Spring time and blooming blossoms generally mean that graduation season has come around. This week a large group of KU students participated in a very special graduation celebration, but this one was different. Unlike many other events at this time of the year marking academic achievements related to their majors, this one was a celebration related to their own personal growth. A group of over 50 students gathered together virtually to celebrate a semester of Torah learning as part of the JewishU program at KU.
Attending college is a priceless opportunity to mature and thrive both intellectually and socially. On-campus is where it all happens. Agony and ecstasy, heartbreaks and breakthroughs, frustration and fulfillment. The possibilities and the pitfalls are endless, which is what opportunity is all about.
For Jewish students, however, it is also an opportunity to deepen and broaden one’s Jewish identity, and one of the most powerful ways to do so is by expanding their own Jewish knowledge.
According to Rabbi Zalman Tiechtel, who has been co-directing KU Chabad for the past 15 years, for many young Jews today, their Jewish involvement comprises participating in various experiential Jewish opportunities. While Rabbi Tiechtel considers this integral to ensuring continued involvement, ultimately “we cannot neglect the importance of engaging the mind in intellectual study and immersion in Jewish texts. Sadly, for most millennials their Jewish learning ends at the Bar and Bat Mitzvah phase,” Rabbi Tiechtel said. “The JewishU program is here to change that.”
College students want to learn more about themselves, their history and their heritage, but they are often too busy to commit to extensive Jewish learning due to the many college obligations. To fulfill this need Chabad at KU created this innovative program called “JewishU,” which is a learning system that offers a variety of opportunities for Jewish learning, decreased workload, quantifiable knowledge and valuable rewards. JewishU provides students with a most effective platform to gain a comprehensive Jewish education alongside their standard college education.
At the start of the semester, students can choose from five different courses being offered, ranging from “The Jewish Course of Why,” a course exploring common questions people ask about Judaism, to “Your Israel,” a fascinating class all about Israel and why we care, to “Judaism’s Best Kept Secrets,” an in depth course for Jewish women about Jewish femininity. Once students complete a course, they can then convert their class participation into scholarship funds toward further Jewish programming, or they can allocate their stipend to a favorite charity. This semester over 70 students chose to dedicate multiple hours weekly to immerse themselves in quality Jewish learning.
Molly Ellner is a freshman from Milwaukee. She joined a JewishU course this semester and she shared that “The opportunity to take a Torah class this semester has been amazing. Going into college I didn’t know if I would have a great opportunity to keep in touch with my faith, but Chabad and this class have given me a great opportunity, and I believe I am more in touch with my faith than I was before college. I can’t wait to do another class and I’m so grateful that I’ve had the opportunity to take it!”
The JewishU program is funded by a grant from the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City and by the generous support of Irv and Ellen Robinson. At the JewishU graduation event, Irv Robinson told the students how in his view studying Torah brings happiness.
“Happiness is something that comes from within, so by your investment in yourselves by studying Torah this will help you not just to be successful but especially to be happy,” Robinson said. “It is such a privilege for me to be part of this program.”
Dr. Helene Lotman, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City, also joined this event and shared with the students her reflections on this program and how the Federation is proud to support this incredible revolution of Jewish learning among today’s Jewish college students.
According to Jessica Rakow, a KU junior and the coordinator this semester for the JewishU program, on any given evening the Chabad House will have a mélange of students that come together for some real Jewish fellowship and study. Those attending have only one common denominator — they are all Jewish and they all want to learn more about what that means.
“JewishU provides an opportunity for students to immerse themselves in Jewish learning and to explore core Jewish values and ideas,” said Nechama Tiechtel, co-director of KU Chabad, who teaches some of the courses. “It is amazing to see how much self-discovery and personal development the students gain from participating in these discussions.”
To learn more about JewishU visit www.JewishKU.com or contact KU Chabad at 785-832-8672.