There are roughly 5,420,000 Jews living in America, according to American Jewish Year Book, and I just so happen to be one of them. My father’s family came from Poland and refused to leave their religion behind. So when I decided to attend West Virginia Wesleyan College, I also refused to leave my heritage behind.
Being Jewish at a Methodist college seems like the beginning to a bad joke, but I knew from the start what I was getting into. I mean, the booklets that WVWC sent me over the summer before my senior year had dozens of photos of Wesley Chapel plastered on them. I would have to be completely blind to miss the fact that I wasn’t going to a secular school. I decided that I was okay with that. Out of all the schools that I looked at senior year, the hometown feel of Buckhannon spoke to me, and Wesleyan’s psychology department was one of the top in the state. So when the acceptance letter came in the mail, I went for it.
Naturally, not everything is going smoothly. The first thing that clued me in that I was a little out of my depth was the opening ceremony during orientation. Rather than hold it in the gymnasium or perhaps in the Performing Arts Center, it was held in the chapel. When the ceremony began, it began with a prayer to God and Jesus. The kids and parents all around me wore crosses around their necks. There wasn’t even an attempt to possibly ease up for the kids in the crowd who were possibly agnostic or atheists, who had to be more uncomfortable than I was. I mean, at least I believe in God the way Christians do, even if I don’t necessarily agree with the whole Jesus thing.
Still, time went on. At a religious liberal arts college, it only makes sense to have one of the general education requirements be a religion class. I managed to squeeze into Judaism and Islam, taught by the wonderful Dr. Vicki Phillips. The first day in the class, I tried to lay low and played dumb when it came to Judaism. After all, high school in a predominantly Christian county hadn’t been fun for an openly Jewish kid, and I didn’t want to get the same stares. However, a friend of mine managed to convince me to tell her, and I suddenly became the source of all things Reform Judaism for my classmates.
I don’t even pretend to be an expert on Judaism. My father’s family may be Jewish, but my mom is Methodist. (Which was awkward when I had to explain to everyone that my sole reason for choosing WVWC over Marshall was money, not religion.) Still, my friends turned to me for answers on our homework and study guides. I was suddenly the Jewish Encyclopaedia, and my faith was called into question every time there was something I couldn’t answer. The frustrating thing is that many of the things that Christians asked me are in the Bible but are in the Old Testament. (The Old Testament is one of the main books of Judaism, a form of Torah.)
I think the worst comes from very Christian kids. Christianity is based around Jesus, and when you walk around admitting that you don’t personally believe that Jesus was the Messiah (Mashiach, actually, but that’s another discussion) tends to make you unpopular. Despite all the similarities that Judaism and Christianity have, there are still many Christians who are unwilling to bend on the Jesus issue. I always try to explain the reasons why Jewish believers don’t believe Jesus was the Messiah. But in my experience, Christians- compared to atheists or agnostics- tend to get very defensive very quickly. I once had someone ask me, “What? Is Jesus not good enough for you?”
I want to say that Jesus is cool. He was a neat prophet that brought more people to God and allowed more people to find solace in their lives. I like some of the things that Jesus said, honestly, but I cannot agree with this Christian belief that Jesus from Nazareth was the son of God. It’s my belief, just like many Christians believe that I, as a person who does not see Jesus as a “saviour,” will go to Hell because I haven’t been baptised. Rather than seeing a Jewish person as a devout follower of the same God, people back away and close off. It’s frustrating to say the least.
Still, I took this all in stride, kept my head high, and essentially tried to blend in. On Fridays, I do Shabbat (the Jewish Sabbath) in the chapel on campus. Although I’m alone, I turn on Amazing Songs for Amazing Jewish Kids– something my family listens to every Shabbat dinner we spend at home- and do my prayers.
The church at WVWC is so accommodating; I am so glad that we have such a kind chaplain here at Wesleyan. Not only did Chaplain Chris Scott show genuine interest in making sure that kids of all different religions are welcome at WVWC, he is so great about offering space for religious purposes. Also, my professors were really understanding when I had to take off for Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) and were willing to help me catch up afterwards.
If you’re Jewish and here at WVWC, we should get together some time for Shabbat. While getting challah every Friday is a bit difficult (my stepmom sends me some sometimes or I order it from a bakery in town) and I don’t have a Kiddush cup, I work on it. I wait for my candles to blow out and at least have grape juice and some type of bread. I say the same blessings that my father and stepmom usually recite and spend some time thinking and praying. I know that might not seem cool if your normal Friday night is spent out, but sometimes it’s best to have a moment of calm as well.
I am so glad that I decided to go to Wesleyan. Even though the main reason I decided on going here was money, the reason I stayed was the friendly atmosphere from the staff and most the students here. I may be one of the few practicing Jews on campus in a sea of Christians, but it works. I’m not the walking book of all things Jewish, but I like explaining my views and beliefs to people who are willing to listen.