The Jewish Student Union meets every other Friday in M-2. They talk and teach about Jewish holidays, traditions, and other cultural spotlights
“I think students should join the club just for the opportunity to interact with Jewish students and have fun in the Jewish culture. I quite like the culture here in the Jewish community. It’s good. We have good food. We have fun activities. And I think that the experience for students would be kind of interesting.” said JSW secretary Ari Fenton (28’).
Bringing Community
Jewish people historically have faced a lot of prejudice, which can unfortunately still be seen today. Through having a space specifically for them, they can find solace in each other.
“I think it’s really important to have a club for minority students like the Jewish student union, because of rising anti-semitism it can make us feel a little bit out of place or unsafe. So it’s really good to have a safe place where we don’t have to worry about things like that” said JSW President, Lotem Zilberstein (28’).
The Jewish Student Union creates a sense of community for Jewish students, who can often feel left out or excluded from the rest of the Amador community.
“I think it’s important for minorities to have student unions like the JSU because it gives people a sense of belongingness as compared to being alone in school, especially where sometimes there’s a lot of anti-Semitism and a lot of isolation if you’re Jewish. And I think having a JSU kind of fixes that, you can meet a lot of new friends here. You can kind of indulge in Jewish culture more” said JSW member Hilel Avigad (28’).
Jewish Experiences
Jewish students face a lot of misinformation and hate towards them around campus. As a result, the Jewish Student Union gives them a space to escape from that and to see they have others like them.
“I think that there’s a lot of antisemitism in the school, and I’ve experienced that. I’ve seen it a lot. I think that it’s important for the Jewish community to feel represented” said JSW member Kaya Kunde (28’).
Jewish students are often underrepresented in the school. This can lead to higher rates of antisemitism and bigotry against them. Having a club like the Jewish Student Union leads to Jewish students having a way to find more representation.
“I realize that there’s not a lot of representation of Jewish people and a lot of people don’t know all that much about it. So, I just wanted to create this [space] that like people can get to know a little bit more about other cultures” said Zilberstein.
Allowing everyone
The Jewish Student Union makes a point to have students come to the club whether or not they are Jewish themselves. It can help people become more caring and aware of other’s experiences.
“I think it’s important to allow everyone to come, regardless of the Jewish or not, because there’s a lot of stereotypes and hate speech regarding Jewish people, so it’s important to broaden your horizons” said Zilberstein.
Non-Jewish students that join the club also show those in the club that they are supported and that there are people around them who care. Those who go to the club can also learn about the Jewish culture.
“The more people that are not Jewish up here the better because it shows us that we’re not alone, you know, for Jewish [students] that there’s other people that support us and our culture” said Avigad.
