsibility"

"Le Silence est l'Ignorance"
By Alyssa Appelman
University of Missouri – Columbia
KOC Editor

My first experience with student activism in Paris was a conference on the situation in Darfur, which was co-sponsored by the UEJF, the Union des Etudiants Juifs de France. Apparently, my years of French classes in the States have still left me with much to learn, as comprehension of the language spoken in an academic setting at a fairly rapid speed is still beyond me.

Development, Thailand and Tikkun Olam
By Max Chaiken
Brown University

He works primarily as an AIDS educator. He goes to local communities and teaches children in schools what AIDS is and how they can prevent it. When I asked him why his wife doesn't value that work, he either didn't know or didn't understand what I was asking him. Our conversations were always brief and punctuated by laughter, smiles and the occasional cigarette. Yet somehow, even without a common language or a common experience we shared a connection.

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Eco-kashrut? A New Way of Eating Jewishly
By Melissa Crawley
University of Missouri

Keeping eco-kosher has been a way for me to increase the sacred connection between my food purchases and my eating habits. Every time I go to the grocery store, I think not just of whether my food choices fall within the parameters of traditional kashrut, but also in term of how my food choices connect me to my community.

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Abraham Joshua Heschel: Changing the World One Word at a Time
By Rabbi Elyse Winick
KOACH Assistant Director

My fascination with Heschel's life and work began on the very first Shabbat of my college experience. After lunch, I took a full stack of reading outside, to try to make some headway in the unbelievable amount of work I had. Assaying the books, I did what any student in their right mind would have done – picked the shortest one. This way, I rationalized, I'd feel a sense of accomplishment and motivation to plow through the rest of the stack.

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Nisan D'var Torah
By Rabbi Amy Eilberg
Yedidya Center for Spiritual Direction

The story of Yetzi'at Mitzrayim (the exodus from Egypt) must provide the answer for how we as a people are to respond to what ails our world, for it is our central story as a people, defining our collective identity, our values and our commitments. The message of this narrative could not be more clear: we are a people which knows the soul of the stranger, the marginalized and the persecuted. We must instinctively work for justice for the afflicted – be they individuals, communities, nations, or the earth herself.

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Campus Update
By Ashley Isenberg
KOACH Intern
York University

So three rabbis walk into a bar....ouch! ...Ha ha, no, this isn't the beginning of a joke, "3 Rabbis Walk into a Bar" is the name of a city-wide Jewish interdenominational dialogue series supported by Hillel, KOACH, Kesher, and Yavneh-Olami. Just as its title suggests, students gathered at a bar with Hillel's Reform and Orthodox rabbis and our special guest Conservative Rabbi David Eligberg from Beit Rayim Synagogue.

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Passover Jokes

These jokes should help the matzah go down more easily!

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"Jews and Booze"

It's interesting that I'm writing an article about "Jews and Booze" from the Czech Republic, a country so enamored with alcohol that it once had a political party exclusively devoted to beer. You cannot walk more than twenty feet here without encountering some place selling alcohol.

Thoughts from the Director
By Richard S. Moline
KOACH Director

I'd simply like to share some random thoughts with you this month. Since I don't have a blog, this is my outlet – at least for this issue of KOACH-ON-CAMPUS. I stress that these are my personal observations and do not necessarily represent the views of KOACH or USCJ.

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Adar D'var Torah
By Rabbi Paul Drazen
Director of Congregational Services
United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism

Why does the Torah use both "remember" and "not forget?" Is not remembering the same as not forgetting? To complicate matters a bit, in addition to remembering and not forgetting, we are also told to "blot out the memory."

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The Golden Compass
By Hannah Ehrlich
KOC Book Review

Part of what makes young adult novels so special is that children have more active imaginations and, as a result, writers are free to take many more liberties and chances than they can with adult novels.

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Campus Update
By Emilie Botbol
KOACH Intern

University of Illinois KOACH update!

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Joke

So what did I miss?

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"Jewish Pride"

The Roles We Play
By Alyssa Appelman
University of Missouri – Columbia
KOC Editor

It would seem that during those times when I was surrounded by Jews, it would have been pretty easy to feel comfortable with my own identity. And it would seem that during those times when I was in the minority, I would have been less secure.

Sources of Jewish Pride
By Mindy Lipson
Brandeis University

Though it is not the role of the public school to impart any sort of religious pride into students, I believe that by displaying holiday objects partial to one religion, a school can affect the religious feelings of a student who is of a minority faith.

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At Home in Israel
By Rabbi Ed Romm
Director, Center on Campus Program in Israel

For me Jewish pride is Israeli through and through. I do not take Israel for granted. After 2000 years of not having our own country, I am proud to carry an Israeli passport.

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Shevat D'var Torah
By Rabbi Paul Resnick
Camp Ramah in the Berkshires

Yet another new year!

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Campus Update
By Samantha Dresser
KOACH Intern

Michigan State University KOACH update!

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Joke

Isn't it ironic?

"Sacrifice"

Hanukkah and Optimistic Sacrifice
By Josh Tobias
Brown University
KOC Assistant Editor

Hanukkah seems like the cynic’s answer to the gooey sentimentality of the Christmas season. Sure we will embrace the universal humanity of mankind, it says, once you stop trying to destroy us and let us practice our religion.

Happy Medium
By Gregory Adelberg
University of Kansas

Finding that middle ground, or as I like to refer to it as that "happy medium," is the key to life. It not only allows one to lead a successful life, but also a truthful one filled with health, love, openness and the ability to experience and grow.

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Drawing Near
By Rabbi Elyse Winick
KOACH Assistant Director

"Sacrifice...the word almost makes us shudder. Ancient, faceless functionaries offering up something helpless to a God who does not need it and cannot want it..."

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Campus Updates
By Ariella Zbar and Max Horovitz
KOACH Interns

Check in with KOACH at McGill University in Montreal and the University of Florida in Gainesville

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Joke

What did you get for Hanukkah?

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"Assimilation"

How Do You Decide?
By Alyssa Appelman
University of Missouri – Columbia
KOC Editor

We’ve heard the term thrown around for years, but for some reason it’s still sort of a taboo topic among Jews and especially, in my opinion, among younger Jews. And I think that’s because of fear.

The Upside of Assimilation
By Mark Greenberg
KOACH Field Worker
Washington, DC

Judaism and assimilation have a very long, intertwined history. While the Torah and Talmud have stories of Israelites who became assimilated and then came back to their roots, I want to look at what I would loosely call the upside of assimilation.

Should the Conservative Movement Assimilate Secular Values?
By Yoni Yares
Rutgers University

The values of the places where Jews have lived have found their way into the Conservative Movement and into other parts of Judaism. I can think of two major examples: women’s rights and the rights of homosexuals.

Campus Updates from Rutgers and UCLA
By Avi Smolen and Julie Pinchak
KOACH Interns

KOACH Poker Night at Rutgers and KOACH Big Sibs mentorship program at UCLA...

Joke

Be careful what you wish for - marrying a nice Jewish girl...

"The Future of the
Conservative Movement"

Where do we go from here?
By Alyssa Appelman, University of Missouri – Columbia
KOC Editor

We are part of a movement that constantly struggles to maintain a unified identify, while at the same time trying to appeal to as large a constituency as possible. To do so, it seems that we often forgo organized structure in order to embrace organized debate.