“Kosher” is used mainly to describe foods and drinks that comply with Jewish dietary regulations, which comprise a complex and lengthy list. For the Orthodox Jewish community, maintaining a kosher kitchen is just one of many essential elements of a devout Jewish lifestyle. However, transitioning from her hometown to her college continues to pose challenges for my roommate. Without a doubt, she has already matured greatly since stepping foot on campus. At an early age, she adopted the role of her caretaker, something many students continue to struggle within the years after graduation. Although this is a remarkable trait to acquire, she has achieved this characteristic at a cost. Her experiences so far have led her to feel that she is not fairly represented on campus. But if both are important, why should she have to compromise one over the other?
Growing up in Cedarhurst, New York, my roommate’s lifestyle revolved around her religion. In her hometown, three kosher-friendly grocery stores were within walking distance from her house, the majority of restaurants were kosher, and she rarely worried about what was served on her plate. However, sustaining kosher was not the only vital aspect of her religion. The day of rest, known as Shabbos, is celebrated weekly beginning on Friday’s dusk and concluding with Saturday’s emergence of the first three stars at nightfall. Many Jewish individuals celebrate these hours by baking Challah (a special kind of bread in Jewish culture), lighting candles, partaking in prayer, and abstaining from electronics or any activities that may be classified as work. This day is typically celebrated as a family, but she must now carry out these 25 hours of rest on her own. Other than these examples, there is an abundance of other laws and customs that encompass every aspect of the everyday life of an Orthodox Jewish person. To my roommate, her faith is a crucial part of her identity.
However, the transition from being a student at an Orthodox Jewish school to being the only Orthodox-raised Jewish college student on campus is anything but smooth. Suddenly, she is no longer surrounded by the traditions that were customary in her hometown. Despite this, Hamilton has taken steps to make my roommate feel valued. Since maintaining a kosher diet is a prominent value in her religion, Hamilton offered her private access to a kitchen within our residence hall. She was beyond grateful when the administration offered this because she’d been prepared to bring a burner to campus to cook her own food. Hamilton also installed a brand new oven, since the previous one had been contaminated with non-kosher foods. Additionally, she feels confident that she can “bring up any issue concerning religion and the administration will go out of their way to help.” Having this specific support makes this drastic adjustment a bit easier. On another note, Hamilton has enabled her to “reflect on my [her] religion” to recognize how devoted she is and this experience has “prepared me [her] for adulthood in a secular [non-Orthodox Jewish] world.”
Although Hamilton has taken strides to make my roommate feel more at home, at times she still feels like an outlier. First and foremost, she feels a lack of support for the Orthodox community, especially within dining halls. Many conversations involve the presence of food. With dining halls not offering kosher-friendly meal options, she often feels overlooked and disconnected from the Hamilton community. And if the coronavirus had not already hindered freshmen from meeting people enough, this creates a substantially larger social barrier. Academically speaking, the lack of courses related to Judaism is insufficient compared to the other religious courses provided. Out of the 59 religious studies courses offered, only one class focuses directly on Judaism, while four others will refer back to it. Additionally, with no Jewish chaplain on campus, she feels even more isolated. Even though my roommate is bothered by these issues, she feels like she is inconveniencing others for bringing up these problems. Her religion should not be viewed as a burden.
Although she is only one student on campus, she is still a student who should be represented. Minority voices, no matter how small the population, should not go unheard. Her voice, and her religion, should feel welcomed. As a community, it is imperative that we listen to others and that we make an effort to put ourselves in other people’s shoes. The more we progress our way of thinking, the sooner we can shape our campus into the community we desperately want it to be. All students should feel represented. Together our community can accomplish this. We, the students, shape this campus for the better.
