It's a new academic trimester here at AHA, and that means that I have the opportunity to change some of my responsibilities. For student teaching I am now working with a liturgy class. I originally picked the class because liturgy is something that I am really passionate about, both academically and personally. It is also one of the few places where Jewish and academic life really have the potential to fuse together, and help our students connect to prayer. It really worries me to watch these kids, attending an incredible pluralistic Jewish school, completely unengaged from Jewish life.
I happen to have lucked out. I live and work with the freshman girls house. Everything is new and exciting to these girls. They have such Jewish pride. A few months ago our house was on for toranut (setting up for Shabbat dinner as well as leading dinner blessings and singing) and was amazed at my girls' ruach as they proudly led our community. If I would have let them, they probably would have sung through the whole bencher. I had to limit them to about 5 or so songs.
As a Jewish Life committee, we talk a lot about changing the Shabbat atmosphere. This Shabbat, our house happens to be on Toranut again. We are going to try something new. For Oneg we always have it in a Residential Life members living room. This Shabbat, we are going to encourage some more post-dinner singing. My girls are going to sing their hearts out for as long as they would like. Hopefully, it will help to create the Shabbat atmosphere we all know AHA has the potential to have.
What have you done in your own Shabbat communities to create that camp-like Shabbat atmostphere?
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