^^ @OnTheBubble, @rockvillemom wrote “generally more diverse and LGBT friendly,” not Far Left.
It’s that latter category that seems to have a problem these days with antisemitism on campus.
I think that diverse/LGBT-friendly often goes hand-in-hand with large-ish Jewish populations in the college context. This is not the same thing as saying there is no anti-semitism.
Anti-semitism is prevalent both at campuses with little diversity (and no Jewish community) - largely out of ignorance, we hope, and also at campuses where a strong liberal streak sometimes leads to un-nuanced views of Israel and/or little positive attention in general to faith-based communities - which also leads to anti-semitism.
Example of the former - “do you have horns? I never heard of a real live Jew before”
Example of the latter - “why would you participate in something as atavistic as circumcision?”
^ That attitude can happen anywhere. My brother went to George Washington, which has a large Jewish presence. His roommate was from Ocean Springs, Mississippi. He had never met a Jew, thought they had horns, etc.
I don’t think Case Western Reserve is a school for B students but as someone from MA, we know very little about this school and how welcoming it would be for my Jewish DD. I believe there is a good sized Jewish community in Cleveland or the suburbs, but other than what I’ll read on the Hillel website, does anyone either have direct experience with the Jewish population at CWRU, or perhaps live in an area where CWRU is known better and has more input for me?
BTW, I went to Syracuse in the early 80’s and there were tons of other Jews there. However, my roommate and friend came from southern NJ and from a very prejudice filled family. I remember her complaining that a store had tried to “Jew her down” and she had no idea why I, as a Jew, would find that offensive!
Happy Purim everyone!
I frankly have the opposite problem. My brother attends an Ivy that I will too beginning next year. Unfortunately, “Jewish” life there is largely dominated by “religious” Jews who seems to confuse being a Jew with being a Zionist or unabashed supporter of Israel. I’m frankly wary of going somewhere where my views as a secular Jew are deprecated by my co-religionists. My brother said that he has frequently been accused of being a “self hating Jew” when he challenges some of his fellow Jewish students.
(Corrected below in next post)
@klingon97 I looked to see what “ivy” you meant because I have heard that U Penn can seen very Orthodox at its Hillel. But your post this morning on the 3.5 GPA (or something like that) thread indicates that you do not have any ivy admissions, and none of your listed schools even has a sizable Jewish religious community (except your reach, Barnard). I am left concerned that you may be baiting the very friendly and helpful members of this thread.
In my own experience, people are too quick to level the “making me feel uncomfortable that I’m the wrong kind of Jew” accusation when the only thing that has happened is that someone challenged your comfort zone. Which is supposed to happen in college. Please don’t conflate that with the very real problems of anti -semitism that have been discussed here.
Corrected to add @klingon97 I see you just announced admission to Columbia, congratulations. The good news is that Columbia’s Jewish community is plenty big to find absolutely any kind of friends you want!
@klingon97, sorry, your posts have left me rather confused.
This morning you posted in one thread:
No mention of Columbia or any Ivy acceptances.
Twenty minutes earlier you posted this:
You cite having been accepted to Columbia there, the only Ivy on either list.
In between those two posts, you shared here that you have a brother who attends an Ivy where you too will be “beginning next year.” This would be Columbia, I presume. You’ve also stated elsewhere that your sister attends Barnard (although apparently she takes most of her classes at Columbia).
Are you saying that observant Jewish students at Columbia regularly accuse secular Jews of being “self-hating”? Has your sister had the same experience as your brother?
As a NYC resident yourself, would you say their experiences are appreciably different than what your family has experienced living in the city?
Barnard has a sizable population of Orthodox Jewish women. Maybe she was accepted there, but is positioning it as the Ivy Columbia.
I can now update that with an acceptance to UC Berkeley. I don’t know why I omitted Columbia. My oversight.
As for your question, I am saying that there is definite tension between non-observant and religious Jews. It’s more pronounced at Columbia. This is very different from living in NYC where the Jewish community is very liberal. I’ve never had any problems but admit that I don’t frequent areas that are heavily populated by religious Jews and don’t have any for friends.
Barnard is a sizeable community of religious Jews. While I wouldn’t say the atmosphere is tense, the secular and religious Jews are wary of each other.
@fretfulmother I chuckled when I saw that you called Barnard my “reach”. I’ve now been accepted by Columbia, Pomona, UCLA and a few minutes ago, UC Berkeley. So I guess they weren’t reaches after all. My advice–especially if you go to a highly competitive high school as I do, is don’t accept this “reach” nonsense. You have nothing to lose for trying.
- Barnard (literally 1 minute ago).
