It’s the second year of Hillel on the University of Mississippi campus.
Many people wonder why the UM campus needs another religious organization, but this one is different.
Founded in 1923, Hillel has become the largest Jewish student organization in the world, boasting over 550 chapters worldwide.
The organization focuses on the Jewish community of Oxford, along with the community at UM.
Senior political science major Sarah Atnipp, president of Hillel, wants to bring the focus away from the city and more to the university.
“There are no temples in Oxford to worship at and the closest are in Memphis and Tupelo,” she said. “Most of the time, if I want to worship, I have to go home to Houston, Texas, and it should not have to be that way.
“We had a Hanukkah party last year, but that was kind of it, and we want to do a lot more this year.”
Atnipp could not do all of this alone. With the help of Wendy Goldberg, a composition and rhetoric instructor at UM, and Jason Solinger, an English professor, she was able to get the organization off the ground.
Atnipp said the meetings range from religious studies to fun get-togethers, depending on what the group wants to do.
The organization offers Shabbat services twice a month in Paris-Yates Chapel and Atnipp can relate to that history.
“My dad was Baptist and my mom is Jewish, and it is tradition to take the religion of your mother,” Atnipp said. “I was always raised as a reformed Jew, and at a place like Ole Miss, it can make you feel isolated when you do not know anyone else.
“That’s one of the main reasons for starting the organization.”
Hillel is much more than just a student organization.
College-age Jewish students can apply for “Birthright Israel,” which gives the student an opportunity to experience Israel— at absolutely no cost.
“I am going in the summer, and I am more than happy to help anyone interested in applying,” Atnipp said. “I have the contact information and all that, and there is no reason every Jewish student should not look into this.”
In the end, though, it is all about friendship. Coming to UM is a scary thing for everyone, especially when they do not know anyone of the same faith. Awkwardly declining invitations to the BSU or RUF can get old after a while, and Atnipp said she wants to make sure that all Jewish students have somewhere they feel comfortable to go.
“There are lots of Jewish people out there, you just have to look,” Atnipp said. “People have this stereotype of Jews in their mind and think that we all conform to it, when a lot of us do not.”
Atnipp said this group is a way for Jewish students at UM to get connected.
“I sometimes feel judged when I tell people I am Jewish, and on TV you see extreme Jewish jokes, and it can be hard,” Atnipp said. “I just want Jewish kids to know that there are more out there, and they do not have to feel alone.”
If you are a Jewish student interested in attending the meeting, it is at 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday in the Student Union lounge.
For more information about both Hillel and Birthright Israel, visit http://www.hillel.org/index.
from the Daily Mississippian by Casey Hollliday
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