<p>Does anyone have any insight as to Jewish life at Elon? I know this is not like schools with big Jewish populations like in the east or Florida. Just wondering what is the comfort level. Do Jewish students have friends with other Jewish students? I am worried the dating scene is tough to begin with. I look foward to your information.</p>
<p>I can’t think of any Jewish organizations off the top of my head but I’m sure there might be a few. I don’t think that I know any Jewish people, but then again, I don’t know the exact religion of most people. And yeah, haha, the gender ratio isn’t too favorable for us girls :p.</p>
<p>Texas Mother - I have looked into this issue quite a bit - as S1 was accepted at Elon and S2 will be applying. In my opinion, it is comfortable for Jewish students at Elon - certainly more so than the typical smaller LAC in the south or mid-atlantic that might have 50-60 Jewish students. Elon has about 250 Jewish students. They do have an active Hillel - check out the Hillel website. Elon seems to be interested in admitting more Jewish students - there have been several magazine articles saying just that. I have heard Elon is planning to build a free standing Hillel building - not sure of the status on that. My best suggestion to you is to go to the Elon Hillel website and then contact some of the student officers listed on there and the Hillel advisor and speak with them. That has been our tried and true technique when researching colleges.</p>
<p>Hi again - I just saw on the other thread that you mentioned you had been in touch with Hillel. So, what did you think? Are they planning a new building? I have not been to Elon in over a year - will visit with S2 this coming fall - would love to hear an update on Jewish life there.</p>
<p>We did visit and Nancy is lovely. We are going back this Friday and my d will go to Shabbat services. Nancy said the students do the basics more like candles, wine, and challah and then go their separate ways. I will certainly let you know what we think after our visit. She did meet a young lady from Atlanta who was lovely and very nice and impressive. I didn’t get the feeling they were going to get a free standing any time soon. I think they are in final discussions about the direction they are going. I am fuzzy on the details and will get back to you. We only looked at schools that had at least one paid staff for Hillel and some sort of meeting spot. Look for more info after our visit.</p>
<p>Also, if it helps, I recently got the following e-mail from Elon:</p>
<p>“Last fall President Lambert charged a committee of faculty, staff and students to recommend the design, function and program of a multi-faith center, and religious community houses, on the Elon campus. The goal of these facilities and related programs is both to affirm the religious/spiritual communities within the university and to promote rich inter-religious/spiritual dialogue.”</p>
<p>That is exactly what they are talking about at Hillel. Nancy indicated she was not sure if they were going to have a live in facility like a stand alone house. I believe the final plans of that group should be made soon. Thanks 1 sky pilot for that information.</p>
<p>My S graduated Elon last year and was an active participant of Hillel. He enjoyed many of the events and had a lot of fun. For the High Holidays, I know they would usually go to one of the two synagogues in Greensboro, which has a tight but small Jewish community. There were organized events for Chanukah and Passover and many bagel brunches! We found Elon to be very embracing and he never had any issues. I don’t know if it is still being offered, but there was an excellent course on the History of the Holocaust that my S took in his Junior year. It was amazing what he took away from that class.</p>
<p>^^to add on to what NEMOM is talking about, there is a new winter term trip planned in coordination with the Holocaust curriculum for 2011; it looks amazing and will visit concentration camps in multiple European locations…</p>
<p>now if they could only offer Hebrew as a foreign language option…lol</p>
<p>please keep us all posted; there are a bunch of us on here that are very much interested in all of the developments…(and some lurkers who I have contacted me by PM)</p>
<p>We have a Hillel. Right now, the school is building a new religious center along with all there other new construction. Also there will be a new Hillel building down the road.</p>
<p>They ARE offering hebrew next fall for the first time actually, though it does not fulfill the language requirement, only other electives/requirements.</p>
<p>The school also organizes birthright trips for winter term and summer, and other trips like the alternative spring break trip that went to Argentina.</p>
<p>Sure it’s small, but the people involved are committed and there is a future there. And as lacking as the Hillel may be, there are more students than you would think that are Jewish but choose to not participate in Hillel. I have a fair amount of Jewish friends who consider their Jewish heritage to be important, but still choose to not participate.</p>
<p>And last note…I have never felt any anti-semitism here. If you know about the school, you know about the “Elon bubble”, and I can truly say, as many issues as the bubble has, I have never felt unsafe because of my Jewish identity.</p>
<p>Thirteen Elon students have been selected to participate in a free 10-day trip to Israel this summer through Taglit-Birthright Israel.</p>
<p>[E-net</a>! - Thirteen Elon students selected for Taglit-Birthright 10-day trip to Israel](<a href=“http://www.elon.edu/e-net/Note.aspx?id=945432]E-net”>Thirteen Elon students selected for Taglit-Birthright 10-day trip to Israel | Today at Elon | Elon University)</p>