Hi – I’m rarely on CC anymore because my kids are now done with the process (coincidentally my daughter is a freshman at Syracuse). But I saw your post and wanted to respond because we live just outside of Cleveland, and my husband has been on the faculty at Case for 12 years (and yes, we happen to be Jewish). Case is a diverse and welcoming place. I know that the Hillel – which is housed at Case, but also encompasses Oberlin, Kent State and a few other colleges, is active and energetic. Both of my kids had a number of Jewish friends who went to Case, and all have thrived (I believe one of the daughter’s friends is quite active and doing a lot with the Hebrew program). The University Circle area (which includes Case and the hospitals, the Botanical Garden, the Art Museum, the Museum of Natural History, and Severance Hall) has recently expanded beyond into “Uptown Square” – a new district surrounding Case with shopping, dining, yoga, etc. If your daughter is seriously considering Case, I’d be more than happy to message or talk with you about Case and Cleveland!
So is it a “brother at Columbia” or a “sister at Barnard” @klingon97 ? And are you from NYC or are you from the UK and Russia?
Columbia, Barnard, Pomona, Berkeley, etc. - they’re all reaches for everyone. And yes, from your stats that have been quoted, they were also reaches for you. So congratulations on getting into your reaches! Just because you won the college lottery doesn’t mean it was a done deal ahead of time.
I think it is a gross overreach to characterize the NYC Jewish community as “very liberal” - aren’t there literally millions of Jewish people in NYC across all potential spectra? I find that comment, as well as your statements that you won’t speak to religious Jews or frequent “their” areas, offensive. Do you mean Williamsburg? The Upper West Side? Old historic Jewish neighborhoods? Park Slope?
And you are not in a position to say of Barnard, “the secular and religious Jews are wary of each other” - how could you have enough data to claim this, and how could it be universally true? You have a friend who is secular and she had an argument with a religious woman or something? I’m worried that you would just look at someone’s long skirt and decide she isn’t worth talking to. I hope for your sake, if you are lucky enough to attend one of these excellent colleges, that you do engage with other people who might not have exactly your world-view. It’s really important to have conversations in which you are offended when you go to college, and in which you might even learn something new.
@brantly I’ve noticed that you have this thing about Barnard. On various threads you emphasise that Barnard is only “affiliated” with Columbia and not part of it. This is getting tiresome. I can send you my family members’ diploma from Barnard. It says “Columbia University” and bears the signature of the President of Columbia and the President of Barnard. When you order a transcript through the clearing house, it says “Barnard College of Columbia University”. It also isn’t Barnard that is doing the “positioning”. Columbia University was involved in the decision to now list Columbia beside Barnard on all official publications.
@fretfulmother So you seek to undermine my statements by attacking my credibility. Ok, fine. My sister is at Barnard (Hewitt, now 602) and my brother is at Columbia (now doing the joint degree with SIPA). I have a parent from Russia (who emigrated to NYC) and lived in the UK for part of my upbringing. Want my passport? Want their student IDs?
As for not being able to comment about Jews at Barnard, I can because I have family members there. Just look at the recent protests about apartheid in Palestine (that’s what the protest was called, so don’t scream at me for using the term). Many secular Jews at Barnard and Columbia supported the protest and decried the actions of Israel. It got very stressful and university administrators stepped in. Look at Columbia Spectator. Jews who supported the protest were called “self loathing Jews”. Others were accused of being pro Hitler. The point I was making however is that many of us who are secular do not seek to identify with the “Jewish” community at Barnard or Columbia. Our Jewishness is just part of our identity. And we have many different opinions.
Your reaction actually fits a pattern. You in any way criticize the actions of Jews and you get attacked and efforts are made to undermine you. But to pretend that NYC is not famous for its liberal Jewish population is a joke. It is something to be proud of. American Jews have traditionally been open minded, liberal, compassionate and concerned about those at the fringes of society.
I’ll be honest. I consider myself American, not Jewish-American. I’m of Jewish heritage but it doesn’t define me. My “being unafraid” essay was actually about not being afraid to challenge my own Jewish community. I used the Pollard case. I do speak only for myself but my views are just as valid as yours.
@Blvdmom I’ve visited Cleveland many times. Cleveland has a very vibrant Jewish community which covers various traditions, from the more religious Jews found in parts of Cleveland Heights to the very secular Jews in Shaker Heights, Orange and Pepper Pike and Gates Mills. What I found best about Cleveland’s Jewish community is how they have supported the arts, culture and science, from the world-famous Cleveland Orchestra to CWRU and the Cleveland Clinic. It’s a fascinating place, the true Western Reserve.
What a shame that this 6 year old, fabulously helpful and supportive thread has now become a sidebar of arguments and s bit of Jews attacking Jews. That really saddens me. Could you guys take it outside?
I’m sorry @jym626.
No worries. You seemed more to be challenging the new sidebar questions/issues that may not have been the intent of this thread. After 6 years of a great thread, a poster asking why “Jewish” mattered was going to beg for a response. Understood.