Dear Campus, We’re Back

By Andrea Bromberg
University of Delaware

As the days begin to shorten and the heat waves break, we are notified that fall is around the corner. This means, above all else, trading in lazy summer days for the structure and demands of a new school year. Seeing summer drift away is bittersweet, but many of us find comfort in the communities we will return to and/or hope to find on campus. With every new experience, conjuring up the courage to jump in headfirst is no easy feat. But as human beings, we are fond of assimilation, and sooner or later each one of us finds the kehillah (community) that suits us best. Like many of us, I found mine within Hillel.

On one of my prior tours of the Delaware campus, I had visited the Hillel building and met with a few of its MVPs. However, upon arrival to campus, Hillel was not the building I began to frequent most. Even though I participated in their preliminary Freshman Fest program, I didn’t become a true frequent flyer until about three months into the school year. Even though the Jews on campus make up about one-eighth of Delaware’s undergraduate student body, jumping into the Jewish community on campus was easier said than done. I couldn’t seem to find wingmen that were willing to join me at Friday night services and, frankly, walking in alone was too far out of my comfort zone. But, sooner or later, courtesy of Jewish geography, I met someone who was very much on my level when it came to Judaism. And I guess the rest is history. I was hooked thereafter and destined to attract other "wandering Jews" like myself.

I was pleased to become familiar with Delaware’s active Hillel community, but was also puzzled by the number of Jews on campus that had yet to find it. I am not saying that a Jewish community is desired by everyone, but I believe that having a connection to one bears a unique significance. As a Jew on campus, one is faced with many issues. Can I still keep kosher? Do I want to still keep kosher? Should I go to class on Yom Kippur? I was once active in USY, but how can I continue that on campus? How will I survive Rosh Hashanah away from home without Bubbe’s kugel? I am a strong believer that, even though mom and dad may have insisted on attendance at a university with a large contingency of Jews, the strength to pursue one’s Judaism must come from within. And a Jewish community on campus can be of great assistance in doing so.

In college, no one has a parent looming over their shoulder forcing them to attend services or observe Shabbat. The many facets of Judaism become elective activities. When push comes to shove, those who partake want to do so, and therefore, should have a consistent and reliable place to turn to. Whether this place takes the form of KOACH, Hillel, a Chabad house, or other Jewish venue, those who yearn to express their Judaism should know they can always find a sense of community on campus. For me, coming off of this summer’s Jewish high provided by Ramah Day Camp in Nyack, I am both eager and fortunate to return to yet another Jewish community that will leave me as fulfilled as the last.

Andrea is about to embark on her sophomore year at the University of Delaware, where she is majoring in Spanish Education. This past summer marked her second as a staff member at Camp Ramah in Nyack. On campus, she is Tzedek Chair of UD KOACH, event coordinator of Pennies for Peace, and a member of the intramural volleyball team.

[Posted 8/9/10]