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Oberlin Hillel honored for innovative programming
By: DOUGLAS J. GUTH Senior Staff Reporter and LILA HANFT Staff Reporter
Julia Vogl arrived at Oberlin College in fall 2003 knowing that anti-Zionism was characteristic of the left-wing political climate on campus.
On her first day of orientation, Vogl read a newspaper article about a student-led campaign urging the college to stop investing endowment funds in U.S. companies that manufacture or sell arms to Israel.
"Welcome to Oberlin," jokes Vogl, thinking back to that first day on campus.
During the 2003-2004 school year, "Zionism is Racism" stickers appeared all over campus, and a group calling itself Oberlin Students for a Free Palestine organized rallies, creating an environment in which many of the school's 900 Jewish students (of 2,800 total) felt uncomfortable.
Uncomfortable, perhaps; daunted, no. To address the issues, Oberlin's Hillel developed a series of interfaith events designed to promote religious, social and cultural co-existence. Its efforts were honored recently by Hillel International with an honorable mention in the 2004 William Haber Award for outstanding programming. Hillel's programming is called "How to Deal with Anti-Zionism on a Left-Wing Campus."
The Haber Award is given in recognition of programs that improve "the quality of Jewish campus life" by "engag(ing) previously uninvolved Jewish students" and "improv(ing) inter-group and interfaith relationships."
Vogl, a former co-chair at Oberlin Hillel, is proud of her school's Jewish community for not "running away" from the issues. "We were willing to take on the issues and really deal with them."
The first step in countering anti-Zionist sentiment on campus began in October 2003. Hillel combined forces with the Office of the President, the Muslim Students Association, Oberlin Zionists, and other groups to sponsor a campus visit from the Parents Circle, an organization of Israelis and Palestinians who have lost children and other family in the intifada, which is now more than four years old.
The impetus for choosing the Parents Circle was to create an atmosphere of compassion in which the grief and suffering of both Israelis and Palestinians could be felt, said an Oberlin press release. More than 100 students attended the lecture.
In November of that year Hillel and the Muslim Students Association (MSA), hosted an evening of music, food, and dancing (Israeli and belly dancing) in the campus dance club.
In the spring semester, close to 200 students attended the Hillel-hosted lecture of Shlomo Avineri. A professor of political science at Hebrew University and former Director-General of Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Avineri spoke on "Nationalism: Palestinianism and Zionism - Is a Two-State Solution Possible?"
The final event was a Shabbat co-hosted by Hillel and the Muslim Students Association (MSA). Students from both groups created a service combining Jewish and Muslim prayer traditions, as well as readings from the Koran and contemporary Palestinian literature.
"We try to focus on our similarities," such as the dietary restrictions shared by Muslims and Jews, says Oberlin junior Ali Najmi, co-chair of MSA. At the end of the Islamic holiday of Ramadan, for example, the group broke its fast at Hillel.
Najmi is one of about five Muslims on campus. He and his friends have political opinions but do not use MSA as a vehicle for them. "There's a potential for conflict (over political opinions)," he admits. "But that's acknowledged by both sides. We have a positive relationship with Hillel. Oberlin's Jewish community has been very welcoming."
Hillel leaders say that their yearlong programming created "an altered campus atmosphere." No longer is the Israeli-Palestinian debate a case of "trying to figure out who's the evil one," remarks Hillel Rabbi Shimon Brand. "It's now about listening to another side's opinions."
Daniella Risman, an Oberlin senior and former Hillel co-chair, says most students recognize the complexity of the issues, although, for some, "it's hard to talk about it calmly."
Today, however, the campus is less polarized. "There's always discussion, just not a lot of formal head-butting," she notes. Both sides "have a common goal. The reality is that we all want peace."
On her first day of orientation, Vogl read a newspaper article about a student-led campaign urging the college to stop investing endowment funds in U.S. companies that manufacture or sell arms to Israel.
"Welcome to Oberlin," jokes Vogl, thinking back to that first day on campus.
During the 2003-2004 school year, "Zionism is Racism" stickers appeared all over campus, and a group calling itself Oberlin Students for a Free Palestine organized rallies, creating an environment in which many of the school's 900 Jewish students (of 2,800 total) felt uncomfortable.
Uncomfortable, perhaps; daunted, no. To address the issues, Oberlin's Hillel developed a series of interfaith events designed to promote religious, social and cultural co-existence. Its efforts were honored recently by Hillel International with an honorable mention in the 2004 William Haber Award for outstanding programming. Hillel's programming is called "How to Deal with Anti-Zionism on a Left-Wing Campus."
The Haber Award is given in recognition of programs that improve "the quality of Jewish campus life" by "engag(ing) previously uninvolved Jewish students" and "improv(ing) inter-group and interfaith relationships."
Vogl, a former co-chair at Oberlin Hillel, is proud of her school's Jewish community for not "running away" from the issues. "We were willing to take on the issues and really deal with them."
The first step in countering anti-Zionist sentiment on campus began in October 2003. Hillel combined forces with the Office of the President, the Muslim Students Association, Oberlin Zionists, and other groups to sponsor a campus visit from the Parents Circle, an organization of Israelis and Palestinians who have lost children and other family in the intifada, which is now more than four years old.
The impetus for choosing the Parents Circle was to create an atmosphere of compassion in which the grief and suffering of both Israelis and Palestinians could be felt, said an Oberlin press release. More than 100 students attended the lecture.
In November of that year Hillel and the Muslim Students Association (MSA), hosted an evening of music, food, and dancing (Israeli and belly dancing) in the campus dance club.
In the spring semester, close to 200 students attended the Hillel-hosted lecture of Shlomo Avineri. A professor of political science at Hebrew University and former Director-General of Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Avineri spoke on "Nationalism: Palestinianism and Zionism - Is a Two-State Solution Possible?"
The final event was a Shabbat co-hosted by Hillel and the Muslim Students Association (MSA). Students from both groups created a service combining Jewish and Muslim prayer traditions, as well as readings from the Koran and contemporary Palestinian literature.
"We try to focus on our similarities," such as the dietary restrictions shared by Muslims and Jews, says Oberlin junior Ali Najmi, co-chair of MSA. At the end of the Islamic holiday of Ramadan, for example, the group broke its fast at Hillel.
Najmi is one of about five Muslims on campus. He and his friends have political opinions but do not use MSA as a vehicle for them. "There's a potential for conflict (over political opinions)," he admits. "But that's acknowledged by both sides. We have a positive relationship with Hillel. Oberlin's Jewish community has been very welcoming."
Hillel leaders say that their yearlong programming created "an altered campus atmosphere." No longer is the Israeli-Palestinian debate a case of "trying to figure out who's the evil one," remarks Hillel Rabbi Shimon Brand. "It's now about listening to another side's opinions."
Daniella Risman, an Oberlin senior and former Hillel co-chair, says most students recognize the complexity of the issues, although, for some, "it's hard to talk about it calmly."
Today, however, the campus is less polarized. "There's always discussion, just not a lot of formal head-butting," she notes. Both sides "have a common goal. The reality is that we all want peace."
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