<p>Interesteddad, I would be interested to know where your evidence of inaccuracy comes from. According to the Hillel website, there are 2000 Jewish Emory undergrads out of 6658 total undergrads--that's 33%. The percentage for Harvard is also 33%. There is no foolproof way to report exact numbers of Jewish students but these seem realistic to me. </p>
<p>I'm curious as to why your response was so vehement and dismissive.</p>
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So you are saying Jews are incapable of feeling comfortable around non-jews? That's ridiculous. I don't understand wanting to have people of your same religion and race all the time at your college. That's not being diverse at all, is it?
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No, I'm not saying that at all. What I am saying is that if Judaism is important to you, there needs to be a "critical mass" of other Jews around. That is necessary for prayer services, and for cultural purposes. Even if you're not totally religious, it's nice that there is matzah in the cafeteria during Passover. That you don't have to explain to every professor why you're not in class on Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and the first two days of Passover. That there may be a kosher meal available to you. That you don't have to hunt down a Seder or a Kol Nidre service on your own. And that you don't have to face anti-Semitism by yourself. </p>
<p>There are posts on this board that say "Would a Hispanic/black/Asian feel comfortable on this campus?" Jews ask the same question. Just because we may be "overrepresented" in academia, where Jews are no longer considered "minority", we still are less than 3% of the US population.</p>
<p>In addition to Cheva's clear explanation, those Jewish students to whom continuation of the existence of Judaism is important want to have a sufficient number of Jews of the opposite sex to date and potentially, to marry. At less than 3% of the population of the U.S., we can ill afford to lose the potential to create Jewish families and future Jewish children.</p>
<p>Chedva- your comment regarding matzah in the cafeteria during passover, brought back some memories when we were checking out schools for d #1. We intentionally used the Easter/Passover break to check out UVA and William and Mary for my kid to see if she would feel "comfortable" at those schools. While touring the cafeteria at Wm & Mary, the tour guide pointed out the "passover food area" that was available to students. This was done as part of the tour without us even asking- so I guess the school was sensitive to the needs of Jewish students. Though we didn't see the Passover food area at UVA, we did check out their Hillel and was assured that it was available.</p>
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According to the Hillel website, there are 2000 Jewish Emory undergrads out of 6658 total undergrads--that's 33%.
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</p>
<p>Right. Where did that number come from? Data? Or just a wild guess? </p>
<p>Most of these schools never ask students about their religious affiliations. The correct answer for many schools, including many schools on that list, is "we have no idea".</p>
<p>I agree with chedva. Some in this thread need to stop spinning the issue as if Jews are racist and only want to be around other Jews. That's just not it. As a Jew, one main criterion for my college selection is racial, ethinic, religious, political, etc. diversity. Because my school isn't incredibly diverse, I'm glad I've had other opportunities to meet people from around the country who are completely different from me and to learn from them. However, it'd be nice if there were other Jews, because, let's face it, we'll have a lot in common (which isn't to say I wouldn't bond with anyone else over other similarities) probably. And it'd also be nice if I didn't get weird looks every time I ate matzah. :)</p>
<p>I am Jew too and I am pretty much settled that I won't be going to a university that has a small number of Jews or a small Jewish community for the simple fact that arriving at first, I will be able to make contact with other people straight away, maybe go to shabat with some people and not just be overwhelmed by the whole university atmosphere. There will be many people that also have the same customs which will make the whole process easier.</p>
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Or, look at Harvard. Only about 54% of Harvard's enrollment is white. Are we really to believe that essentially one out of every two white Harvard students is Jewish? I don't think so.
