So back in 2013, Swarthmore’s Jewish student group disaffiliated from Hillel. They formed something called the Kehillah instead. I heard over the years (i’m a parent) that a lot fewer Jews started applying to the school, which in turn concerned the administration. In any event, I tried to see what’s going on because my kid my be interested in the school, but all I could find was a “Swarthmore Kehillah” page that hasn’t been updated since 2017… What’s the current situation?
I would call admissions, ask for a Jewish student ambassador.
Here’s a chain albeit short. You might call Chabad too.
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I am specifically concerned not simply about the quantity of Jews at Swarthmore, but whether the current Jewish student group, if one exists, continues to be at odds with the national Hillel guidelines, which require Hillels to not host speakers or partner with groups who advocate for Israel to cease to exist. While these Swarthmore students said at the time they were open to everyone, they subsequently acknowledged being “antizionist”. What is the current situation?
Again - I would call admissions. They will certainly be able to set you up with a Jewish student.
And the Chabad more so. The Chab is serving 3 campuses - so you can see are there Swat students there, etc. While you say population doesn’t matter, I would assume you want heft.
Short of that, if you are going to have it bothering you, don’t apply - or apply and if you get in then dig more on campus.
That will be the best for you - maybe being on campus and setting up a few in person meetings.
You might want to add to that list the faculty member below, who focuses on Judaism and may be a good source for you to share concerns and see what they say.
Swat won’t be your only school of concern though - unfortunately.
Kehilah is active on Instagram under the handle @swatkehilah, which I imagine means the group is active.
While they don’t seem to be a member of it, there’s a coalition of similar non-Hillel-affiliated Jewish student groups called Judaism On Our Own Terms (JOOOT) that I believe have followed similar trajectories. One of the major catalysts for the splits from Hillel International, as the OP mentioned, was their prohibition of Hillel groups hosting or collaborating with groups that host speakers who are deemed anti-Israel or pro-Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions by Hillel officials. This isn’t just a Swarthmore thing. The JOOOT Guidebook has more info, as does the Harvard Political Review: Balancing Game: Hillel's Standards of Partnership & BDS - Harvard Political Review
Oh, and here’s an article that discusses what happened at Swarthmore: How the Israel Lobby Captured Hillel – Foreign Policy
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Well, since most counts of Jews are based on Hillel’s estimates, this may very well be the result of fewer Jewish students being Hillel members.
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Hillel bases its estimates on local contacts. It doesn’t even have Swarthmore in its guide, which is a bit odd.
They haven’t posted anything this academic year, nor has their Facebook page. Swarthmore Kehilah: Jewish Community | Facebook
Not a good sign. Judging from their old FB and Instagram posts, they seem to have occasional holiday celebrations, and that’s about it. Ironically, given the controversy, they don’t seem to do politics, much less Israel-related politics, I’m guessing that proves divisive.
The only way you’re going to find out - is via the campus itself - hence I suggested you have admissions get you a Jewish ambassador (host, tourguide, etc. - they’ll have one).
Contact the 3 campus chabad and I gave you the Jewish Studies prof.
Rather, your kid should reach out but you can be a part of discussions.
The students and profs are genuine; they will answer you honestly to the best of their abilities.
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Israeli - Palestinian politics on college campuses seem to end up nasty and divisive no matter what.
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In response to the original poster I do think this results in less Jews applying. My son was super interested in Swat until the Jewish issue came up. It’s a little surprising as I wouldn’t say he’s that active - but he goes to religious school and Jewish camp. He just took Swat and Wesleyan off his list, at least for now. It’s sad as I think Swat is a good match for him socially, educationally and geographically.
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Has he dug into it or is he making assumptions? Perhaps you can get him set up with a student ambassador?
He’s dug in a little. He’s pretty aware. But you are right - I think he needs to speak with students to see what it’s actually like on campus. I can make that happen at Wesleyan but not sure about Swarthmore. Edited to add: he’s not that interested in Chabad, so that limits him.
Was surprised at the Wesleyan comment - hadn’t heard that. They even have a staff rabbi.
Is he a Senior? He should make sure not to miss a deadline - even Swat (which has slim odds of getting in anyway) so you can investigate later.
I’m sure Swarthmore has had this question a million times and will have someone to direct you to - there may be an issue but it may be more about differing opinions and not related to any prejudice or anything else at all. Back in the day, Swat was reported to have a sizable Jewish population.
To contact Swarthmore Kehilah’s student board please email us at kehilah@swarthmore.edu. We are always happy to talk to prospective students about the Jewish culture of Swarthmore.
Welcome, Jewish Life at Wesleyan, ORSL - Wesleyan University
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He’s a junior. We have some time! Thanks. I’m just realizing this is another issue to consider as he makes his list.
What’s he looking for in Jewish life - maybe I can throw out some ideas. I’ve been through this rodeo - both kids - although if you’re looking for an LAC, we just looked at W&L - surprisingly impressive.
My daughter is at College of Charleston - also very impressive. She chose it over W&L. Well dad chose it over W&L full pay at $80K+ 
But they (W&L) have the Johnson Scholar for a full ride and secondarily the Weinstein which is full tuition for a Jewish student. We went in with trepidation but were wowed.
College of Charleston has been impressive in Jewish life. It’s, according to them, the only public school with a Hillel on campus - so the HIllel staff is part of the school. At public schools, it’s always adjacent. They have tons of Jews at Charleston - 800 to 1000 of 10000 and it’s considered a public LAC although it’s obviously a few notches below a Swat / Wesleyan. Their merit is solid though - our scholarship is $5K more than tuition.
Anyway, you have lots of time - if you’re interested in a Haverford or Princeton/Penn type thing, you’d be close enough - I’d go check out Swat and Wesleyan (if you’re in NYC/New England)- and get the real scoop - in person!!!
Good luck.
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Wesleyan has lots of Jewish students, almost always has a Jewish chaplain (as one of four chaplains on staff) and is within walking distance of a temple (they welcomed their first woman rabbi in 2020.) It is not a member of Hillel for the same reasons as Swarthmore; predictably, the Isreal/Palestine political situation is a hot-button issue there, too. But when people say they want a place with diverse opinions, conflict is part of the bargain, no?
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Exactly. He wants a liberal accepting institution but what that means in terms of Israel makes it more complicated for him.
It’s a moment for DS - to decide what he believes and what he’d fight for. Right now I think his goal would be to avoid conflict.
Thanks everyone for keeping this positive. We have a lot to think about.
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It’s funny. Swarthmore is nearly 17% Jewish according the Hillel chart (pasted below), but the fact that every other stat is NA definitely gives some credence to the fact that Hillel is on the outs there. Similarly, we visited another college mainly because it was near the top of the Hillel list by percentage, but on the visit it was clear that formal Jewish life was very limited and that there was no dedicated Jewish space on campus. I guess a high percentage of Jews only gets you so far. Hillel College Guide Magazine - 2022 by Hillel International - Issuu
Truth is there are anti semitic incidents or behaviors everywhere….at many schools with large Jewish populations.