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THE RIGHTS TO EXCLUSION |
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Batsheva Halberstam |
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The first Jewish Student Union (JSU) ball took place at the end of last
semester. This event was planned to attract people from all segments of
Columbia's Jewish community. The organizers of the event thought they
could surely accomplish this goal; after all, everyone likes dancing.
Everyone, that is, except for a portion of the Jewish community who do
not participate in co-ed dancing because of a halakhic prohibition. This
portion is a very slim percentage of the Orthodox community, and a very
slim portion of the entire JSU. It was not thought necessary to take
this small group of people into account while planning the ball. When
planning JSU events, each group has its own agenda and plans events
accordingly.
The JSU must reevaluate to what extent it is necessary to alienate some
individuals in order to attract others. We must reconsider at what point
we should try to prevent this alienation, and when it is not worth the
sacrifice. Let's take the group Havurah as an example. Havurah entered
the JSU last year and does incredible work attracting Jews who otherwise
feel alienated from the JSU. The ideal is to make people feel welcome at
Havurah events, and ultimately, in the JSU as a whole. The paradox here
is that many people who already feel comfortable within the JSU would
like to get involved with Havurah to meet new people and make them feel
welcome. The people who go to Havurah events feel uncomfortable in the
JSU precisely because of the large number of JSU members who already feel
comfortable. The best solution would be to have these Havurah members
gradually become involved in the JSU through meeting others who are
already involved.
When the JSU board was deciding whether to vote Havurah into the JSU, a
problem was discovered. Havurah did not guarantee that kosher food would
be served at every meal or gathering unless those who keep kosher brought
it themselves. The board discussed this issue and one group leader
mentioned the word "exclusionary" in reference to the fact that because
he kept kosher, he could not attend Havurah events, even though he wanted
to. When he said the word "exclusionary," another group leader
snickered loudly. It was impossible for him to believe that someone who
keeps kosher could feel excluded. He felt that it is because of the
people who keep kosher that students do not come to JSU events. I was
appalled by this student's reaction.
It is time for the JSU to think seriously about what being "excluded"
means. There are so many groups in the JSU that one would think that
nobody would ever feel excluded; if one doesn't like a particular group,
he or she can find another. The many religious groups of the JSU are by
nature exclusionary. If one will only pray with a m'chitza (separation
between men and women), then that person is excluded from the groups that
pray without one. Similarly, if one prays without a m'chitza, that
person may not feel comfortable in services with such a separation. Men
are not invited to women's t'fillah services. The point of having so
many religious groups is so every person can be able to find a
comfortable place to pray.
The real problem, however, is with the other groups of the JSU, those
that are not religiously-oriented. Even these groups can be exclusionary
in different ways. Not everyone has the voice to sing in Pizmon, and for
those who observe the laws of kol isha (not listening to a woman sing
live), not everyone can even listen to them; everyone can go see the
Jewish Theater Ensemble play, but not everyone is qualified to act in it;
and everyone can read Perspectives, but not everyone is eloquent enough
to write for it. The point of these groups is not to include everyone; it
is rather to offer their gifts to those who wish to partake of them, and
to offer an outlet for those who wish to share a gift with others. No one
can feel comfortable in every JSU group, but there should be a
comfortable place for everyone in the JSU. The real sticky issues
come to light when events are planned not for one particular group, but
for the entire Jewish community. It is hard to coordinate an event at
which everyone will feel comfortable, and it is especially hard to know
where to draw the line between accommodating people and excluding others.
To include as many people as possible in their activities, Havurah made
kosher food available and managed not to alienate those who do not keep
kosher. At the Simchat Torah party each year, there are three circles of
dancing: one all-male, one all-female, and one mixed. The fact that
there is a mixed circle does not impinge upon or send away those who
dance in the separate circles, and vice versa. Everyone feels comfortable
enough to dance in their appropriate circle. At this event, the JSU
achieves true diversity. The entire Jewish community dances together in
the same room.
If that diversity can be achieved on Simchat Torah, it should not be so
hard to incorporate the same practices into an event like the JSU ball.
When I first broached the topic with those organizing the ball, I met
fierce opposition. I didn't think I had proposed anything so ludicrous;
I just wanted one viable alternative to dancing for those who choose not
to dance. They can sit and listen to the music, I was told, like at a
jazz club. Other suggestions, such as having a casino or serving dinner,
were overruled for a variety of reasons. There wasn't enough money,
there was no time to plan it, and the organizers of the event did not
want to have a "watered-down" formal just to accommodate a small segment
of the community.
Having an alternative to dancing at the ball would probably not have
prevented anyone from attending. It might also have enabled some people
to come who would not otherwise go because they don't mixed-dance. To
have members from every group of the JSU-- that cross section, those
three circles-- would be a wonderful thing. When people apparently
disagree that this would be wonderful, it is time to reconsider the
function of the JSU. The JSU is, as the Jewish people are, unique in
that religion is inherently bound up in everything we do. The function
of the JSU is not to proselytize or to attract others to join our ranks.
As I was told by an executive board member, "the function of the JSU is
not to go out and get members, but to provide our current members with
enjoyable programming." The function of the JSU, however, is not just
to keep its members happy, or else there would not be a position
dedicated to outreach.
The JSU is constantly trying to do both: attract new membership and keep
its current members happy. It would be great if all Jewish students on
this campus felt that there is a place for them in the Columbia Jewish
Student Union. Unfortunately, sometimes the JSU gets so overzealous in
trying to obtain these new members and make them comfortable that it
begins to take the "regulars" for granted. If they are committed, the
regulars have no choice but to remain involved. That's not so fair. In
reaching out to others, the JSU to make sure it is not reaching past
those who are already there.
Batsheva Halberstam is a Barnard College junior.
Comments?