3/24/2023
Hi everyone! The last time I wrote about Jewish life at Amherst was a year and a half ago, so I thought I’d give an update on what is available for Jewish students at Amherst College. Please email me at sgoldsmith24@amherst.edu if you have any questions!
News
Before I detail Jewish life on campus, I want to share some news that makes me very excited: we have finally secured a dedicated Jewish student lounge! It is a beautiful room with comfy chairs (couch to come), a Keurig, and snacks, and we are even planning a dedication bagel brunch where we gather and eat bagels and place a mezuzah on the doorframe. The rest of the Hillel executive board and I are incredible happy to have a devoted space for Jewish students to relax, do homework, and spend time with friends.
Also, I thought I’d list some of the Jewish studies classes at the Five Colleges in Fall 2023 so you can get a sense of what is available: there is Women & Gender in Judaism, The Holocaust, Jewish Food in a Historical Perspective, Sacred Space in Jewish Antiquity, and Hebrew language classes, among others.
Jewish Affinity Groups
There are two Jewish affinity groups on campus: Hillel and Amitim. Hillel is a nationwide organization with groups on several college campuses. At Amherst, Hillel hosts weekly Shabbat dinners, occasional events for holidays (like Hamantaschen making for Purim and Hannukah parties), and speakers about Jewish life, history, and culture. One notable event last year was when a Holocaust survivor came to speak to us and answer questions.
Amitim is another Jewish affinity group at Amherst, that is unaffiliated with Hillel. Their goal is to bring in people who perhaps don’t consider themselves “Jewish enough” to go to Hillel events (even though everyone is welcome!) or people who want to experience Jewish culture separately from religion. Amitim holds Havdalah, mixers, parties, and study halls, and I love going to their events.
Opportunities nearby
The Jewish Community of Amherst (JCA) invites us to their Shabbat dinners on Friday nights, and Hillel tends to do that instead of a Shabbat dinner on campus once a month. JCA Shabbat consists of a brief service and a dinner, and is a great way to get a little more of a religious experience than one gets at Hillel Shabbats.
Also, the Yiddish Book Center is very near Amherst College and is easy to visit. They are dedicated to the preservation of books in the Yiddish language, and hold events about Yiddish history and distribute books to students. I have yet to go, but I plan to before I graduate.
Thank you for reading! I hope you have a great weekend!