New Community

By Adam Schwartz
University of Tennessee

Every Friday, as the afternoon turned into evening, my father would take my siblings and me to the window, and we would watch the sunset. This was our special Shabbat time and I treasured it. It took several years for me to realize that sunsets happened on nights other than Shabbat Eve.

Shabbat is not just special for me because of sunsets. I am a very busy college student, and I have a lot on my plate, so to speak. Shabbat is a guaranteed time when I can refresh my batteries and relax from all of the week's stress. Shabbat is a magical separator of the sacred and the profane. The profane is not meant to be cast in a negative light, although that is one of the word's connotations. It is simply separate and different from the sacred, special and restful Shabbat.

Apart from the relaxing part of Shabbat, I enjoy Shabbat because of a wonderful program that has sprung up at the University of Tennessee. The Hillel here is small, with about 40 students who attend different events.  (There are 300 Jews among the 28,000 students at UT.)  Although we are few in number, we have a great Hillel director and a very supportive Knoxville Jewish community. Every Friday night, about eight students are welcomed into the homes of local Jewish families to share Shabbat with them. We eat, sing, occasionally even pray and are warmed by community, which is one of the Jews' biggest strengths. It is not just food that they give us, although that is a big part in a place where there is little kosher food on campus and no kosher meat (yay, care packages from nice Jewish families!). If we have a Shomer Shabbat person with us, they give them a place to stay until Shabbat is over. They make other accommodations as necessary. Surprisingly, there is a large waiting list of families who want to host our small group. Even in a large university where there are few members of the tribe, it is still possible to survive and thrive with a community and with Shabbat.

Adam Schwartz is an undergrad at the University of Tennessee where he studies psychology. His interests include puns, poi and archery. 

[Posted 2/6/08]