By Lauren Solway
In the wake of the Gaza war that began in Oct. 2023, an increasing number of Jewish students have gravitated toward the student group Chabad, and the less Orthodox group Hillel, in an effort to seek out solidarity and community at UC Santa Barbara.
“Pre October 7th numbers were lower, it was kind of average participation. Then, a lot of Jewish students felt like they needed their community so we saw more people coming to our events and I think the same can be said for this year,” said Hannah Anderson, a UCSB economics student who is doing a Minor in Jewish Studies and is president of Hillel’s student board.
Anderson said there are no official ties between Hillel and UCSB Jewish Studies, which is an interdisciplinary program housed within the department of Religious Studies, but that her Minor has deepened her Jewish identity and her time at UCSB.
“I think the biggest thing is that it connects me further to Jewish community, just taking Hebrew, taking the language,” Anderson said. “I don't think I really comprehended how impactful that has been and will be on my life. It has only added to my experience at UCSB and my experiences within the Jewish community.”
The Jewish Studies program draws on courses in History, Classic, English and other departments within the division of Humanities and Fine Arts and beyond. On May 19, the program’s Taubman Endowed Symposia hosted secular Jewish author and journalist Abigail Pogrebin and Orthodox Rabbi Dov Linzer, for an event called “Talking Torah, Despite Deep Differences.” The two wrote a book together called “It Takes Two to Torah,” in which they discuss and debate their way through the Five Books of Moses.
Similarly, Jewish students from both Hillel and Chabad do not let differences in observance stop them from joining at UCSB to celebrate their religion. They say that finding a sense of safety to express their identity and culture at communal gatherings has helped them cope with an increase of antisemitism.
Many are expressing a renewed pride, and say they will not keep quiet about their support of the Jewish people’s right to a state and to defend it. Some Jewish student leaders thought that attendance at UCSB Jewish events would drop in the past year, but instead it skyrocketed.
“We did not keep quiet, we showed that we were proudly Jewish,” said Kylee Sciara, a second-year UCSB student double majoring in Film and Media Studies and Communication. “There is a lot of pride in us, we are very strong.”
In early April, more than 800 people attended a Mega Shabbat, a Friday night sabbath dinner, even as security at such events has been stepped up, with guards checking bags and screening attendees, to ensure students safety.
Some Jewish students said they often feel alienated among students and faculty who may lack context and education on the 20th century history of the Middle East conflict. Sciara, who is on the Hillel board for media and marketing, actively attends community-building events on campus and she always finds a sense of comfort at Hillel or Chabad.
“After October 7th [2023] there has been such a rise in antisemitism that it is very hard to be proudly Jewish and there is a lot of fear in Jewish students,” she said.
A survey carried out late last year by the American Jewish Committee found 35 % of American Jewish college students reported experiencing antisemitism at least once during their time on campus. And 41% of American Jews aged 18 to 29 said they had been the target of antisemitism at least once in the previous 12 months.
There is a broad spectrum of opinions within the Jewish community about the Israel-Palestinian conflict, as well as domestic American politics, and that spectrum includes Jewish students who are pro-Palestinian activists or in anti-Zionist student groups, connections they feel align with their Jewish values.
The weekly Shabbat dinner, run by Chabad and Hillel, is a large event and creates a space of community and safety for Jewish students where they can connect with others at UCSB who may be grappling with their identity at this time.
In recent interviews, several students said they wish to go forward feeling proud of their Jewish identities — regardless of criticism of what Israel does or doesn’t do — and to continue to wear Star-of-David necklaces, other symbolic jewelry, and yellow ribbons representing the campaign to secure the return of 58 Israeli hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza – only 21 of whom are believed to be alive.
Hillel and Chabad encourage students to drop by and use their resources, to talk to others, or get involved in activities, while also encouraging a message of self-confidence in their Jewish identities. To many students on campus, this presents itself as a way to not feel judged about their identity and be able to have a safe place to escape to.
Jake Nguyen, a second-year student in the Jewish fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi, who consistently attends Chabad events, says the Gaza war has brought Jewish students at UCSB together and has positively impacted his life.
“Overall, there have been huge community events so it’s amazing to see the Jewish community come together and just be united,” he said. “The main point in feeling scared is with certain faculty or TAs, because they come from a certain point of view — and I’ve had instances where I can’t express myself because I want to save my grade.”
At the April Mega Shabbat, organized by Chabad and Hillel, students reserved tables and invited both friends from within their religion and those outside of it to share and experience their culture.
Alana Berger, a third-year transfer student at UCSB regularly attends Shabbat and described the sense of community she immediately felt when she began to attend events this year.
“Going to Mega Shabbat was eye opening and was an experience I never really had before. For the first time in my life, I experienced a connected Jewish student community,” she said.
At these events, students on campus receive encouragement to continue to table at the Arbor for Hillel or Chabad, to speak out to educate faculty and students about their perspective, and to never hide who they are.
Lauren Solway….