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To each her own
You won't catch me defending Madonna and her religious beliefs (of the week), but I'm not so quick to judge her either.
Around the same time that I was studying for my conversion to Judaism, Madonna was becoming Esther -- an unfortunate coincidence that put me on the receiving end of several e-mail forwards suggesting Madonna and I shared a spiritual awakening. But alas, Madonna and I were not practicing the same kind of Judaism. To each her own.
Now, four years after the red string craze of 2004, Madonna and A-Rod are raising the profile of Kabbalah - and subsequently, Judaism - again. Local Hillels prepare to welcome a whole new class of students - with a new curiosity - to campus. For better or worse, pop culture's fascination with Kabbalah is an excellent opportunity to start a conversation with a student about ancient Jewish study, traditional text and modern-day practice.
I invite you to share your thoughts at the end of the main story.
Danielle Freni
Editor, Hillel Campus Report
dfreni@hillel.org
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 Stephanie St. James: Third Generation Holocaust Survivor Stars in "The Color Purple"
Currently touring as Squeak in the Broadway production of “Oprah Winfrey Presents: The Color Purple,” Stephanie St. James doesn’t bear a Jewish-sounding name or resemble a traditional-looking Russian. But she is both with roots in Israel and Guyana as well. The granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor, St. James fiercely defends the State of Israel and her Jewish upbringing even when it makes for awkward conversation.
“It's not obvious to people that I am a Jew,” she says. “It's more obvious that I am a person of color…people make anti-Semitic remarks in front of me, not knowing there is a Jew in the room.”
Andy Samberg: Saturday Night Live Comic Visits Northwestern University
It wasn't long ago that Andy Samberg was just a Jewish college student (at NYU and UC, Santa Cruz) with a talent for making people laugh. Now, just shy of his 30th birthday, Samberg is celebrating much professional success as an Emmy-winning comedian with a starring role on Saturday Night Live.
Speaking with Schmooze, Northwestern University's Jewish student magazine, Samberg recently said, "There's Jewish comedy and there's Jewish comedy...if it's done the right way - it's funny not just because it's Jewish but because it's really funny."
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University of California Hires New President
Following a tumultuous year for Jewish students at the University of California, Irvine, the university system has hired a new president to quell concerns that the school has turned a blind eye to anti-Semitic activity. As Tom Tugend of JTA reports, the tide may be turning now that Mark Yudof - an unabashed Israel supporter who keeps a Kosher home and lectures on Maimonides - is at the helm.
University of Miami President, Hillel Director Visit Argentina's Jewish Community
University of Miami Hillel Director Melina Gimal recently accompanied University President Donna Shalala to Argentina. The UM delegation met with Hillel students in Buenos Aires and visited the capital city's Jewish community center.
Hillel of Metro Detroit Paints Fence for Fire Victims
When a fire forced 98 elderly residents out of their apartments at the Eugene and Marcia Applebaum Jewish Community Campus in West Bloomfield, Michigan in April, their neighbors were left with an unsightly view of the damaged building. Hillel of Metro Detroit students recently joined in a community project to create a more attractive backdrop for the Jewish seniors living nearby.
News Bites
Growing religious diversity forces Canadian universities to reconsider long-standing Jewish holiday policy / Hillel-funded Jewish LGBTQ group, Kulanu Toronto, marches in Gay Pride Parade / University of Florida Hillel debuts new kosher dining hall / Northwestern University's Fiedler Hillel Center welcomes new executive director
College 101: A Kosher Culinary School
Until recently, the only kosher culinary arts school was located in Israel - a disappointment for Jewish aspiring chefs unable or unwilling to leave the Northwestern Hemisphere for college. But as Sue Fishkoff of JTA reports, the only professional kosher cooking school in North America has now opened in Brooklyn.
Learn Something Jewish: Kabbalah
Boston University Hillel's director of Jewish education, Rabbi Avi Heller, examines pop culture's fascination with Jewish mysticism and answers the question: Should young Jews be studying Kabbalah at all?
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