Abstract
This report was published by The AVI CHAI Foundation (http://www.avi-chai.org/bin/en.jsp?enPage=HomePage). January 2006. College is a pivotal life experience. During college, young people explore and clarify their life options. The choices they make during this period affect not only their career trajectories but also their adult ethnic and religious identification. To understand the Jewish experience on campus and the forces that support or undermine Jewish choices, we conducted a study at 20 American colleges selected to represent the most common “Jewish destinations.” The study included interviews with over 700 informants as well as a web-based survey of more than 2,000 Jewish students. Our assessment of the status of Jewish life on campus is complex, a mélange of positive and negatives, challenges and promises. On some campuses, we encountered a proliferation of Jewish social, educational, and cultural programming, new attempts to engage the unengaged, and evidence of strong Jewish student leadership. On other campuses, we found the Jewish enterprise struggling to gain a toehold. At the individual level, data are replete with stories of students who found a place for themselves in the Jewish community on campus and, as a result, strengthened their Jewish identities, grew in their Jewish practices, and developed as individuals. At the same time, the majority of Jewish college students we encountered are untouched by formal Jewish organizations and activities. Interview data reveal students who are repelled by their perception of Hillel and/or who feel no need to involve themselves in Jewish activities while at school. Although one might have hoped for more from Jewish campus organizations, they seem to be doing no worse than the general Jewish community in terms of attracting and involving Jews. Particularism in the University examines dimensions of campus climate, the current status of the Jewish enterprise on campus, and how and why students embrace or eschew Jewish opportunities during the college years. The report summarizes the research findings and offers recommendations for enhancing and expanding Jewish life on campus.