A welcome addition

Editorial

Adjusting to life at Arizona State University's Tempe campus - home to one of the nation's largest student bodies - can be an intimidating and often overwhelming experience. Students from hometowns and graduating classes of every size suddenly find themselves one among thousands, known more by their student IDs than by their names.

Jewish students face the additional challenge of finding and connecting with one another. On a campus of 36,800 undergraduate students, only an estimated 2,300 are Jewish.

The Hillel Jewish Student Center has helped make an expansive campus and student body feel smaller and more comfortable and inviting. Through Hillel, students have found a place to socialize, share a weekly kosher lunch, pray and celebrate.

Hillel has also provided a public presence with its table in front of Memorial Hall, offering information and programming about Israel.

Another group is soon to join Hillel in enriching the Jewish landscape at ASU. Chabad, led by Rabbi Shmuel Tiechtel - along with his wife, Chana, and infant son, Tzvi - will have a permanent presence on campus and provide additional opportunities for Jewish students to share kosher meals, study and worship.

The more active Hillel and Chabad become - and as the Judaic Studies Department continues to expand - the greater the likelihood that Jewish students and faculty on campus will cross paths with one another.

As the Jewish landscape becomes more expansive, ASU will become a more attractive option for Jewish college and graduate students seeking the company of other Jews.

Currently, a minority of ASU's Jewish students participate in Hillel activities. Cooperation and healthy competition between Chabad and Hillel would increase visibility and participation. A rich Jewish presence on campus provides an environment for the growing Jewish student body to socialize in a variety of settings. Students' needs are unique and cross the spectrum of religious observance. Chabad can respond to the concerns of students not typically drawn to Hillel.

The college years are often the first time Jewish men and women date with an eye toward marriage. Intermarriage rates are hovering at 50 percent. Chabad and Hillel can offer opportunities for Jews on campus to meet one another, increasing the likelihood of adding Jewish activities to their many college experiences and increasing the chances of building lasting, even lifelong, Jewish relationships.

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