<p>Rex: I can’t imagine any student at Elon feeling “unsafe” because of their unique identity, heritage, religion, or otherwise.</p>
<p>Maybe I’m naive, having grown up around many Jewish people in s. Fla, but is this even an issue nowadays? I can;t think of 1 time anybody has given any thought whatsoever about whether someone is Jewish or not.</p>
<p>schlagowsky - yes it is an issue - at least for some of us. Part of it is concern over anti-Semiticsm - part of it is wanting our children to have Jewish friends and Jewish dating opportunities - part of it is that being Jewish is important to our kids and we want them to be able to participate in Hillel or a similar group. There are many wonderful small LACs in the South - that have few Jewish students. Some Jewish students are ok with this - some feel like the odd man out. Posts like yours just really set me off - if we are discussing this topic - obviously it is important to us. If you disagree, that’s your perogative, but growing up in south Florida - I don’t think you have a clue to what it might be like to be one of 10-20 Jewish kids at a predominantly Christian college.</p>
<p>schlagowsky, I agree. But it’s not my heritage, so who am I to talk, and i’m aware that the historic terminology of that question still exists in some of my friends families and kind of gets passed down through generations. </p>
<p>Two other quick thoughts I have on the question - </p>
<ul>
<li><p>There are some areas of my own city (like most cities) that I would feel unsafe in, but it has nothing to do with my religion or heritage.</p></li>
<li><p>The basis behind the question might also have to do with a kind of common assumption that “the South” is different and therefor unsafe or unpredictable. I moved to the South 20 years ago and still hear it from a lot of people who are as clueless about their misperceptions today as I was then. One of my all time favorite stories took place about 18 years ago when another friend of mine moved to the south… "My friend had a long day looking for a new apartment and wanted to sit down and have a beer, he entered a downtown bar and sat for a while, liked the place but felt like something was wrong. He worried that somehow everyone knew he was “The Northerner”. After awhile he stopped thinking about how different he felt, opened his eyes and realized he was in a gay bar.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>rockvillemom - I don’t think this is an us or them issue. I feel like it’s more of “will we be welcomed and allowed to keep our own unique culture and heritage”. People can express their feelings as “will we be safe” if they have that level of concern but that is not the level that most concerns are being expressed. Honestly the way the question was phrased it sounded a little like a persecution complex, being the Son of a Catholic mother who often choose to phrase questions and opinions that way, I’m aware that that phrasing is historical and while more common in some cultures, it’s by no means owned by any one group. It however can be unintentionally divisive to phase things that way.</p>
<p>“They ARE offering hebrew next fall for the first time actually, though it does not fulfill the language requirement”</p>
<p>Curious if you know the reason why?..is it because they want to see if there is demand or because it may only be one course and, therefore, not be able to fulfill proficiency to the same level as the other languages?</p>
<p>Also, can you post the link that shows this?</p>
<p>As far as the link, I can’t provide it. Nancy Luberoff announced at one Hillel event (I was only there for 10 minutes for the free food!)</p>
<p>For what it’s worth, when we visited Elon last month for accepted students days, I asked about the quality of the faculty, and the prof/administrator I was talking to proudly told me that perhaps the leading U.S. authority on Oskar Schindler is an Elon professor. (We did see his book on Schindler featured in a bookcase during our campus tour.) Now that in itself wouldn’t necessarily prove much. But it does suggest at least a welcoming attitude on the part of the faculty and administration to this professor’s area of scholarship. So it may be a narrow data point, but a telling one…</p>
<p>I’m sorry Rockville if it sounded as if I was downplaying your concerns, quite the opposite in fact. I was just taken aback and saddened that religion would be an issue.</p>
<p>Please - don’t be saddened by it! My son is very active in BBYO - it is his main EC. I just want to be sure he lands at a college with an active Hillel and enough Jewish kids to feel comfortable. His hs friends are certainly not all Jewish - he goes to a very diverse hs. I don’t want to present this issue as bigger than it is - it is just one factor that I consider when researching colleges.</p>
<p>To me, it’s just part of the college search process. He will probably be a business major - so I always look at the majors/minors of any prospective college and make sure they offer business. Same idea. </p>
<p>What really bothers me is this - I see parents of gay students inquiring if the college in question is gay-friendly - no one criticizes. I have seen posts from African American parents asking about campus diversity - no one complains. Yet, when Jewish parents bring up the question of how many Jewish students attend a particular college, or how the Hillel is, it never fails that people post questioning the need for such a line of inquiry. And that simply proves my point. Jewish students, or at least MY Jewish student, needs to attend a Jewish-friendly college and I believe Elon is such a place.</p>