Student Stories at Brown RISD Hillel

"I’m from Las Vegas and I went to Jewish Day School for 9 years followed by a performing arts high school. When I came to Brown I knew I wanted to take Hebrew again, so my first semester I took Ruti’s advanced class, which I loved, and that was really it for my connection to Judaism for the first couple years at Brown. I didn’t come to Hillel much but then I went on Birthright and spent the next two months doing Boston Onward Israel with an internship in Haifa, working at a start-up for an iphone app. Then I got an e-mail from Alisa and became an Engagement Intern. My project was Jews of Brown which was really just an experiment that become a big thing. I love human stories, and that's the tie between everything I do from theater, to my concentration in evolutionary anthropology, to my Judaism which is a big part of my identity, and so I wanted to explore that through other people's stories and conversations. What’s always interesting in my interviews is hearing that people pick and choose what they want out of religion because Judaism can mean so many different things to different people. Community, Shabbat, turning off lights, asking questions, being curious, justice..it’s all really opened my eyes to the different meanings that I didn’t necessarily associate with Judaism. The engagement internship was a great way to engage Jewishly in a unique way, and see how other students on campus interpret their Judaism through their projects and I recommend it to everyone. Outside of Jews of Brown, my Judaism is a part of my performing. My rapper name was RemC at first, which was my initials, but I kept referring to myself as the Red Queen, the character from Through the Looking Glass, but the Red Queen is patented so I chose Malka (Queen) Red, a half Hebrew name, and it’s so cool. I posted a new song on a Facebook ad a week ago in the US and Israel and more than 80% of the engagement on the post came from Israel, which is really exciting. And it’s funny because a Hillel event was the first time I rapped for real in front of people. I think Hillel isn’t only a place for religion but can also be for yoga, dance, Smithsonian exhibits, really anything you want it to be. It’s been a space for me to engage Jewishly in a way that’s meaningful to me."

Next year Rebecca will be moving to NYC to pursue a career in performing.

​"I was raised Jewish in an interfaith household, and I didn’t grow up in a particularly Jewish community but I think that through my dad’s religious Catholic experience, I learned a lot. I went to Georgetown University my freshman year and while it had a really small Jewish population, it was a school that had a huge reverence for and respect for religion, and I think the combination of those two things yielded me getting fielded a lot of questions I realized I didn’t know yet how to answer about my Judaism. So I started my learning freshman year and got close to the rabbi. When I ultimately transferred to Brown sophomore year I was confronted with the first really rich Jewish community that I’ve seen with people who have strong Jewish upbringings and different upbringings and practices than I had. I think what I started to ask and feel freshman year really prompted me to jump right in here. I got close to staff member Sara Miller and she helped me start leading reform services and not feel any longer like I didn’t know enough and I realized that I knew more than I thought I did and could keep learning. I did the high holiday internship and worked with Rabbi Rick Jacobs which was awesome, and I led J-Street on campus for two years and Rick was actually a Jewish leader we were trying to influence so it came full circle engaging with people and ideas in political and spiritual and personal capacities. I think my life is definitely changed by my Jewish experience at Brown because I didn’t seek living in a huge Jewish community but by living in one it has made me think more deeply about my Judaism and become more proud. Brown doesn’t feel like a particularly religious campus, and while there’s a large Jewish presence because of Hillel and the number of Jews it’s not a tangible theme the way it was at Georgetown. I went through the cycle of being less proud of my interfaith household, thinking other people knew more and I didn’t feel accepted, but then I came to feel that I’m making the community better in some way and providing a different perspective. I think the transitions I had through college make me feel ready to keep transitioning in my life and keep Judaism a part of it and continue to learn and ask questions and be a part of exciting and different communities." 

Next year Shelby will be in Boston doing a Business Rotational Program at Putnam Investments.

