Campus Update: Queens College

By Alyssa Blumenthal

As finals come upon us, we at Queens College are winding down from an exciting and event-filled fall semester. This fall marked the official beginning of a KOACH presence on the Queens College campus and a general attitude towards increased outreach and inclusion in our Hillel environment. The effects really have shown!

In November, we kicked off a Jewish identity series with a Lunch & Discuss event entitled "My Jewish Self & My Jewish Community" which was quite well received. With both familiar and new faces, we had a lively conversation about how we each individually relate to Judaism and what that means for us as a larger campus Jewish community. This conversation left everybody feeling a little more aware of the diversity of our Jewish population and of the need for creating a Jewish community where this diversity is recognized and all feel comfortable.

Earlier this December, we had our big Hillel Shabbat of the semester, which was Harry Potter themed and boasted a great turnout. Beautiful egalitarian services were held before the Hillel sponsored Friday night dinner, and while numbers were small, those who did attend were quite enthusiastic.

To tie in with this Harry Potter theme, our KOACH intern led a conversation following dinner paralleling Dumbledore with God and exploring the idea of Harry Potter’s quest as not only a journey to defeat evil but also as a journey of self and spiritual discovery.

As we break for intersession, we are excited about the impact KOACH has had on our campus thus far and look forward to many more exciting programs and developments when we return in the spring.

[Posted 12/26/11]