|
Over a pizza (apparently still the official food of higher education everywhere), I shared with Jewish students the philosophy of generosity, community, study, and spirituality that has driven FJC’s engagement with our community in recent months. We thought about how our approach could help Dickinson students as well. In two of Professor Lieber’s classes, I traced the themes of the Song of Songs from biblical days through medieval poets to rock and roll all the way to Zamru’s Daniela Dvash’s rendition of the “The Honeycomb” at FJC this year as well as a comparison of the Ages of Bob Dylan and Beyoncé.
I was moved by the openness of the students, and the appreciation they shared with me for the ideas I shared with them. But the most moving portion of my visit was an evening spent with Dickinson faculty, the mentors who will undoubtedly change the lives of so many of these students as college professors do for so many of us.
Through the lens of contemporary Jewish creators from Philip Roth to Jerry Seinfeld, we talked about how to tell the Jewish story today in light of the war, anti-Semitism, liberal values, campus life, and more. We wrestled with conflicting narratives and uncomfortable silences, laughed a lot, shed a few tears, and above all created a space where respect for difference does not mean tamping down one’s truth; where expressing anger at the violence of the words and actions of our age does not prevent one from listening to others; where we can slow down and make time to process what seems like an impossibly dark situation in a manner that actually leads to some rays of light.
Dickinson College is a special place, located in legendary Carlisle, Pennsylvania – where the great Jim Thorpe dominated the gridiron and America’s brutal oppression of young Native Americans was revealed. It boasts a classic college green, cozy stone buildings and bright red benches, and passersby saying hello to a stranger that reminded me of what makes such schools so inviting. It’s the kind of place I can imagine sending my own kids to, or attending as a kid myself. But above all, after a long day as a guest speaker ended, I was energized knowing that a campus need not be a ghost town and hard issues need not force us to become our worst selves. We can talk, learn, disagree, and even hug when sharing our truths. I learned much more than I taught. That’s the way it should be, and for this I am grateful.
| 
