C/O McMaster Hillel
When Jewish students need support, McMaster Hillel provides
By: Hannah Silverman, Contributor
McMaster Hillel, our campus’ only club for Jewish students, focuses on creating meaningful connections and experiences for Jewish students while they are studying at university. I believe that McMaster Hillel is extremely important in helping Jewish students feel welcomed and represented on campus. We provide invaluable resources to Jewish and non-Jewish students alike — creating a home away from home, providing Shabbat meals and holiday experiences, opportunities to engage with Jewish theology and learning and chances to connect with others with similar interests.
Without Hillel, myself and many other Jewish students would not have access to such opportunities that are critical to our wellbeing and identity. There are between 500-700 Jewish students at McMaster University and Hillel serves as a conduit for anything from fielding questions around finding kosher food in Hamilton, to providing holiday programming or to hanging out with newly made friends.
While many Jewish people share cultural and religious beliefs that unite us, there are a variety of individual opinions and Jewish practices that represent the diversity within our community. Hillel aims to meet the needs of as many Jewish students on campus as possible; as the current President of McMaster Hillel, I am committed to ensuring that all Jewish students feel safe, respected and valued at McMaster.
When asked about the way in which McMaster Hillel supports students, Gal Armon, a fourth-year student expressed the utter importance of the club in the experience of Jewish students.
“As many Jewish students will tell you, being Jewish is a different experience for everyone and we all require different things in order to feel connected. For me, it is keeping up with traditions such as weekly Shabbat dinners. Having a club on campus that supports me in my desire to keep up with tradition is not just important, it is essential for my own mental and spiritual well-being," explained Armon.
“As many Jewish students will tell you, being Jewish is a different experience for everyone and we all require different things in order to feel connected. For me, it is keeping up with traditions such as weekly Shabbat dinners. Having a club on campus that supports me in my desire to keep up with tradition is not just important, it is essential for my own mental and spiritual well-being."
GAL ARMON, FOURTH-YEAR STUDENT
McMaster Hillel staff and students have collaborated with university partners and clubs, including the Equity and Inclusion Office, on various programs. We recently joined the newly formed Spiritual Care and Learning Community in hosting joint Interfaith weekly lunches. Additionally, in 2018, we were showcased on McMaster University’s website in recognition of being a welcoming and inclusive environment on campus.
The Jewish community at McMaster has existed on campus since at least the 1950s and it is imperative that there is a space on campus where those from our community can gather. Like many other cultural, ethnic and religious groups, there are times we need to lean on one another for support. Hillel provides the guidance and support that my peers and I rely on.
In 2019, it was reported that Jewish people account for the highest number of religious-based hate crimes in Canada and this number has continued to rise throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Jewish students often mention that they need designated spaces to help them process antisemitic experiences. This is what McMaster Hillel aims to achieve for Jewish students.
“To me, Hillel is a safe space on campus for students like myself to come together as a Jewish community and it acts as a support system,” explained Rachel Altman, a fourth-year student “I feel like Hillel is a way for me to connect to my Judaism and my Jewish peers while I’m on campus.”
Our community’s connection to Israel is varied and multi-faceted, though the vast majority of the Canadian Jewish community feels a strong connection to Israel. McMaster Hillel aims to give students the option to explore these connections while also being a place for education and conversations around a complicated geo-political conflict.
We are committed to holding space for all students who want to have conversations critically and respectfully with each other. Most importantly, I and the rest of McMaster Hillel pray for peace in the region so that all Israelis and Palestinians can live their lives without fear or war.
What I find most remarkable about the work our club does on campus is that it has not diminished in the wake of the last year and half, when a large majority of students were not located on campus.
Our Hillel Director, Judith Dworkin, wrote in a recent article about our virtual programming, shedding light on the creative ways we have approached building community.
“We are in the business of community so we need to think creatively about what it feels like to be a part of this community,” said Dworkin.
Like many other clubs, we found ways to adjust our programming and foster connections even from afar. Knowing that Jewish students were able to bring their authentic selves to Hillel, even in the midst of the past year, has been one of the things that staff and students alike are most proud of.
CW: mentions of violence, anti-Semitism
By: Daniella Mikanovsky
On Oct. 30, McMaster students, faculty and staff gathered on the field near Burke Science Building to mourn the deaths of the 11 people who lost their lives during the Oct. 27 Tree of Life synagogue mass shooting, committed by a man espousing Nazi rhetoric.
The McMaster community was joined by rabbis and Hamilton community members as they addressed the tragedy that unfolded the previous weekend.
