Campus Update

Nathan Fein
Boston University Hillel

Hi, my name is Nathan Fein and I am the KOACH intern at Boston University.

BU has a very large Jewish population; approximately one-fourth of the school is Jewish. In a school with a population of 15,000 that is a pretty big number. Out of those Jews, a large number of them are Conservative Jews. What is also nice, though, is that we have a chance to interact with students who are also Reform and Orthodox, since we have three minyanim (one for each major movement) on campus, meeting in the same building.

While it might seem like that could get really cramped, it doesn’t. The members of each movement have a mutual respect for one another, which allows us to co-exist peacefully. I know it sounds corny and like something out of a Hallmark card, but it is the truth. For this reason, it gives everyone a new perspective on not only their own Judaism, but on how other denominations practice and what they have to offer.

KOACH, while it has not previously played a large role on campus, is growing. While it has been on campus as long as I have been here, it was not an influential force. I am working on improving that by having more programs than in previous years and forming committees for KOACH, so that more people feel invested.

Currently, I have a committee working on our upcoming Latkapalooza, co-sponsored with Hillel, for which we will be ordering twelve hundred latkes and having tons of other great food and activities. Another committee is responsible for recruitment for the KOACH Kallah.

While we have a large Conservative community, we have had almost no one from Boston University attend the Kallah. This year I am hoping to change that and get a large contingency from our school to be present.

[Posted 12/9/04]