"When I started at Brown, I wasn't sure what role Judaism would play in my life. I expected Hillel would be a space for me to celebrate the holidays, but not much else. My first time visiting Hillel was during the Orientation BBQ and as I was leaving, I stumbled upon the Hillel activities fair. Harry Samuels at the Puzzle Peace table asked me whether I knew anything about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (I did not), and told me a that J Street was really interested in bringing Jewish values to bear on the conflict and to fight for the human rights of Palestinians and Israelis. I was interested, so I started attending weekly meetings and I also started to get involved with the Tzedek Committee, but those were my only avenues into Jewish life at Brown. I remember distinctly that when I would attend Tzedek meetings freshman year, I would be sure to leave the Hillel building as quickly as possible once they were finished. I just didn't feel very comfortable in that space; I didn't feel like I belonged. Over the course of the next few years, all of that changed. I discovered through Tzedek and JSUB (J Street U Brown) that it was possible to construct a Jewish identity rooted in values of justice and tolerance, and that my lack of traditional observance practices did not hinder that identity. At the same time, I found in Jewish text and teachings a language by which to articulate my dedication to social justice and my vision for a more complete world. I also found that Hillel as a community was changing over time to reflect a greater diversity of approaches to Judaism. As new students and staff came in, Hillel was no longer a space for only traditionally observant Jews, and I am really proud to have been a part of that transition. As I became more comfortable at Hillel I felt myself more a part of the community, and what was once 'get in, get out' became 'come, stay for a while' and then became "come, stay for the entire day'. Now, Hillel is a space for work, activities, community, and spiritual life and is my second home on campus. I feel a deeper connection to Judaism now than I ever have before, and that is in large part because Hillel has given me the opportunity to define Judaism on my own terms. If someone had told me four years ago that I would be leaving Brown to work in the Jewish non-profit world, I would have said they were crazy. Looking forward, I am excited by the potential to continue to explore my Jewish identity and to challenge traditional assumptions of what is or is not proper Jewish practice."

Next year Adam will be an Eisendrath Legislative Assistant at the Religious Action Center in Washington D.C.

"I grew up outside of Boston in Jewish day school and summer camp so having a Jewish community was something I was used to, and something I always knew I was looking for in college. I came to Hillel right away, for the first Shabbat, but what I’ve been thinking about a lot lately as I think of moving into my future Jewish life outside of college is kid’s are just given communities that they take for granted, but in college I’ve really appreciated the act of building and forming community. The really great thing about Hillel is that we’re given a space, a building, and a structure but at the end of the day, we have to build the community.  I’ve appreciated that both in terms of my leadership roles at Hillel and also in creating groups of friends here. A lot of my closest friends are people I met that first Shabbat or at the orientation BBQ and though Hillel created the place for us to meet, in order to establish the friendships we had to work on it. When I was welcoming chair there were a lot of programs during Orientation and it was a lot of work but I definitely learned organizational skills that have served me well since then. I also learned the importance of working with others, because Programming Board was encouraged to work together and support each other even though we all had separate events to plan. We were also expected to help each other grow as leaders and I think that’s really important. Then I was Vice President of Community Relations and as an executive board we had a lot of great conversations about what this community should and could look like and big picture goals. In that role I was also working with the Israel groups which was interesting because it’s not something that I personally engaged in beforehand, but I liked being able to support them in a nonpolitical way and be involved in Israel conversation and the programming about Israel without the involvement of a specific group. Jewish community is also something I’ve been thinking about a lot because next year before med school there is no specific community designated for me so I’m gonna have to find that myself, but I think the experiences I’ve had at Hillel in terms of learning how to build community will help me wherever I end up."

Next year Sarah is planning to get the most out of every moment before returning to graduate school. 

"I came into Brown with a strong Jewish identity from a Schechter School k-8 and public school 9-12. In the transition to public school, I had to make the decision between running cross country, that had meets on Saturdays, and going to shul, and that was the first time I began questioning my Judaism. I think that conflict was the context for my entering Brown and so I didn't attend Hillel at all my first year. I did get close to the Chabad family and they reminded me a lot of my observant childhood, which was a nice home away from home. Then I started going to Havurah services at Hillel my sophomore year which became another home which was absolutely wonderful. After four years I find myself really drawn to universalism, not just in an abstract way, but as far as my religious impulse goes, mine is inconsistent with the traditional Jewish emphasis upon particularism, chosenness and superiority and I’m in an unresolved struggle to figure out where I stand with that. Hillel, however, is very much a counterpoint to the part of me that wants to renounce Judaism because Hillel is very inclusive and goes to great lengths to invite people from other faiths, other communities, which I'm so proud of. I find myself less and less inclined to Jewish learning because I’m so intellectually worn out from other places that for me, Judaism is a place of feeling, emotion, aesthetics, song, dance, food and laughing, and if I can carve that out as my sacred place than I call myself lucky. I also find myself drawn to Buddhist meditation practice as a way of exercising self-awareness and discipline in a way that other people tap into their Judaism. Davening in the morning has a similar outcome to sitting on a cushion for 30 minutes and I personally tap more into the latter, but I envy the people who can achieve the same outcome through davening, and I’m still open to it. I feel conflicted because I feel an obligation to be a part of the Jewish community at large, but I find myself less and less inclined to go to shul on Saturdays and so I feel immensely guilty about that because how can I expect someone else to build and sustain the community if I don’t do the same thing? I’m working on that, but as far as Hillel is concerned, it’s been a forceful counterweight to the part of me that wants to distance myself from religious life and therefore I’m very appreciate."