The vigil, organized by McMaster Hillel, the Jewish community organization on campus, sought to honour the victims, reflect on the pervasiveness of anti-Semitism and encourage hope and a united community.
[spacer height="20px"]At the memorial service, Max Librach, the president of McMaster Hillel, spoke about the victims and the relationship between the tragedy and his own experiences.
“I myself was praying in a synagogue on that same day. I do not for a second forget that this could easily have happened right here, in my own community,” said Librach.
Fourth-year McMaster student Max Greenberg recited El Ma’aleh Rachamim, a prayer for the departed soul of the dead. Greenberg’s prayer was followed by a poem about the Pittsburgh shooting. After the poem was recited, a few Psalms and the Mourner's Kaddish, a prayer recited in memory of the victims, were said.
The mourners were joined by members of other faith groups who expressed their commitment to advocacy and combating anti-Semitism and discrimination against marginalized communities.
Rabbi Hillel Lavery-Yisraëli of the Beth Jacob Synagogue in Hamilton praised the Jewish community’s sense of unity and solidarity.
“We must draw strength from our community, our peers, and the communities of friends and supporters we are fortunate to have, and forge on forward, actively fighting hate and bringing about a better tomorrow,” he said.
In the multi-faith vigil co-organized by Rabbi Hillel later that evening at Temple Anshe Sholom, several faith leaders joined mourners in addressing the importance of togetherness and solidarity.
Judith Moses Dworkin, the director of McMaster Hillel, encourages and appreciates the allyship during this difficult time.
“We know that we have many partners on campus who continue to show us their support. We urge our friends in other communities to join us in speaking out and countering anti-Semitic hatred whenever and wherever it rears its ugly head. Only together can we truly heal from events like these,” she said.
Anti-Semitism continues to manifest itself in Hamilton, both subtly and more overtly. According to the CBC, in 2017, Jewish people were the most targeted group in religious-based hate incidents in Hamilton.
In the recent Oct. 22 municipal election, Paul Fromm, a self-proclaimed white supremacist associated with the neo-Nazi movement, garnered 706 votes.
“We have experienced some anti-Semitism in Hamilton over the past few years, but nothing more than graffiti, threats, and publication of a hate newspaper,” said rabbi Hillel. “Nonetheless, after the attack we are all feeling afraid and vulnerable. When all is said and done, we are not that much different from Pittsburgh,” he said.
McMaster Hillel is hopeful that they can support the Jewish community in the wake of the tragedy and increase public awareness about anti-Semitism and hatred on campus and in the community.
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On Jan. 25, Judith Dworkin, the director of McMaster Hillel, delivered a presentation to the President’s Advisory Committee on Building an Inclusive Community in Council Chambers of Gilmour Hall.
Dworkin’s presentation came in the wake of the swastikas found in the men’s bathrooms of Burke Science Building last spring. It also followed a wave of anti-Semitic incidents in Hamilton, such as the swastikas drawn on sidewalks and on a rail trail in the city and the hate mail received by Temple Anshe Sholom in December 2017.
“[After these events transpired], the Jewish community was in shock,” said Dworkin.
In her presentation, Dworkin outlined a number of definitions of anti-Semitism, traced the origins and history of the swastika.
“[The swastika] is particularly traumatizing to the Jewish community and other communities who perished in the Holocaust,” she said.
In addition to increasing awareness, Dworkin’s presentation ignited dialogue about how the university and community should tackle anti-Semitism in the future.
“McMaster Hillel believes that the university should provide resources to students which will help educate the campus community on the topic of anti-Semitism, specifically in areas on how to recognize, where to report and what to do if experienced,” said Michal Coret, president of McMaster Hillel.
Following the presentation, PACBIC members discussed how the university should both prevent swastika graffiti from reappearing on campus and address anti-semitism more broadly.
A key recommendation put forward entailed putting up signs in washrooms on campus, which would serve to both highlight that swastika graffiti is prohibited and give students direction in the event that they come across it.
PACBIC members also expressed interest in adding facts about marginalized groups to these signs, which would be part of a larger effort to increase intersectional education within the McMaster community.
Chukky Ibe, McMaster Students Union president, suggested that university courses be created to educate students about the histories of oppressed groups.
“McMaster Hillel believes that the university should provide resources to students which will help educate the campus community on the topic of anti-Semitism, specifically in areas on how to recognize, where to report and what to do if experienced.”
Michal Coret
President
McMaster Hillel
“We need to talk more about anti-Semitism and marginalized communities and use an academic approach to make an early intervention,” said Ibe.
