Blog Archives

Jewish Women's Group discusses the meaning of home

10/22/2015

The Jewish Women's Group is a new initiative Hillel has started in order to bring together Jewish women, particularly those in Greek life, for meaningful discussion. The group meets once a month, aligning with Rosh Chodesh, the new moon. For our first meeting, we discussed the concept of home. We focused on mezuzahs and read and discussed the prayer held inside, the Shema (Deuteronomy 6: 4-9). First, each member of the group shared what makes a place feel like a home to us personally. We agreed that a home is somewhere we feel completely comfortable to be ourselves and know that we will be just as loved on our worst days as on our best. We then analyzed the words of the Shema.

We compared the concept of God to life and how we should love life just as we are commanded to love God. We also discussed how we must pass these traditions onto our children and spread them to each new place we enter. Each group member shared her own experiences with mezuzahs, which evolved into a conversation about our unique ways of practicing and celebrating Judaism in our daily lives. We also compared how the Jewish concept of home is similar to the ways that sororities strive to create a home for each of its members, including the idea of reaching out to others and making them feel included and important. Participating in this discussion made me think about the role Judaism plays in my daily life and interactions with others, whether I realize it or not. I enjoyed hearing how other group members expressed their Jewish values and affirming that even if our expressions are varied, they are all still well-founded. At the end, we were given our own mezuzahs to take home and had the opportunity to write our own prayers or thoughts to place inside. I have hung mine on the door to my room and love having this constant reminder of the positive role Judaism plays in my life inside of my home. If you have the chance to attend one of these discussions, definitely do!
-- Amy Singer
Class of 2018

Sustainability Council talks with Tel Aviv City Councilman

10/15/2015

On Monday, a few members of the Student Council Sustainability Committee had the pleasure of sitting down with Etai Pinkas for an hour. Pinkas serves as a Tel Aviv City Councilman. He had served as board chairman for the Dan Region Association of Towns for Environmental Issues & Sewage.

While talking with students, Pinkas covered plenty of the areas he has experience in-- including motivating the populous to accept environmentally motivated initiatives, working within a governmental structure to bring big picture issues to the forefront, and utilizing divesture to achieve environmental goals. The topics were applicable not only to Israel, but also to America and the entire world. The opportunity to hear from the man voted one of Israel's 100 Most Influential People on his work and passion was truly remarkable.

-- Otto Warmbier
Class of 2017

Exploring Jewish History Through Art

10/13/2015

The UVA community received a very special guest this past September. Mark Strauss, a Holocaust survivor originally from Poland and currently a Virginia resident, came to speak to students about his life story. Mr. Strauss opened up to students and faculty about his experience in hiding and surviving in the Holocaust as a young boy. The room fell silent as Mr. Strauss told stories of crouching in sewers for hours or scavaging for food in his starved state. The vivid descriptions became even more surreal as Mr. Strauss shared his beautiful oil paintings with the audience. Many students purchased copies of the artwork in order to remember hearing this of struggle and resilience.

In my role as Arts & Culture Engagement Intern, I chose to organize a program that blended art and Jewish history. I wanted to give all UVA students a chance to hear first-hand about what it was like to live through the Holocaust as a Jew. A lot of people have not had the opportunity to do so, and I believe that it is an important talk for everyone to hear. It is a very unique and rare chance that we are able to talk with a Holocaust survivor, and we should take advantage of this opportunity while we have it. It was so rewarding to see UVA students with all different backgrounds and majors to come out to this inspiring event.

-- Rachel Mayman
Class of 2018

Jewish Women's Group discusses the meaning of home

Sustainability Council talks with Tel Aviv City Councilman

Exploring Jewish History Through Art

Archives

Categories

Connect with us on social media!