Rebecca Shapiro Thesis (11 May 2011).pdf - Brandeis Institutional ...

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FutureThe Jewish community has spent two decades searching for new ways to engagecontemporary Jewry. The 1991 National Jewish Population Survey awakened the Jewishpublic to the reality of rising intermarriage rates. Since the release of that study, theJewish community has committed to creating engagement opportunities focusingparticularly on ages 18-35. Programming utilizing an informal education structure, suchas Jewish summer camps, youth groups, Hillel and Birthright Israel, have gainedincreased attention and funding.Informal education may be defined as a structured or intentionally unstructuredinteractive experience led by a personable and knowledgeable educator, that engages agroup of participants' individual senses and minds in a diversity of Jewish moments andserves as a vehicle for interaction within an educational, cultural and social context. Inthis context, participants come to understand and feel Judaism and their Jewish journeyon a deeper level, resulting in Jewish personal growth based in what become positivememories. These experiences may center on Jewish values, texts, culture, holidays orlifecycle events. Informal education is thought to engage participants in a variety ofmeaningful experiences that build their Jewish identity.This structure is especially relevant to Jewish students during their college years.In an article entitled "Jewish Learning on the University Campus," author ClareGoldwater, former director of the Joseph Meyerhoff Center for Jewish Learning at Hillel:The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, notes that 80% of Jewish people between theages of 18 and 25 spend at least three years in an institution of higher education. Follow-67
through in higher education is the only thing that the Jewish population is doing insubstantial numbers, which is why research exploring opportunities on the best means toproperly engage this population is crucial. Jews no longer attend synagogues to meettheir Jewish needs as substantially as they had in previous generations. Only 10% ofeligible American Jewish children attend Jewish overnight summer camps, 28% lightShabbat candles, 46% belong to a synagogue, and 52% regard being Jewish as veryimportant. 201 It is necessary, for Jewish communal professionals to direct their attentionto the myriad of opportunities already available to Jewish college students. Rather thancreating new programming, perhaps remodeling and providing support for structuresalready in existence would better meet the needs of this population.In addition to the sheer numbers of Jewish students attending colleges, it isimportant to focus on the exploration that occurs during the students’ college years.College is a time known for intellectual, social and personal exploration as a studenttransitions into adulthood, the developmental stage between adolescence and adulthood.This developmental period, generally accepted to be ages 18-25, is characterized as aperiod of identity exploration. 202 According to Sales and Saxe, the emerging adulthoodperiod plays an important role during a Jewish student’s college years when the studenthas the opportunity to embrace, explore or conceal Jewish identity. 203 Students have theopportunity to do so through a variety of Jewish and Israel related organizationssupported by the organized Jewish community such as Hillel, AIPAC on Campus,201 Steven M. Cohen et al., Camp Works: The Long Term Impact of Jewish Overnight Camp, report(20<strong>11</strong>)., National Jewish Population Survey 2000-01. Publication. 202 Kerri A. Murphy et al., "The College-to-Career Transition: An Exploration of Emerging Adulthood,"Journal of Counseling & Development 88 (Spring 2010).203 Amy L. Sales and Leonard Saxe, Particularism in the University: Realities and Opportunities for JewishLife on Campu, report (Waltham, MA: Maurice and Marilyn Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies<strong>Brandeis</strong> University, 2006).68
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The Untapped Potential of Jewis
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Jewish network, which brought Jewis
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their interest in my research, and
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Table of ContentsAcknowledgements..
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The “future” section uses curre
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Organizations provided them with a
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organizations. Like ΦΒΚ, many fr
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fraternities to close. Despite the
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criticism progressed, the four wome
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themselves and in official document
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accepting fraternities included Phi
Page 23 and 24: Fraternities noted "undergraduates
Page 25 and 26: maintain a nonsectarian constitutio
Page 27 and 28: C. Moskowitz, played basketball for
Page 29 and 30: Ida Bienstock Landau, Minna Goldsmi
Page 31 and 32: universities, less formally educate
Page 33 and 34: The Jewish Greeks stood at the fore
Page 35 and 36: and sororities. The Council however
Page 37 and 38: Other fraternities engaged in the m
Page 39 and 40: purposes of the College Fraternity,
Page 41 and 42: Board meeting in which Alpha Epsilo
Page 43 and 44: served in the Canadian forces. 129
Page 45 and 46: eleven pounds of cakes, cookies, pr
Page 47 and 48: This act, better known as the GI Bi
Page 49 and 50: families in their own homes or care
Page 51 and 52: living. Another argued "There are m
Page 53 and 54: PresentPresently, the following org
Page 55 and 56: Responding to the absence of Jewish
Page 57 and 58: Tikkun Olam. Rabbi Isaac Luria saw
Page 59 and 60: always be within fifteen feet of a
Page 61 and 62: AEPI has made Jewish philanthropy a
Page 63 and 64: cultivating a lifelong commitment t
Page 65 and 66: ainchild of AEPI that is now run by
Page 67 and 68: Conference (Maccabi is an affiliate
Page 69 and 70: eferring to itself as a Jewish frat
Page 71 and 72: Executive Vice President of America
Page 73: Jewish fraternity. These three frat
Page 77 and 78: This wave of growth centered around
Page 79 and 80: Greek organization. A speaker able
Page 81 and 82: Unfortunately, Greek Life is often
Page 83 and 84: BibliographyAlpha Phi Alpha. Access
Page 85 and 86: http://www.aepi.org/?page=TheLion."
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