At a Jesuit Institution, Feeling More Jewish Than Ever
6%. That’s the percent of Georgetown students who are Jewish. It’s minuscule compared to the other colleges I was considering. There is no Hillel here. In the past few weeks, there have been 3 separate incidents of anti-Semitic graffiti, one of which occurred on Rosh Hashanah. Nonetheless, I think this is one of the best universities to attend as a Jew.
The Jewish community here is small, but it’s incredibly united, and incredibly vibrant. And more importantly, it exists within a larger, multi-faith community that is always interested in interreligous dialogue and exposure, especially when it comes to Judaism. Georgetown was the the first American university to hire a full-time Imam, and the first Catholic university to hire a full-time Rabbi. I have yet to attend a Shabbat service without bringing along one of my Roman Catholic friends. The typical Friday night service here is well attended by all faiths, from elderly priests in clerical collars to young Muslim women wearing hijab.
On Erev Rosh, after news of swastika graffiti broke, Jewish groups organized Jews and non-Jews alike to fill Red Square with chalk messages celebrating Judaism and condemning hate. It was one of the most beautiful displays of solidarity I have seen, and a wonderful way to begin Rosh Hashanah. The remainder of Rosh Hashanah became an opportunity for celebrating Jewish pride and resilience, and the holiday ended on Friday night with a Jewish party at which we toasted to “100 Nazi scalps” and other quotes from Inglorious Basterds.
I was raised Jewish. I’ve lived my whole life in heavily Jewish towns in northeastern New Jersey. I attended Jewish summer camp. Never in my life has my Judaism felt like such a central and wonderful part of my identity as it does now. Because although I am not always surrounded by Jews as I have been in the past, I am surrounded by people who are extremely enthusiastic about their faith, and that has inspired me to grow more enthusiastic about mine.
