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Jewish Longhorns Blog

Chabad in College

Friday, 26 October, 2012 - 11:41 am

Posted by Ben Tillis

    It is said that when people go to college, they generally lose touch with their religious beliefs and identity. For me, though, my goal is to not only prevent that from happening, but to also continue growing spiritually and remain strong in my Jewish beliefs. Through Chabad, I have been able to do so. Although it has been hard to go as often as I would like because of a demanding college schedule, I know that it is where I can go to feel comfortable and welcomed. I really enjoy the traditional services, and there is a great social aspect to it as well. Everyone is friendly and open to meeting others.

    As a younger sibling of two UT alum who were both active at Chabad, I have known Rabbi Johnson and his wife Ariela for a while now; however, it took attending this school to understand exactly why everyone loves them so much. I experience amazing hospitality from the both of them whenever I am there, and I truly enjoy listening to Rabbi Johnson’s stories and Midrashim during the service. I am very excited to attend Chabad throughout my years here in order to meet new people and build on my Judaism.
 

Shabbat Shalom
Ben Tillis

Comments on: Chabad in College
11/9/2012

Emari wrote...

repeatedly that there are unbridgeable ciciradonttons between Israel's ethnic nationalism and democracy. Here just are two samples:I’m not asking these questions to “bash Israel.” I’m genuinely concerned by certain realities that seem intrinsic to ethnocracies. If we truly do cherish values inherent to American civil democracy, how do we react to news such as this? Do we simply put these values on the shelf out of our desire for a Jewish state? Or can we understand these kinds of measures in a way that is consonant with our most essential civic beliefs (beliefs, by the way that have been quite kind to the American Jewish community)?I don’t say this easily: I’m not sure this is a nut that Israel will ever fully be able to crack. It is indeed notable that Israel has repeatedly tried and failed to create a constitution that legally guarantees equality for all citizens of this exclusively Jewish state. In the meantime, Israel’s Arab citizens suffer from what we Americans would consider significant institutional discrimination with only limited recourse to the rule of law.So as a nice liberal American Jew fully prepared to voice my outrage at Lieberman’s likely Tuesday morning success, here are some questions I feel compelled to ponder:- As proud citizens and beneficiaries of a secular multi-cultural nation, are we ready to face the deeper implications of Israel’s ethnic nationalism?- Will it ever truly be possible, in a country defined as exclusively Jewish, for its Arab citizens to be considered as anything but second class citizens (or at worst, traitors)?- If it does indeed come down to a choice between a Jewish or a democratic state, which will we ultimately support?