Jewish life at some LACs

[boysx3]

We've already checked the Hillel website, but my DS#3 would like some first hand or anecdotal information on the Jewish life/Jewish presence/non-presence on a few campuses that he is interested in. He isn't overly observant but he does keep kosher--he is fine eating vegetarian or dairy/fish out of our home. He's also possibly looking to play soccer but hasn't yet decided on D= I or D= III.

The schools he is interested in, in no particular order, are Union, Lafayette, Bucknell, Franklin & Marshall, Dickinson, Lehigh, Rhodes, Davidson, Washington & Lee and Washington & Jefferson. We have heard a few disturbing things about a few of these schools.



He has visited a cousin at Muhlenberg and didn't like the vibe there--it was a little bit too artsy for him (personally, I loved it).

Thanks!

[momstl4]

Check out Washington University in St. Louis

[boysx3]

I forgot University of Richmond in the original post.

MOmstl4.


Thanks for the suggestion. We have a lot of friends whose kids just love Wash U, but my son wants something a bit smaller. He also considered Emory, where his oldest brother went, and thought it was too big for him. He could change his mind though.....

[mathmom]

Most of the northeast colleges aside from the Catholic ones have large Jewish presences.

[B05T0N]

I'm willing to bet it isnt too great at UofR. I know plenty of happy kids at F&M, Lafayette, Dickinson and Lehigh though.

I would guess not too good at Davidson, W&L, Rhodes.

[Motherdear]

We know several kids at W&L who are Jewish and active in their faith through the Hillel Group on campus. Here's a link to the organization: W&L Hillel

[dg5052]

boysx3, I have spoken to the part-time (!) Hillel advisor at U of Richmond; she works for the local JCC the rest of her time. She was very candid and said that not only is it a small Jewish community, but it's very hard to get kids to participate in what events they do have. With respect to the overall vibe of the campus, she described it as "quite conservative". Hope that helps.

[bethievt]

I would have said Goucher, but it is definitely artsy. We were told on our tour that the student body was 40% Jewish. Really good school and your boy might be highly desirable as they used to be all female. Maybe some merit money? I hope I'm not wrong on the numbers, but that's what I heard. Very international focus--an interesting school.

[tatiana310]

I think the number of Jewish population means active Jewish population. I would look into which is the most active Hillel.

[wjb]

Of the schools you listed, I think Union College may have the most active Hillel. The website is not very informative, but you might want to contact the Hillel director or one of the student leaders. Welcome to Hillel at Union College

Goucher does have a strong Hillel. I just looked into it for another student: There are both Reform and Conservative minyanim on Friday nights, followed by dinner in Goucher’s Kosher dining hall. Weekly attendance averages 65. On Shabbat, there are Parsha study sessions and communal Havdalah. Kosher meal plan offers two meals daily and all meals on Shabbat and Passover.

Another possibility from a Jewish viewpoint (don't know about any other considerations) might be Clark University, a small (2000 undergrads) university in Worcester, Mass. Strong Hillel. No Kosher meal plan, but the campus Bistro has pre-prepared Kosher deli sandwiches. Ideas for bringing more Kosher food to campus are under discussion with Clark’s new food service provider.

[crazed]

I found this CC thread to be helpful and thought you may want to view it:
Active Hillels

[spideygirl]

Union, Lafayette, Lehigh, Bucknell, Dickinson all draw to a large extent from the NY Metro area (which contains a relatively large population of Jewish students). I think all of those would be a good bet.

I went to a small LAC. One of my freshman roomates was Jewish, and became very involved with Hillel. I remember that she went to a meeting just to check it out, and ended up loving it. Unrelated to the question at hand, I have very distinctive memories of this person despite the many decades which have passed (she was distinctive back then, and today is an extremely prominent person in her field of choice). I know that prior to attending our school out in the middle of nowhere, she was not the type to be involved with anything religious or cultural (she was extremely academic). She surprised herself with her new interest, and I think that being on a small campus could have provided some inspiration to head in this direction.

Interesting enough, I also remember a lot of activity among the Catholic kids on this same campus - kids getting out of bed on Sunday morning to make mass (when they would never have done that at home unless Mom and Dad made them). I think there was an active Christian organization as well. Somehow small LAC's, contrary to the impression that less might be available there, often produce environments where students become very active in their areas of interest. The LAC's are so small that the religious people in charge really know the kids, and the kids quickly become a member of a smaller community within the confines of the broader university. I don't think that could happen as easily at a big school.

[Chedva]

Union does have an active Hillel, and has a pretty good track record of having kids participate (who didn't at home).

Your s may also want to look at University of Rochester. There's a very active Hillel, a large Jewish population, lots of vegetarian/fish choices, kosher Shabbat meals, and a kosher deli on campus. My d's roommate is from a small town near Rochester; she said that she had never met a Jew before, and now all her friends are Jewish!

[twinmom]

And of course there is always Brandeis, which is not much larger in population than a LAC.

[markr]

My S is a Jewish freshman at Franklin & Marshall. He tells me that many of the students on campus are Jewish to the point where he does not feel like a member of a minority, although he in fact is. About 12% of the students are Jewish. There are many Jewish professors and adminstrators. The college recently received a grant from a Jewish board member to establish a new Jewish center on campus. The center, which will be in a new building on the site of the current Hillel House, will be open next fall. The college is making a concerted effort to attract more Jewish students. The Hillel chapter is small but active and hosted a breakfast during family weekend that was well attended. The college's dining service includes kosher and vegan options. Lancaster has a reasonably large Jewish population, and there are local synagogues.

Of the colleges that you listed, the southern colleges and Washington and Jefferson have the fewest Jews and the least Jewish life. I think that Lehigh and Union have the largest Jewish presence. Lafayette, Bucknell, Dickinson and F&M are similar in terms of Jewish life.

I hope this is helpful to you.