Campus Update: The University of Rochester

By Eli Witkin

Here at the University of Rochester we are very lucky to have the ability to host a program we call Hillel Lunch and Learn that can bring God onto our campus. Once a month, during the week, we put on a free lunch that all students, specifically Jewish students, are welcome to attend. At this lunch, people come and eat some delicious kosher food, shmooze, and enjoy each other’s company in a relaxed atmosphere. At some point in the afternoon, we bring in the learning portion of the program. Over the past year we have had a wide variety of speakers whom we have been lucky enough to have come and share their knowledge with us. These people include Yarden Fanta and Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, as well as two speakers from within the University community and a student. These Lunch and Learns are a great way for people in our community to connect with each other, relax and have a little fun, and of course have a good meal. Even more than this, however, the learning sections of these programs have been well received and informative to all who have attended. By integrating a fun, relaxed, delicious atmosphere with Jewish learning, we have been able to start to create a community that comes together both for social and intellectual purposes, which is a goal I think we all pursue.

This program has a special meaning in the lives of students at Rochester. When living in the university environment it is exceedingly easy to forget about one’s faith, sit back and let the tide take you. Walking around campus it is not really evident that God is with us, acting, pushing us in a direction, or helping us with our struggles. Yet as we learn from the recent holiday of Purim, it is in those exact environments that we can become closest to God. This program allows students to bring some Jewish learning into their university lives.

[Posted 4/5/11]