“Growing up, my parents required me to attend Hebrew school for many years…. I dreaded every moment.”
Like too many Jewish children, Rachel’s main Jewish learning experience growing up didn’t reach her. Fortunately, in college Rachel participated in Chabad on Campus’s Sinai Scholars program, a partner program of Mosaic United’s Campus Pillar, and her relationship with Judaism was transformed.
Rachel found Sinai Scholars to be a refreshing educational experience that gave her a completely different take on the religion with which she had always struggled to find a connection.
“Sinai Scholars has made me love Judaism and find interest in the religion that I did not have before. It allowed me to ask questions that I never got to ask in Hebrew school and increased my desire to learn more about the topics,” she said. “I now want to go on to pursue more classes on Judaism to learn more about the areas I find interesting.”
Rachel’s knowledge of Jewish history, tradition, and Israel were furthered and deepened in a compelling way, changing her understanding of herself and her identity.
“I truly loved the class, and I learned so much that I will carry in my daily life,” remarked Rachel.
Rachel was so inspired by the program that she has even signed up to go on Birthright to visit Israel for the first time. She feels indebted to Sinai Scholars for igniting her passion for Judaism.
“I look forward to using the information we learned in Sinai Scholars and further my studies by traveling to Israel and visiting all the special and holy sites,” she said. “I really love Judaism and I am so grateful that I took this class, because growing up I did not feel the same way.”
Rachel formed a close bond with her fellow college students and the campus rabbi and his wife who led the class. Every week she looks forward to Shabbat dinner on Friday nights, where she sits with her new friends she made while attending Sinai Scholars.
Rachel added, “The religion is so special, and I am so beyond lucky to be a part of such a tight community with an amazing culture.”
