Jewish Culture in a Bible Belt College

By Hannah Schwartz
University of Tennessee

I've heard a rumor that in some places, you give directions by counting the number of synagogues you pass. I don't live in those places. No, where I live, directions are given by counting the number of churches you pass before making a turn (someone actually counted, and there are over 1,000 churches in one city alone). Nestled there, in the heart of the South, there is a small and devoted group of Jews who are determined to bring Judaism with them to college. At the University of Tennessee at Knoxville (UTK), home to the Tennessee Volunteers, the Rocky Top Battalion, and way too many Christian groups to count, something crazy has been happening. For the past two years, this tiny Hillel chapter has hosted a major Jewish music group each year.

When the idea was first brought up to bring the Idan Reichl Group to Knoxville, everyone kind of laughed and said "Yeah right. Like that's ever going to happen." But no one was laughing after we applied for and received a $15,000 grant to bring a "cultural attraction" to the university. After we got over the shock and did some brainstorming, Hillel decided to partner with a few other groups on campus to make this impossible dream come true.

The event was a huge success. So, this year, we decided that we were going to do it again, but now we were heading for a name that was a little more familiar to the average American. The decision was made to bring in Matisyahu. We had to do some logistical figuring to make sure he could do the concert after Shabbat, and arranged for an on-campus dinner and services (which was harder than it looked - Knoxville has a small Chabad, but Orthodox services were not in walking distance of the campus, and there is not an Orthodox presence at UTK). It was all worth it though.

The event was an outdoor concert, and attracted a sizeable crowd to start with. By the end of the concert, the outdoor amphitheater was crammed to the gills. It was amazing to watch as people who had never met a Jew in their lives stopped walking, sat down, and got absorbed by the passionate, intense and driving music being rapped by an Orthodox Jew. The crowd really got into it - dancing, clapping and singing along. No one stood up and made any kind of slur, which was even better. I have to say, my campus is very tolerant, which makes life a lot easier. There is more curiosity and people who have never had a chance to meet a Jew than there is any malicious intent.

So although there may not be many Jews in the heart of the Bible Belt, we do exist. We may be small, but we are loud and proud, and determined to make our voices heard. Shalom, y’all!

Hannah Schwartz is a junior at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, where she is majoring in Public Relations and minoring in Business. She has served as an executive member of Hillel board for three years. In her spare time she enjoys reading, working out and being an active member of several organizations.

[Posted 4/5/11]