The 2003 Jewish High Holiday season will pass unnoticed by the vast majority of USM students. The High Holidays began on September 26th and will end on October 6th; it is a time for Jews to reaffirm their faith and bond with their religious community.
Unfortunately for USM’s Jews, there is no Hillel (Jewish student organization) on campus. “I do not find it easy to meet other Jewish people at USM,” said Sara Ehrmann, a third year Music Education major and Reform Jew. Ehrmann also found that many of the rules governing dormitory life did not account for Judaic rituals. “Living in the dorms was hard because I could not burn a candle for Shabbat (Sabbath). During Hanukah, I had to get an electric Menorah.”
The absence of a Hillel is felt most clearly during the High Holidays, which is the holiest time in the Jewish calendar. “The High Holidays are very important to me. I wouldn’t miss them except for a medical emergency,” said Ehrmann.
Josef Melech, third year marine biology major and Orthodox Jew attempted to found a Hillel, but said that the Board of Student Organization’s diversity clause would undermine the mission of the group. The clause prohibits discrimination against individuals on the grounds of race, age, religion, disabilities or sexual orientation. If a Hillel was formed, it couldn’t exclude a non-jewish student from an officer position.
“The school’s diversity clause is flat out bunk!” said Melech. “We don’t want to be exclusively Jewish. We want a provision that the people who serve as executive officers be Jewish so that they know what the hell is going on!” Melech said that without these protections, any Hillel would quickly become defunct.
Andrea Thompson McCall, USM’s Interfaith Chaplain finds that such issues can be ironed out in the student senate. McCall has overseen several failed attempts to create a Hillel. “We have never had a critical mass of enough students ready to put in the energy to create such an organization.” McCall noted that Maine has a very small Jewish population, which is reflected in USM enrollment. “Most of the Jewish students at USM come here from out of state,” said McCall.
“I think a lot of Jewish people tend not to display their religion very much,” said Ehrmann. Ehrmann believes that this makes it harder for Hillels to find members than it is for Christian groups.
The holiday of Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of the Jewish New Year. It is followed by the Ten Days of Awe, which conclude with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Traditionally, Yom Kippur is the most important date on the Hebrew calendar. The day is set aside as a time to reconcile one’s sins with God. Work is forbidden on Yom Kippur, as are eating, drinking, bathing, anointing one’s body (i.e., perfume, deodorant), wearing leather, and having sexual relations. The fast begins at sunset on Yom Kippur Eve and is broken the following evening. The Ten Days of Awe are a time for reflection and atonement. Jews believe that during this period God determines the fate of every person for the coming year. Yom Kippur is the day on which God makes his final verdict, and inscribes the names of those who shall live in The Book of Life. If a Jew were to attend synagogue only once a year, Yom Kippur would be that day.
“I believe that Yom Kippur is the one day a year when every Jew feels something about the relationship they have with God,” said Melech.
Sam Geer can be contacted at [email protected]