A NOTE FROM URI

Dear Friends,

And, we’re back! Students returned to campus on January 12th. Attendance at our Shabbat dinners, speakers, weekday meals and gatherings has been strong, energy in the building has been high, and students are looking forward to a terrific semester ahead.

At the same time we pause to celebrate the momentous news of the return of Ran Gvili’s remains to Israel this week, which closes both a personal chapter for the Gvili family and a Jewish communal one as the last of the hostages has finally returned home. This is the first time since 2014 that there has not been an Israeli hostage in Gaza. I checked in with a colleague in Israel on Monday morning as the news was coming in and asked how things felt there. She said that the feeling was complicated, yet jubilant. While the sadness of Ran’s loss compounds with the thousands of other lives lost on and since October 7th, the fact that he has been returned home and his family can now rest, and that the mourning can officially start so that later it can “end” is a cause for celebration. It is my heartfelt hope that the closing of this chapter opens up new chapters of peace, justice, and stability for Israelis and Palestinians in Israel, Gaza and world-wide. May Ran’s memory always be for a blessing.

Over the winter break, so many people asked me, “How are things on campus? Have they calmed down? Are Jewish students OK?” On the one hand, I understand why I’m getting this question - Jewish life has been so challenging over the past two years - things on campus must be crazy, right? Wrong. Jewish life at Yale is thriving. Participation in Jewish activities is up, and we live openly and proudly as Jews at Yale. That’s not to say there aren’t challenges, but Jewish life at Yale is as “normal” now as it’s been in a long time.

I want to share with you some thoughts about why this is so, and also some projections about what the future holds.

1. The prevailing spirit on campus is very positive. Involvement in Jewish life on campus has been very high all this year, and this experience is shared among many of our peer student communities on campus. We saw record-high levels of participation in Slifka activities last semester, and this one is off to a great start despite the daily grind of national and international headlines. In parallel, Yale’s commitment to enforcing its policies is succeeding at creating a campus climate that is in line with Yale’s historic track record of constructive and curious conversations and relationship-building.
2. Jewish activities abound. Slifka’s programmatic offerings last semester hit all of our target areas of focus: joyous celebrations of Shabbat and holidays; exploration of Jewish texts and ideas; engagement with Israel; Jewish arts and culture, social justice, religious and spiritual opportunities; and access to nourishing kosher food in our lively dining hall. Last year 76% of the estimated Jewish undergraduates and hundreds of Jewish graduate students participated across all of Slifka’s programs, alongside hundreds of their non-Jewish peers across all matriculations. This year we’re on track to meet or exceed these levels.
3. Student and staff leadership drive a strong, inclusive community. We have an excellent crew of student leaders across all our affiliated student groups, and I enjoyed learning and spending time with them at our semesterly Student Leadership Retreat last night. Our professionals are doing excellent work, and the semester ahead will be full of opportunities for meaningful Jewish engagement. While we will be sad to see Rav Alex and Lauren leave us at the end of the semester, we look forward to celebrating their contributions to our community, and identifying successors who will build on the strong foundation they will leave behind.
4. Zionism and Pluralism are alive and well. Slifka continues to express its commitments to both pluralism and Zionism, and the positive effects are palpable. Slifka is open and welcoming, and our gatherings include representation from many parts of the Jewish student community who are committed to vibrant Jewish life at Yale. The Israeli flag flies proudly over our door (next to the American flag), and Israel-focused programs are running strong. Travel to Israel is on the rise, and we are looking forward to launching our Joseph and Marilyn Schwartz Israel Education Fellowship later this semester. The character of the Slifka community that is rooted in our commitments to Pluralism and Zionism is strong and clear, and our community is confident, resilient and calm.

One of my favorite “Seinfeld” episodes is the one about the rental car reservation. Expressing frustration that despite having made a reservation and yet the rental company ran out of cars, Jerry says to the reservation agent, “You seem to know how to take a reservation - you just don’t know how to hold the reservation, which really is the most important part of the renovation - the holding.”

As Slifka celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, I am mindful and grateful of what we’ve been able to accomplish and what it has taken to get here. It’s also important to recognize that as wonderful as our accomplishments are, we need to maintain and strengthen them, or our past successes will be like Jerry’s car rental reservation – taken, but not held.

Given world events and current trends, it seems clear to me that life is going to become more complicated for Jews, not less, in the coming years. Wednesday night’s despicable car ramming attack on Chabad Headquarters in Brooklyn is only the latest proof that this is so. Jews will likely be under more pressure and need more support from within and without. As stewards of the Yale Jewish community it is incumbent upon all of us to make investments in Jewish life that recognize these future needs and our historic place in the story. “Doing what we always do” isn’t enough anymore.

Slifka is the “Center for Jewish Life at Yale” for many reasons - including our leadership in building and nurturing Jewish community, advocating on campus to make Yale a great place to be Jewish, engaging with perspectives that energize all facets of Jewish life, and cultivating the next generation of Jewish leaders. It is essential that we work together to make Slifka’s next 30 years even more impactful than its first 30. 

