Being the Only Orthodox Jew on a Catholic Campus
Written by Ellen Frank Bayer
Maybe you received a large scholarship from a school that you couldn’t turn down. Maybe you didn’t get accepted at your “dream school”, but you did get accepted to another school that was close by or had other things going for it. There are many reasons that a person could find themselves on a college campus where they are either the only, or one of only a few Orthodox Jews on campus. Is it even possible to make it work?
I was accepted to both Boston University Law School and Boston College Law School. I am a proud alumnus of Boston College Law School and have never regretted my decision. I was the only Orthodox Jew in a class of about 250 first-year law students, but always felt welcome. Even though BC is affiliated with the Jesuit religion (Catholic), I always felt supported and never experienced any repercussions for missing classes because of Jewish holidays, or not being able to attend some of the extracurricular events due to conflicts with my observance.
I decided to go to Boston College because I needed a change from New York. Boston is a great city that has a large Orthodox Jewish population and it was easy to find kosher food. Before I went, my mom and I spent the weekend in Brookline and spent time with the Bostoner Rebbe. My parents were hesitant about me leaving New York and living with roommates. But as it turned out, at my Brooklyn College graduation I found the person who would become my roommate in Boston. She was also going to law school in Boston, and although she was going to Boston University rather than Boston College, they were close enough for us to share an apartment off-campus.
We were constantly comparing experiences between Boston University and Boston College. At Boston University, my roommate was part of a small community of Orthodox Jews and I wound up spending Shabbatot with them. The fact that I was close enough to this community to spend time with them meant that I didn’t feel isolated. The only real problems I encountered were navigating the logistics of taking off for the Yomim Tovim (Jewish holidays). But, I found the professors to be understanding and I was able to get notes from my friends. I did miss about a week for Passover the first year but I got the tapes of the classes and friends lent me their notes. The second and third years were less difficult, maybe because the calendar was
different, but I did not miss as much work.
I recently spoke to Moshe Cohen Benguigui, currently a first year student at BC Law and a recent graduate of Yeshiva University. I was pleased to discover that Boston College is still as warm and friendly as I remember. Like me, Moshe grew up in NY. He attended Yeshiva day school and Yeshiva high school before going to Yeshiva University, but he felt that it was time to leave New York. Boston seemed a good choice as it was not too far away, but far enough from New York to have a totally different feel.
There is a difference between graduate school and undergraduate school and as Mr. Benguigui told me, “It is not for everybody.” Both Moshe and I were able to make it work because we had a strong community outside of school which we relied on for Shabbat dinners and kosher food. It’s not the school that makes your spirituality, you have to bring spirituality into your life. It is possible to be one of the few Orthodox Jews on campus and actually have your faith strengthened.
Although not specifically Orthodox, there is an active Jewish Law Students Association on campus which has held several events this year for students including a Shabbat dinner, a JLSA night at a Celtics Game and a few other cultural events. Moshe has found the students and faculty to be very accommodating to his religious needs and he is very happy with his decision. He finds that in some ways being among Jewish students who do not necessarily identify with being Orthodox has “expanded his world.” It allows him to feel solidarity with other Jews and he appreciates how his fellow Jewish classmates look out for him.
Mr. Benguigui did concede though, that “there are definitely issues with being one of the few Orthodox Jews on campus but overall the benefits outweigh the problems. It’s not for everyone and it really depends on what you feel
your strengths are.” To Moshe, he feels being in a non-Jewish environment has given his Orthodoxy an extra layer of meaning. He values the choices he has made and “he feels his davening (prayer) and his learning has become incredibly meaningful.”
Overall, if you are considering going to a secular college or graduate school, my advice is visit the campus and talk to the students and the faculty. Get a feel for the school and look around. Visit the cafeteria and see if kosher food is available. Look at the school calendar and see how many of your classes actually fall out on Jewish holidays. Don’t set yourself up for failure by signing up for a class that meets on Friday afternoons when you know you won’t be able to attend. If you plan on staying on campus, find out if there are manual keys for the doors or if there is a Shabbat policy in place. Going to graduate school is very different from being an undergrad. Students are generally more mature and have had more life experiences in an unsheltered environment, and will be more accepting of those with different beliefs. Check out the neighborhood. If you don’t have to live on campus try to find an Orthodox center off campus. The most important criterion is your own background and what you are looking for. Will you be happy if you are not surrounded by fellow Orthodox Jews?
The most important advice I can offer is to know yourself. What are you comfortable with? How important is it for you to have Jewish classmates?
Your school experience can be the gateway to the world of work. Eventually, most of us will be working with people who have diverse backgrounds, so a secular graduate school experience can be an opportunity to learn how to live and work alongside those who are different from yourself. Remember, the spark of your religion is within you. You can serve as a light to others when you are a practicing religious Jew.
The most important advice I can offer is to know yourself.
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