Jewish Holidays and the Beginning of Classes

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Chicago ✅
1

<p>I assume Jewish students ordinarily would clear missing classes with professors and obtain notes from classmates in order to observe Rosh Hashanah. However, this year Rosh Hashanah begins the evening of the first day of classes. This means missing the first and/or second day of classes, which means no opportunity to speak with professors or identify classmates and possibly missing information vital to orienting oneself to the rest of the semester in some classes. </p>

<p>I'm troubled by this issue more than my incoming first-year son ("It's not like I'm the only Jewish kid at Chicago, Mom. I'm sure I'll figure it out."), but I'd still appreciate advice from "veterans" to pass on to him.</p>

2

<p>Ditto! Seems like this would be something that happens often, giving the general timing of the holidays and the start of school.</p>

3

<p>Yeah, been there, done this.</p>

<p>Usually only Yom Kippur occurs during school, while Rosh Hashanah is during O-Week.</p>

<p>Anyway, your child will know his/her class schedule at least a couple of days before classes begin, and with a ~15% Jewish population, my guess is 5-10% of the undergraduate and graduate student population is going to be observing the holiday... meaning it's likely your child won't be the only one in his actual classes who won't be attending.</p>

<p>He or she should e-mail the professors in advance to confirm that he or she is registered and intends to be a part of the class, but will not be coming in observance of the holiday. </p>

<p>Some classes might even be canceled altogether-- a good number of faculty are observant Jews.</p>

<p>Hillel's website is here:
The</a> Newberger Hillel Center</p>

<p>Typically, they do some O-Week activities as well, but if it's just about services, they hold them in Ida Noyes Hall. Ida Noyes is a huge event space, so there are different services going on simultaneously for different branches of Judaism.</p>

<p>KAM can be a bit of a hike (51st and Greenwood, 6 blocks due north of the Reg) but it's a beautiful reform synagogue.</p>

<p>KAM</a> Isaiah Israel - Chicago, IL - Home</p>

<p>And also a Chabad on the corner of 57th and Kimbark, two blocks from campus:</p>

<p>Welcome</a> to the Chabad Jewish Center at the University of Chicago & Hyde Park</p>

4

<p>The AEPI fraternity brothers can also be quite helpful in this regard.</p>

<p>Alpha</a> Epsilon Pi - Welcome!</p>

5

<p>I would definitely email professors in advance. Nor would I be suprised if one or two said an absence would be counted as unexcused. </p>

<p>Case in point, I had an immediate family member die on a Thursday afternoon, and was told by a professor to wait until Saturday to go home since I had a Friday midterm that he was not keen on having anyone retake. Further, there are some lecturers who are simply anal about getting their enrollment pinned down quickly given how short Chicago's quarters are, especially if their courses are oversubscribed. Finally, I would presume that a minority of U of C profs would balk at the idea of requesting days off beyond those schedualed for religious observence, independent of any legitimate academic reasons they may have. </p>

<p>Alas, academic bureaucracy is not always so flexible.</p>