Contemporary Campus Kiruv at Emory: Departing from "Outreach"and "Returning" to Judaism Público
Gever, Dara Turek (2013)
Published
Abstract
Abstract
Contemporary Campus Kiruv at
Emory: Departing from "Outreach" and "Returning" to Judaism
By Dara Gever
Emory's stimulating scholastic undergraduate campus has become the launching pad for a new approach to the Jewish concept of "kiruv," a Hebrew word for "reaching out" to Jews who are "far away." In American university contexts, the term "kiruv" has traditionally been used to refer to the nationally-sanctioned Jewish satellite organizations Hillel and Chabad. In addition to these campus "outreach models," Jewish American college students at Emory are being courted by an Orthodox organization offers paid classes and free trips to Israel. This new organization, called "Meor," is the "elephant in the room," a burgeoning force of Emory's Jewish community that is becoming impossible to ignore and is important to understand. Since coming to Emory hardly five years ago, Meor has expanded the scope of its programming and its clientele at an enviable rate, compared to that of Emory Hillel and Chabad. Parents, familiar with the Hillel and Chabad paradigms, have little knowledge of Meor because of its novelty. Emory's Jewish professors and lay leaders, as well as the traditional "Jewish outreach" leaders, are scratching their heads at the changing face of campus Jewish life. Students themselves, even those who are most affected by the new campus kiruv, are often puzzled by the plethora of irresistible opportunities for participating in Jewish life. Using an ethnographic approach, this thesis will examine the ways in which Meor at Emory University departs from the conventional campus kiruv models by analyzing the goals, programming and rhetoric of Meor educators and the experiences of Meor student participants. This account of Emory's transforming Jewish life, and the candid perspectives of kiruv educators and Emory students, is the first study that examines campus kiruv through ethnographic perspectives.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
vii Preface: How This Project Began
26 Introduction: The Elephant In The Room
27 Literature Review: Toward an Understanding of "Kiruv"
38 Methodology
41 Mapping the Thesis
44 Chapter One: Overview: Jewish life in Atlanta & Emory University
48 Hillel National
50 Chabad National
53 Meor National
55Hillel at Emory: founding and goals
57 Chabad at Emory: founding and goals
60 Meor at Emory: founding and goals
63Outreach Vs. Kiruv
65 Chapter Two: Programs Offered & Measuring Success
65 Programming of Emory Hillel
68 Programming Emory Chabad
72 Programming Emory Meor
77 Meor North American Coordinator
92 Chapter Three: The Paradox of Gendered & Feminist Scripturalism
94 Teaching Tznius Through Story-Telling
95 1. Shabbat Host
96 2. Hailey*
97 3. Susan*
101 The Paradox of Tznius Pedagogy
104 Chapter Four: Student Memories of Kiruv At Emory
105 1. Lauren*
116 2. Adam*
119 3. David*
127 4. Eliza*
134 5. Mark*
142"Selective Scripturalism"
144 "Hierarchical Scripturalism"
146 Conclusion
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