We are actively seeking bold commitments and partners to support this next phase of our work, so please be in touch with me at uri.cohen@yale.edu if you’re interested in learning more. I’d love to share more about how we’re making Yale’s Jewish community even stronger and more resilient so that Yale can continue to play an essential role in making the future – Jewish and otherwise – better than the present.

Uri Cohen

Executive Director

Light It Up Yellow- International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Slifka Center is proud to once more join organizations and institutions worldwide in changing our exterior lighting to yellow for International Holocaust Remembrance Day this past Tuesday. The Light Up America Yellow Coalition brings together public officials, Jewish organizations, community leaders, and landmark institutions from across the country to honor International Holocaust Remembrance Day each year. By publicly engaging in this global remembrance commemorated each year on January 27th, we honor all those who lost their lives during the Holocaust, and again underscore the danger of unchecked hate. Together with the local New Haven community we stand tall in condemning antisemitism, and with Slifka’s yellow glow we signify our stance against hate. 

Slifka alumna Rabbinit Leah Sarna on The (Jewish) Life  Worth Living 

On Tuesday, January 20th, about 30 students gathered in the Sylvia Slifka chapel for a very special edition of the Slifka Jewish Ideas Forum. It was a deeply engaging evening entitled “The (Jewish) Life Worth Living,” featuring the insights of Rabbanit Leah Sarna ‘14 and Matthew Croasmun ‘01, ‘14 PhD, Director of the Life Worth Living program at the Yale Center for Faith and Culture, in conversation with our own Rabbi Alex. Over sushi, they explored the distinctive resources Judaism offers for leading meaningful lives, differences between Judaism and Christianity in this respect, and the cultural and economic challenges facing contemporary college students. Students were invited to join in the conversation and contributed their own questions and perspectives. 

Rabbanit Leah serves as the first female spiritual leader of Kehillat Sha'arei Orah in Lower Merion, PA, and is the Director of Public Education & Media for the International Beit Din. The day after the program, she was able to join twelve Slifka students for a “Lunch and Learn” in our dining hall discussing her groundbreaking work with the Beit Din addressing the "agunah crisis" — the challenge of women unable to remarry when their husbands refuse to provide a “get,” which is a writ of religious divorce.

Sharaka- Building Bridges

A delegation from Sharaka came to Slifka for a meaningful and inspiring conversation in which young professional delegates from Middle Eastern countries represented in the Abraham Accords shared their personal journeys and how their perceptions of Israel changed over time. They spoke about arriving in Israel for the first time with ideas and narratives they had carried since childhood, and how meeting people and experiencing the country firsthand completely shifted their perspectives.

Panelists described their surprise at discovering Israel’s diversity, seeing Arabic used widely in public spaces, and learning that many signs and materials are translated into Arabic in Israel even before English. They also shared how meaningful it was for them to meet Israeli Arabs living alongside Jewish Israelis in a reality of coexistence and everyday partnership.

Today, they work with Sharaka, traveling throughout the United States and around the world to share their stories. Their goal is to challenge one dimensional narratives and encourage students and audiences to question what they see on social media, emphasizing that it is impossible to truly judge a country without visiting it.

The event included an open Q&A session with students, who asked honest and thoughtful questions, including whether the speakers are afraid of the reactions they receive and why they choose to do this work. The speakers shared that they are driven by a belief in peace and a desire to live in a quieter, more hopeful world. They stressed that Israel should not be judged solely through the lens of conflict, but rather understood through direct human connection and lived experience.

Overall, the event conveyed a powerful message: to truly understand Israel, one must visit, meet its people, and see the many layers of life the country has to offer.

February 3, Stamford Connecticut

After October 7: Campus Antisemitism and the Jewish Response- Join Slifka Center for Jewish Life at Yale, and other Jewish communities in the region, for a panel discussion examining how campus life has changed since October 7, and how Jewish students and institutions are responding. This event is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required.

February 20-21 at Slifka

Miriam Hassan z’’l Sephardi Shabbaton will take place on February 20-21 and the focus will be on Morocco. If you wish to contribute to the Shabbat, please click here.  

February 22 at Slifka

Magevet, Yale’s Jewish a cappella group, will present a Matthew Eisenfeld ’93 z”l Memorial Concert on Sunday afternoon, February 22nd at 4:30 pm at Slifka Center.

February 27-28 at Slifka

Dan Nichols will be Slifka’s artist-in-residence for Shabbat from February 27-28. If you are in the area, please join us for soulful song. Learn more about Dan’s impressive background here.

February 9-12 in Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco areas

Slifka Center is headed west in February for three evenings hosted by local alumni. Join us February 9th in Pacific Palisades, February 10th in Rancho Santa Fe, and February 11th in San Francisco. California residents, check your email for further information.

April 16th in New York City - Slifka Center's 30th Anniversary

We are excited to announce we will be celebrating 30 years of Slifka on April 16th at Central Synagogue in New York City. Save the date, and stay tuned for more information on this not-to -be-missed evening. 

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