LEE PYE
Special to The Leader
SUNY Fredonia has several clubs on campus, including a place for the Jewish community to connect with each other.
The Hillel International Organization connects Jewish college students around the world.
According to the Hillel International website, Hillel’s mission is “enriching the lives of Jewish students so that they may enrich the Jewish people and the world.”
The Hillel club at Fredonia, part of Hillel International, is run by President AllyRose Caruso, Treasurer Joshua Ribakove, Secretary Rae Hubal and GA Representative EJ Jacobs.
The Fredonia Hillel club has noticed and commented on multiple situations that have made it more difficult for its members to embrace themselves as part of the Jewish community. On Monday, Feb. 7, the club met for their first meeting of the semester. What follows are talking points brought up during that meeting.
Food Labeling
A part of Jewish culture is a diet known as Kosher where treif meats (such as pork), and meat with dairy in the same meal are forbidden. A member of the Hillel club, Leora Eisenburger, and the club’s President Caruso, expressed how difficult it was to follow a Kosher style diet, considering there is minimal food labeling in Fredonia’s dining halls.
According to Hillel, there is also a lack of food that fits with common dietary needs, such as gluten intolerance, vegetarian and vegan diets on campus. There is a minimal labeling system in Cranston Marche, Willy C’s and Blue Devil Grill, making it much more difficult for anyone with dietary needs to know what is in the food they order on campus.
People with dietary restrictions or who follow Kosher diets are “almost starving from the limitations” of food that fits their dietary needs, according to Hillel club member Amelia Gleyzer. A solution presented by Hillel was labeling if the meal fit into a specific diet and labeling what exactly was in the food that the students on campus are consuming.
Fredonia Involvement and Candle Lighting
SUNY Fredonia has made efforts to include the Jewish community by decorating for Hanukkah. However, the Hillel group responded with disapproval. The menorah, which is supposed to be lit every night for the duration of Hanukkah, was not lit correctly according to tradition.
“I am not surprised they forgot to light the menorah,” Ribakove commented.
“It was poorly kept up with and forgotten about,” Eisenburger added.
The club also expressed there were multiple Christmas trees and Christmas decorations surrounding the single small menorah the past holiday season. Caruso and Hubal recalled in past years, there was only a poster of a menorah and no physical menorah.
Not only did Fredonia forget to light the menorah, but they have refused to give a space to the Jewish community for them to do it themselves. Fredonia has given the option of LED candles, but after discussion arose in the Hillel club, that solution would not suffice.
“It was messed up,” Gleyzer commented in response to not being able to light the candles.
Ribakove added that he used LED candles, but the tradition was not there.
The group explained how lighting the candles and watching them burn down, the candles being supervised the entire time, was part of the tradition. This is similar to important Christmas traditions, such as decorating a Christmas tree or singing Christmas carols. Everyone who dorms on campus in the Hillel meeting expressed their sadness of not being able to be with their families during their holidays, let alone not being able to continue their traditions.
A solution presented was to give the Jewish students a room only on Jewish holidays at a set time. Possibly supervised by a professor for safety protocol, the Jewish community would be able to continue their tradition.
For more information on the Fredonia Hillel club, contact President AllyRose Caruso at caru7801@fredonia.edu or Secretary Rae Hubal at rhubal@fredonia.edu.