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E-PrinceThe University has granted chaplaincy to Rabbi Eitan Webb, reversing last year’s decision to deny the Jewish organization Chabad official University recognition.
This September, Webb will join Center for Jewish Life (CJL) Executive Director Rabbi Julie Roth as the ...
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huzzah!
a chabad chaplaincy is chappenin.
An excellent decision. Congratulations to Rabbi Webb!
Awesome.
Given the greatly diminished number of Jewish undergraduate students at Princeton, does all this really matter?
Greatly diminished? Where does that statistic come from? I was under the impression that the percentage of Jewish students at Princeton has remained fairly static over the last forty years or so.
And to answer your question directly, yes, I think this decision matters a great deal to the Jewish community at Princeton.
Though I am not at all religious and have never used and will not use any chaplain's services, I thought it was outrageous that Rabbi Webb was denied chaplaincy last year. Considering the number of controversial Christian chaplains, it frankly appeared to be a discriminatory decision on the part of the admins. I'm glad they've corrected the error.
The long-awaited grant of a Chabad chaplaincy is a positive step for Princeton and its Jewish students. I am confident that Jewish life at Princeton will become energized through the efforts of Rabbi Webb and his wife Gitty.
I think this article suggests the reason why many Jews on campus should feel alarmed by the recognition of Chabad as an organization on par with the CJL. Chabad's mission was summarized accurately by Greg Burnham '10: to spread orthodox ritual practice among Jews, because that is the only form of Judaism Chabad recognizes as legitimate. It is fundamentally a proselytizing organization, but I think this point is missed because its target population is only Jews.
In contrast, the CJL and Hillel has a more liberal and hence diffuse mission: to support all kinds of Jewish identification and practice. Because it has an agenda that is more difficult to implement, the CJL often gets focused on simply getting Jewish students in the door any way it can, often by offering free food. But the goal of Jews interacting with Jews for its own sake, without any broader ideas of what Jewish identity should should mean, ultimately falls flat. You get meaningless events with alliterative names that do nothing to change the way people identify with the Jewish community or think about their Judaism. And the institutional nature of an organization like the CJL makes it seem dull and distant. These conditions allow for a new student organization like Princeton Chabad, with its more relaxed and homely atmosphere, its energy and its sense of purpose, to gain a major foothold in Jewish campus life.
I don't fault the CJL for having difficulties creating innovative and attractive programming. I think its extremely challenging to provide content to people from radically different Jewish backgrounds. Right now, the CJL is relatively successful at creating Jewish niche groups: Yavneh, Koach and Kesher serve their communities well. But I think having them under the CJL framework and in a single building at least symbolically suggests our mutual identification as Jews and how that transcends our differences in practice.
Chabad represents a parochial kind of Judaism, I believe, both in terms of promoting only a single conception of Judaism, and in terms of their lack of interest in matters unrelated to Judaism. I think their Judeo-centrism is antithetical to the liberal cosmopolitan style of education promoted at the university. One anecdote that I think is indicative is from the 2004-2005 school year, when Rabbi Webb held a Friday night dinner which attracted a number of students by advertising that Paul Muldoon would speak about his favorite poems by the Israeli poet Yehuda Amichai. I attended the event and was somewhat shocked by how little respect was shown to Professor Muldoon's talk, which was given little emphasis and did not even seem to interest Rabbi Webb, who instead rushed into a brief explanation of the weekly torah portion. I think Rabbi Webb is very nice and quite devoted to his work, but I think this is representative of how Princeton Chabad uses the language of engagement, dialogue and religious tolerance to promote was is at heart a divisive message in the Jewish community. It is not the kind of Judaism I wish to practice. I respect the right of others who do wish to practice it. But I do not want the attractiveness of a new and perhaps more vital Jewish student group to displace the big-tent approach of the CJL.
It's well about time. Having been part of the class where discussions at kosher ol' Stevenson Hall helped advocate for the creation of a CJL, i nonetheless can only marvel at the good Chabad does at campuses throughout the country and via Rabbi Webb at Princeton, proper.
Chabad makes no pretense about its advocacy for greater Jewish involvement for students. This is a good thing and one readily avoided by those who choose not to participate.
IMHO Chabad was marginalized the last few years in a rather PC gesture. Nice to see that being corrected.
Look forward to future meals at both locales ion future visits.
---I believe, both in terms of promoting only a single conception of Judaism, and in terms of their lack of interest in matters unrelated to Judaism. I think their Judeo-centrism is antithetical to the liberal cosmopolitan style of education promoted at the university. ----
Wow. Objection to a Jewish organization advocating more intense Jewish connection to Jews who choose to play in that scene. Not cosmopolitan enough it seems? Boring, valueless political correctness it seems warrants greater appeal for some
---It is not the kind of Judaism I wish to practice. ----
And that's the charm. No one makes you go to Chabad or to any other religous organization on campus.
----ut I do not want the attractiveness of a new and perhaps more vital Jewish student group to displace the big-tent approach of the CJL.-----
Yes, i guess i can see the fear of a Jewish organization that actually motivates Jews to connect with their Judaism. Oh. Wait. No, actually i cannot see the problem.