Next year Shane will be a first year medical student here at Brown University.

“I definitely feel like [Judaism] has become more important to me as I've started to see myself as an adult and starting to shape my own life. When I think about what I want to do and be after I leave Brown, Hillel has definitely solidified to me that Jewish community is something I want to be a part of. I knew I wanted to be involved in Hillel in college but I also wanted to get involved in other things and not have my Jewish life completely define my college experience. I went to Jewish camp but I didn't go to Jewish high school, so it was kind of weird coming to Brown where so many people are Jewish. And while not everyone is observant, it’s exciting to connect with people that are Jewish just because they are. Hillel was so important my freshman year in making me feel comfortable because I found a community of people that got me and understood a part of my identity without me even having to share it. Then in the spring semester I became Holidays Chair and along with the party and event planning and getting things organized, I got to get other people involved, and I was excited to share that with Jews on campus who weren't yet Hillel regulars. I then decided to stay in leadership and ended up the Executive Vice President. It was great to be part of e-board and have big discussions about things that were going on at Hillel. Being able to give back and shape Hillel, and make it a comfortable and meaningful space for everyone was really important to me. I also live with my Hillel friends and I’m here almost every Friday night, except when I have weekend shifts as an EMT, so Jewish community is all around me. It’s not like we pray everyday at home but we have a kosher house, we always have Shabbat candles out before Hillel, and we have this understanding that is comforting and wonderful to share. I’m going to Medical school next year and throughout the interview trail visiting schools I always try to get a sense of what Jewish life is there. I’m going to be starting over and joining a shul or a less formal Jewish community will definitely help make me feel comfortable.“

Next year Rachel will be starting Medical School.

“My parents always wanted me to engage with Judaism, which I did to an extent as a kid, but on their terms, and that didn’t really resonate with me. When I came to Brown I had this wonderful realization that being Jewish is a rich experience and I got this new feeling for what it meant to be Jewish and how diverse that can be. I went on Birthright as a bright-eyed freshman not knowing anyone or anything about Hillel and that’s where I started to build my Jewish network on campus. I’ve always liked asking questions and that perfectly aligns with my Jewish identity because I feel like being Jewish is about learning and engaging with those tough questions. I used to meet with Rabbi Mordechai and we would have a set agenda for learning but we’d get so off track because I’d keep asking a million questions, and the same thing now with Rabbi Michelle and Moshe. I have non-Jewish and Jewish friends asking me what Judaism says about this and sometimes I know but most of the time I don’t and that's what’s exciting for me, that I can always look to someone or something to find an answer and try to enrich my life, my identity and my engagement with Judaism. Judaism makes me really hungry to learn and I’m thankful for something like that in my life, especially now that I’m closing out my formal education, because having something I can continuously touch upon and engage with in a learning sense is really important to me. I was Learning Chair at Hillel for a while and that was exciting because I didn’t feel qualified to do that, so I would say, ‘I’m putting on an event and I know nothing about it so I’m gonna be engaging as much as you are if you come’ and that was great because people saw it as an approachable way to learn without being intimated. Once my term ended I was an active participant at Hillel and I loved knowing on Friday nights I could go to dinner and see people I knew, and that community kept expanding into a big family on campus. I think it’s important to have a Jewish community as a young adult and Hillel has provided me with that, for which I’m really thankful. I always see people from Hillel, from birthright or from the broader network around campus and that’s made me feel very secure here. It makes me feel good walking away from Brown and feeling like Hillel was very much a foundational part of my experience here and that my Judaism will continue afterwards.”

Hannah is planning to move back to New Jersey, bond with her new dog, and maybe have a short stint living on an organic farm before finding a job in the healthcare field.