Despite some first-years' reported reluctance to join the organization, Brown Hillel has experienced an increase in participation in first-year student activities since last year, according to Elana Goldberg '08, head of Hillel's Student Welcoming Committee.
Hillel encompasses over 40 groups and projects, according to the organization's Web site. The site also reads, "There exist many opportunities for a student to become involved with Jewish life - from cultural arts to Israel advocacy to social justice to religious life - and students are also encouraged to pursue their own innovations and ideas and projects."
Dara Wald, Hillel's program director, said several new programs have been initiated this year, some of which have been led by first-years and sophomores.
Because Hillel is not a membership-based organization, no exact numbers exist to indicate first-year involvement this year in comparison to other years. But Wald explained that, "we don't measure success through quantity; we do it through the quality of the programs and our interactions."
Rachel Kanter-Kepnes '08, head of the Friends of Israel Committee at Hillel, said first-year involvement seems to stay fairly constant each year.
Goldberg said the organization's leaders have "tried to take away the stigma that Hillel is only for very observant and learned Jews. We want everyone to feel welcome."
She continued: "It was my hope to avoid 'in-speak,' which means making references to terms like 'challah' or 'kiddush,' because a lot of people don't know what that is and it can be alienating, so we try to avoid making assumptions about previous knowledge," she said.
Goldberg started the Student Welcoming Committee last year particularly because she wanted to see more students who might otherwise be intimidated become involved with Hillel.
"I have a friend who has a strong Jewish identity but does not feel comfortable at Hillel ... so I started this Student Welcoming Committee. This friend was one of the reasons, and just from hearing people say 'I would love to get involved but I don't know anyone,'" Goldberg said.
Despite these outreach efforts, some first-years said they refrained from joining Hillel because of concerns that they are not committed enough to Judaism to participate in the organization's activities.
"Not being 'Jewish enough' is definitely part of the reason I'm not involved in Hillel," said Rachel Nash '09.
However, Nash cited additional, unrelated reason for why she has not become involved.
"I get all the e-mails and calendars but it's either, 'I don't have anyone to go with,' or 'I don't have the time.'" Nash said. "If it wasn't a huge priority before I came here, I'm probably not going to have a different level of involvement now."
Will Guzzardi '09 expressed reservations similar to Nash's, saying he is reluctant to join an organization that offers religion-oriented activities.
"I feel like Hillel is very present on campus, people are always talking about the next big Hillel activity," Guzzardi said. "On the other hand ... it seems like fun and games, but you know that the religion thing is going to get sprung on you sooner or later. ... At the end of the day it's a Jewish organization so I'm sure that religion is going to enter the picture in a way that's too much for me."
Lillie Cohn '09 echoed this sentiment, saying, "I have just never been interested in joining any kind of religious group. My mom told me to go, too, but I'm not interested in doing religious activities."
Wald said first-years should not feel unwelcome because of overtly religious programming.
"We don't check if you're Jewish when you walk in the door." Wald said. "We try to be really open, accepting and welcoming to students of all backgrounds and faiths. ... I think we try to be involved in the Brown Jewish community, and the Brown community as a whole."
"I think the whole 'I'm not Jewish enough' thing is very self-imposed. It's something that a lot of people think, but it's not true at all," Kanter-Kepnes explained. "No one cares how Jewish you are."
"It's like most things at Brown - you do it if you want to do it. Hillel does a lot of outreach, but it's the people who are comfortable with that outreach and who it speaks to that get involved," she said.
