Alcohol on Campus in Context of Religious Services

[SlitheyTove]

Given the calendar, I'm guessing a Simchat Torah celebration at Chabad.

Explanation: Jewish holiday celebrating the completion of the annual reading through the torah and marking the end of the fall holiday season. As far as I know there's no tradition saying that you're supposed to be drunk (as with Purim), though it's very typical for hard liquor to be available. One big difference with Purim is that Simchat Torah is "chag" (with a gutteral ch sound), meaning that if one is observant one doesn't work, drive, write, or any other activity prohibited on chag days. Purim isn't chag. Jewish holidays, chag or not, start in the evening and end the next day. So if you get drunk on Simchat Torah and you're observant you're not driving home and you're going to services at synagogue the next morning.

Chabad, unlike Hillel, isn't campus based. There may be Chabad houses located right near college campuses, but Chabad's purpose isn't focused on college and university students, as is the case with Hillel.

[annasdad]

ChicagoBear, it's not correct that Catholics are the only ones with a closed (members only) communion. Lutheran churches affiliated with the more conservative synods also restrict communion to members, although some make some exceptions.

[reeinaz]

I googled a few key words and found the likely situation the prompted the op. It seems the Chabad involved is/was a campus affiliated organization and the Chabad House is listed in the campus directory.

[Pizzagirl]

"Given the calendar, I'm guessing a Simchat Torah celebration at Chabad. "

No, this has apparently been an ongoing issue, with vodka and whisky at Shabbat, not related to a once-a-year holiday.



"Chabad, unlike Hillel, isn't campus based. There may be Chabad houses located right near college campuses, but Chabad's purpose isn't focused on college and university students, as is the case with Hillel."

This one absolutely is campus-based and was formed specifically to serve the students at this college. The Chabad rabbi absolutely was an "official" religious leader along the Hillel rabbi and the leaders of the other faiths.

[rigaudon]

Campus-cased Chabad House not be unique to this school, I read that there has been a lot of growth in Chabad houses on college campuses in U.S. and other countries and they are listed on their site:

Chabad on Campus International Foundation: the Heart of Jewish Student life. Vibrant Judaism on Campus.

I don't know much about the organization and only posted since SlitheyTove said Chabad is not campus based or focused on college students.

[cbreeze]

I would worry about the safety of those students, particularly new students whose alcoholic experience has been very limited. I am in my 50s and never had any alcoholic shots in my life. Not to mention that it seems illegal.

[reeinaz]

Suppose no one was getting drunk/wasted. I haven't seen that said anywhere. If a university has no exceptions in its policy against underage drinking, does the amount or reason matter?

[SlitheyTove]

No, this has apparently been an ongoing issue, with vodka and whisky at Shabbat, not related to a once-a-year holiday.

How much are they getting at Shabbat? Whenever I've been at a Shabbat lunch where there's shots to go along with the herring, it's been very much at the one shot, maybe two. Getting rip-roaringly drunk, no. Friday night dinners, the attraction is supposed to be getting a good home-cooked meal.

There are Chabad houses all over the world, most not near college campuses. Even those that are right next to campuses might have more non-student participants--but it sounds like this particular Chabad could be overwhelmingly a student population.

[memake]

For many years now, the ability of Chabad houses to regularly offer alcohol in a sanctioned way (that is, at Friday night Shabat meals) has been an important part of their popularity on campus. Also, they push alcohol availability on Purim and Simchat Torah.

On the one hand, this is legitimately part of Chabad culture dating that predates Chabad's campus involvements. On the other hand, I don't feel that Chabad has much to be proud of in having capitalized on the way its authentic culture fits in so handily with campus bro-n-ho alcoholism. (And I'm sure they wouldn't care to see it characterized that way.)

They have a lot to offer Jews on campus who are seeking a Jewish social scene, involvement, spirituality and knowledge. They should clean up their act.

[DeskPotato]

If the rabbi was serving whiskey/vodka in the context of Shabbat celebration, that is not really in the context of "religious services." That sounds like it's in the context of the festive meal and singing that is part of celebrating Shabbat...AFTER services. I think the drinking that is sometimes part of the dancing during Simchat Torah falls in the same category--part of the celebration, not part of the ritual/service. So there's no reason for any type of exception for religious ritual practice to be applied here.

At one time, I believe this sort of thing would have fallen under the "in loco parentis" exception that allows people to serve wine to their own children at dinner (and was stretched to cover the Master's "tea" when I was in college), but I don't think that view is held any longer.

(I'll note that the "commandment" to drink to the point of intoxication on Purim is rabbinic and not scriptural so perhaps has room for interpretation to comply with applicable civil laws as well.)

Chabad is now increasing its presence on college campuses--students I know see it as an alternative to Hillel.

[jrpar]

It's not illegal under relevant state law if it falls within this test:

"No person, after purchasing or otherwise obtaining alcoholic liquor, shall sell, give, or deliver such alcoholic liquor to another person under the age of 21 years, except in the performance of a religious ceremony or service. .... Nothing in this subsection (a-1) shall be construed to prohibit the giving of alcoholic liquor to a person under the age of 21 years in the performance of a religious ceremony or service in observation of a religious holiday."

I don't know the facts of what occurred here, but it seems a stretch to say shots are OK. Wine consumed during a service or a dinner in which drinking wine is traditional - yes. There's no test that the alcohol be a "required" part of the religious ceremony but I would think it would have to be accepted tradition in some way.

[Hanna]

"In the specific case at hand, I wonder if there were previous discussions/warnings about this issue"

That is my completely uninformed suspicion. Severing connection with a rabbi who's been on campus for 30 years is a severe sanction. The story only makes sense if there's an untold backstory, like ignoring previous, milder rebukes.

I don't claim to be an expert, but I don't believe hard liquor has a place in Jewish doctrine. Eastern European Jewish culture, yes, but commandments, no. My reading of the law would be that drinking wine during dinner on Shabbat is not part of service or ceremony; the ceremony is the kiddush.

[mini]

" I think we need to decide when people are adults, and call it the same age across the board. Old enough to vote, to go into the armed services, be held responsible as an adult for your own crimes, etc? You should be old enough to rent a car, to buy a beer, take a shot, whatever every adult is allowed to do.

Let's decide what that age is and go with it."

Pushed that way, I'd say 35. (I'm being serious.) No one should be allowed to serve in the armed forces prior to 35.

Chasidim serving whiskey is no more "traditional" that priests getting drunk in the church off communion wine. It may have been regularly practiced, but it is not "traditional" to the religious practice.

The age 21 drinking age is probably the second most successful public health intervention of the second half of the 20th century (after bans and heavy taxes on tobacco). It works - the evidence is overwhelming - and has saved thousands of lives, and tens of thousands of serious accidents. Make the drinking age 18, and high school seniors are buying alcohol for the freshmen.

[Pizzagirl]

Hanna -that is indeed the situation. The story is that these dinners were becoming slush fests and the administration was tired of hearing about it and gave multiple warnings.

Now, of course, the university has been served w a lawsuit alleging discrimination. This is a university with a high Jewish population, a Jewish president (one of several) who invites kids over his house for holidays, and is very supportive of Jewish life.

[mathmomvt]

Jewish tradition does support the use of a shot or two to enhance the joy of the sabbath, but it does not support drinking to drunkenness (except at Purim). But the fact that such drinking is traditional in many Jewish circles (including Chabad) probably isn't enough to make it fall under an exemption for religious use of alcohol underage. And certainly if they were becoming "slush fests" that goes beyond using a little alcohol as part of a tradition to increase the joy in the holiday and into inappropriate territory. Tricky landscape for a school to navigate though :-/