Another proposal consisted of building a resource identifing anti-semitism through the McMaster Equity and Inclusion Office, which would be similar to the Challenging Islamophobia on Campus Initiative Report published in February 2017, which addressed another form of religious discrimination.
“The EIO, the office of the [McMaster president Patrick Deane], McMaster chaplaincy and other faith-based groups, Student Support and Case Management Office and others will continue to provide education and programs in support of an inclusive community,” said Pilar Michaud, director of human rights and dispute resolution at the EIO.
McMaster Hillel aspires to continue to work with the EIO to combat anti-Semitism.
“Our hope is that the Equity and Inclusion Office will help provide university resources on campus and ensure Jewish students are able to access them when necessary,” said Coret. “We are optimistic that these resources will be available in the near future.”
The university and student groups continue to work together to identify and combat anti-Semitism on campus and in the community.
On Sept. 29 and 30, most McMaster students will be celebrating Homecoming. The university’s Jewish community, however, will be observing Yom Kippur, the most solemn day of the year in the Jewish calendar.
“Jewish students – even those who are not traditionally observant – will be excluded from attending because of this scheduling conflict,” said Michal Coret, the president of McMaster Hillel, a Jewish advocacy group on campus.
This year, Laurier University’s Homecoming will also coincide with Yom Kippur. In response to the inadvertent scheduling conflict, the university’s alumni network issued a statement wherein it apologized for the situation and offered students and alumni who will be observing Yom Kippur a compensatory kosher meal.
The statement also invited these individuals to watch the Laurier football team’s workout and rundown practice, and noted that the university is working to provide them with complimentary tickets to another football game.
In the wake of our scheduling conflict, on Thursday, Sept. 7, McMaster also extended an apology.
“Steps are being taken to ensure all students have the opportunity to take part in these celebrations, while respecting the observance of Yom Kippur," read part of the statement.
The McMaster Students Union President and McMaster Alumni Association are working with McMaster Hillel to offer support and to ask for guidance in acknowledging events in observance of Yom Kippur as part of this year’s Homecoming festivities,” read part of the university’s statement.
“Jewish students – even those who are not traditionally observant – will be excluded from attending because of this scheduling conflict,”
Michal Coret,
President
McMaster Hillel
Though McMaster has acknowledged the scheduling conflict, it has yet to highlight concrete ways in which it will compensate or accommodate for Jewish students who wish to both observe Yom Kippur and celebrate Homecoming.
Communicating with the university via McMaster’s Equity and Inclusion Office, the MSU and the President’s Advisory Committee for Building an Inclusive Community, McMaster Hillel is working to take tangible steps to remedy the situation.
“We acknowledge that this oversight was not intentional, and we hope that in the future, these issues will be resolved through open dialogue around faith-based observances,” Coret said.
“Our hope is that the university will find a way to remedy this issue, perhaps by offering Jewish students tickets to another game, so that we are not left out of a significant campus experience.”
Max Lightstone, the vice president (External) of Hillel, noted that long-term steps need to be taken in order for the university to ensure that future events are accessible to religious groups on campus.
“For starters, we’ll come up with a strategy to ensure that Homecoming does not fall on Yom Kippur at any school in the future, and maybe change the schedule so that at least one game a year is on a Sunday or a Thursday, so that Shabbat observant students have a chance to participate in a much loved university experience,” said Lightstone.
“This event will hopefully be a catalyst for more accessibility for Jewish students on campus and across the province.”
Continuing work with religious groups on campus promises to ensure future campus events remain accessible.
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On Nov. 2, McMaster Hillel hosted a speaker event as part of their annual Holocaust Education Week.
Vera Berany, a Hamilton local, came to speak about her first-hand experiences in the Holocaust. Barany grew up in Miskolz, a small Hungarian town. She is a survivor of the Auschwitz-Birkenau and Metzdorf work camps. Vera is the sole survivor of her family.
“It's really nice to have someone who lives in the Jewish community in Hamilton come and speak to us about her experiences in the Holocaust,” said Rebecca Benjamin, VP (Education) of McMaster Hillel and Holocaust Education Chair.
The speaker night is the central piece to the Holocaust Education Week. Benjamin stresses the importance of having the personal aspect to the event.
“We are kind of taking an event in history and making it more than just something that came out of a textbook. Keeping it alive and bringing emotion into it, which definitely helps in making sure that history doesn't repeat itself,” she said.
Compared with previous years, the event had a remarkable turnout.
“ I think this is the most people we have ever gotten at McMaster to come to a holocaust education event. I am thrilled,” Benjamin expressed.
