2008 Woodie Awards
Does attending a Lutheran college affect your religious beliefs?
Four students at the College -- a Jew, a Catholic, a Lutheran, an atheist --explain how and if attending a Lutheran-affiliated school has affected them
Miriam Eisenberg, Class of 2007
Issue date: 12/9/04 Section: Focus
hen I first moved into the College, the first thing I did was meet my Jewish roommate and, of course, play Jewish Geography (For everyone who doesn't know, an example would be: Person 1: "Oh, you're from Long Island, do you know Jacob Rosen-stein-berg-man?" Person 2: "Hmm...Oh yeah. We went to camp together!").
On that same day, we met six out of twenty other girls on our Prosser Annex Hall that were also Jewish, and we were invited to a Hillel Shabbat Event. Since that first day, I have taken it upon myself to be active in Jewish campus organizations including, but not limited to, Hillel, and to continue being a proud representative of the Jewish Community.
Although the College is a Lutheran school, not once have I felt that my needs as a Jewish student were being ignored. We get off for Yom Kippur (the most important Jewish Holiday) and are excused from classes for Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year). Just this year, Randy Helm, President of the College, hosted an Israel discussion at his house, and we had Republican and Democratic representatives discussing the Middle East issue.
There are religion classes designed to inform students about Judaism and the College even hosts the Institute for Jewish-Christian Understanding. Finally, Hillel is a strong organization providing Jewish students with as much as a place to call home or as little as a free meal on Shabbat or Bagel Brunch. It even provides non-Jewish students with a place to experience a taste of Jewish tradition.
The College allows students to pursue their different religious beliefs freely and even encourages students to learn about other religions through classes, clubs or social connections. I have learned a great deal about myself, my own beliefs and the beliefs of others.
On that same day, we met six out of twenty other girls on our Prosser Annex Hall that were also Jewish, and we were invited to a Hillel Shabbat Event. Since that first day, I have taken it upon myself to be active in Jewish campus organizations including, but not limited to, Hillel, and to continue being a proud representative of the Jewish Community.
Although the College is a Lutheran school, not once have I felt that my needs as a Jewish student were being ignored. We get off for Yom Kippur (the most important Jewish Holiday) and are excused from classes for Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year). Just this year, Randy Helm, President of the College, hosted an Israel discussion at his house, and we had Republican and Democratic representatives discussing the Middle East issue.
There are religion classes designed to inform students about Judaism and the College even hosts the Institute for Jewish-Christian Understanding. Finally, Hillel is a strong organization providing Jewish students with as much as a place to call home or as little as a free meal on Shabbat or Bagel Brunch. It even provides non-Jewish students with a place to experience a taste of Jewish tradition.
The College allows students to pursue their different religious beliefs freely and even encourages students to learn about other religions through classes, clubs or social connections. I have learned a great deal about myself, my own beliefs and the beliefs of others.