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<p>I wouldn't be at all surprised.</p>
<p>I think the numbers are actually pretty good. Hillel numbers tend to be a bit on the high side.</p>
<p>I don't see anything racist in the fact that many Jewish students enjoy being on campuses where there are a substantial number of other Jews. You need a certain quota of people to support Jewish activities -- such as religious services, holiday events, and Jewish organizations such as Hillel. And for those who prefer to date (and marry) only people of their own religion, you need to have enough such people to give you some choice.</p>
<p>Besides, having 20 or 30 percent Jewish students on a campus does not imply a lack of diversity. The University of Maryland at College Park, which is a Jewish favorite, is also one of the most diverse campuses in the country. (My son goes to Maryland, and yes, there really is a large Jewish community on campus, with lots of Jewish-oriented organizations and activities.)</p>
<p>njcanen, if you enjoy meeting people at shabbat, you'd like Cornell University. Every September, they organize a mass shabbat dinner in the drill hall -- for about 1000 people.</p>
<p>it is important when looking at lists like this to remember that Jewish students do not constitute a homogeneous group. what any given Jewish student will be looking for will vay across a wide spectrum -- for some their Judaism will play no role in their college decision process. others will want a school where they won't be the only one celebrating Chanukah. for still others, the presence of an active religous community will be important. for some the presence of kosher food is important (the last two issues are not the same -- there are schools that have active religiosu services but no kosher meal plan). there is no one size fits all -- each Jewish student, just like each any type of student, has to find the fit that is right for him or her.</p>
<p>lists such as that inthe article can be very misleading -- the number of Jews or even percentage of Jews tells you nothing about how active or inactive that Jewish community is religiously. when looking at school for my d we looked at several that were taughted as having "great" Jewish communities because there were a lot of Jews there -- many however had little to offer in terms of religous community compared to other schools. you really have to take a very careful look at what the Jewish community is actually like.</p>
<p>Yeshiva Univ is by its very mission a school for Orthodox Jews. Someone who is looking for a school where there will be a culturally Jewish community (eg, latkes on Chanukah, Israeli dancing) but is not Orthodox is as likely to consider Yeshiva as a non-Jew would be.</p>
<p>Looking for the type of Jewish community a student wants does not mean the student does not also want to be part of a larger non-Jewish community. The same student who may want to feel part of a religious community may also want to make sure to attend a school with an orchestra, or Div III sports team, or a certain political group, or any other of the hundreds of clubs offered at schools that help students find their niche.</p>
<p>"fit" is so important in finding a college -- no one should criticize what a student considers important in fit.</p>
<p>That's another reason why I want to be near a good Jewish community. I mean universities is when you most often get into relationships and so on, and I could not see myself going out with a 'goi' (non-Jewish) girl or even being in a serious relation because it will be so hard to get together with different customs and so on.</p>
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Why is Yeshiva only #5? YESHIVA
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Because the list is by absolute numbers, not by percentages. Let's say that Yeshiva has a student population of 1000 (pulled out of the air), and Maryland has 10,000 (again pulled out of the air for convenience). If 20% of Maryland is Jewish, that's 2000 students, which would put it above Yeshiva on the list, even if Yeshiva has 100% Jewish students.</p>
<p>I am a bit surprised about the reactions to this thread. Why is asking if a Jew would be comfortable on campus any different than, say, the thread asking if a Northerner would be comfortable at a Southern school?</p>
<p>There sure are a lot of Jews in my school... go figure...</p>
<p>Why is UCLA on the list, but not UCB? :rolleyes:</p>
<p>I'm really not sure- I noticed Berkeley's absence when I first saw the list.</p>
<p>Stanford was not on the list as well..quite unexpected in my opinion</p>
<p>University of Florida</p>
<p>Tulane is reputed to have an active Jewish population (at least pre-Katrina).</p>
<p>What I don't understand is why the proportion of Jewish students at Barnard is so much higher than at Columbia. The two schools are across the street from one another and closely affiliated.</p>
<p>Interestingly, I have a couple of Orthodox friends who were looking at Barnard... primarily because it was an all-girls' school, where they felt more comfortable. (A co-ed hall was not for them). This could explain part of the difference between Columbia and Barnard.</p>
<p>What bizymom said about Jews not being a homogenous group was very accurate. Personally, I'm strongly culturally Jewish, but not spiritually - the school I go to, Wesleyan University, creates a perfect Jewish community that fits with me - a cohesive community where, to be honest, someone who keeps strictly Orthodox, kosher, and shomer shabbos might not feel as comfortable. Infamously, some schools like Brandeis actually have problems with self-segregation of different Jewish groups (or so I've heard).</p>
<p>Another note: Judaism has a strong cultural (as well as religious) dimension, which is important for many students.</p>
<p>I don't think it's a problem to seek out people like you and go to a school where you feel comfortable and not ostracized. I do think it's a problem if you self-segregate to such an extent that all your friends are only from one cultural/racial/ethnic/etc group. However, students will rarely do this at most schools, I think. :)</p>
<p>There should be no concern at all if Asians, Muslims, Jews, Blacks, or Hispanics would prefer to be in an environment where there are lots of their particular "kind," in order to bond and feel comfortable. Now if white Christians wanted to do that...THAT'S a problem.</p>