Rachel Lennard is a pupil on the University of Oregon and a member of the Hillel International Student Cabinet. She not too long ago attended a regional pupil gathering organized by the Hillels of the University of Oregon, Oregon State University, University of Washington, Lewis & Clark College, Reed College, and Portland State University. Here are her reflections:
Snow has a method of slowing all the things down and placing issues into perspective. On a mountain, surrounded by pine bushes and that shimmering snow, it turns into simpler to hear, each to the individuals round you and to your self. That’s what I skilled on the current Pacific Northwest Hillels’ Summit within the Snow retreat at Mount Hood, the place Jewish college students from seven faculties throughout the Pacific Northwest got here collectively for a weekend of connection, studying, service, and pleasure.
Most of us had by no means met earlier than; we got here from totally different campuses and Jewish backgrounds. But in a short time, introductions became conversations, then into laughter, and by the tip of the weekend, into friendships. There was one thing highly effective about being in a shared house, away from lessons, duties, and distractions, the place Jewish group surrounded us.
Throughout the weekend, we got here collectively as a group for meals and night occasions. During this time, we explored Jewish values, celebrated Shabbat, and loved one another’s firm, reflecting on our shared values and the way they form our lives as college students. These conversations confirmed me that Judaism just isn’t solely one thing we apply individually, however one thing we dwell out collectively. Hearing how different college students categorical their Jewish identities, whether or not by way of activism, studying, ritual, or group constructing, expanded my very own understanding of what Jewish management can seem like.
One of essentially the most significant components of the retreat was our service challenge, the place we labored collectively to assemble care kits for individuals experiencing homelessness. It would have been straightforward to remain centered on leisurely actions, however grounding the retreat within the foundational Jewish worth of tikkun olam reminded us why group issues past our particular person wants. As we packed the kits, the work felt each sensible and intentional. It was a robust lesson that our values can at all times be put into apply, not simply mentioned within the summary.
What struck me most about this challenge was how naturally service match into the rhythm of the weekend. It wasn’t a separate obligation, however an extension of who we’re as Jewish college students. Doing that work facet by facet with friends from totally different campuses made the influence really feel even bigger. Together, we weren’t simply college students on a retreat; we have been a regional Jewish group displaying up with care and duty.
There was loads of enjoyable, too. Skiing and snowboarding on Mount Hood gave us alternatives to cheer one another on, snort at wipeouts, and have fun the small victories of constructing it down a run or attempting one thing new. Those moments of shared pleasure have been simply as essential because the formal programming. They constructed belief and created recollections that may final lengthy after the snow melts.
As a Jewish pupil chief, this retreat gave me readability about what I need to assist create by myself campus. It jogged my memory that robust Jewish communities develop by way of relationship constructing. Programs matter, nevertheless it’s the sensation of belonging, of being seen and supported, that retains college students coming again. Summit within the Snow confirmed me how intentional house, significant values-based experiences, and real enjoyable can come collectively to create one thing transformative.
I’m returning to campus with new concepts, new power, and a extra profound sense of duty. I need to foster areas the place college students can join throughout variations, have interaction in service that issues, and expertise Judaism as one thing vibrant and lived. Most of all, I’m grateful for the reminder that Jewish management isn’t lonely. There is energy in group, in shared goal, and in gathering, even within the snow, to remind ourselves who we’re and what we stand for.