Sophie Schott

ENC1101

11/5/17

Jewish Discourse Communities at the University of Central Florida

In Judaism, there are many different ways that people practice. The three most common

are Orthodox, Reform and Conservative. Orthodox Jews are those who maintain the most

traditional beliefs and practices of the Jewish religion. Reform Jews are those who mark by a

liberal approach by shortening and simplifying the traditional rituals. Reform Judaism is the

largest form of Judaism in the United States. Conservative Jews are those who are perceived as

the radical nature of reform Judaism. Conservative is basically in the middle between

Orthodox and Reform groups.

Growing up in South Florida, being raised by a conservative family and also going to a

Jewish Day School since kindergarten has helped shape me into the Jew I am today. To be a Jew

is something that is very important to me and my beliefs, and I will always trace back to it. Ever

since 2nd grade I was taught how to speak, learn, read and write the Jewish language (Hebrew)

every day for at least 3 hours. Everyday before classes we would have our daily teffilah

(praying) hour. This also helped me to learn and understand the prayers we would be singing

about. My family and I would not attend temple every Friday night and Saturday morning like

the orthodox do, but we would go for every high holiday with our whole family. My favorite part

of the holidays were attending temple because I was able to experience all of the Jewish people

come together and pray as one. This really made me feel connected and proud to to be Jewish.
Once accepted into UCF the first thing I looked into was their Jewish involvement on and off

campus and surprisingly I found many options! There was a UCF Hillel (a type of jewish temple)

on campus (which is basically a mix of Orthodox and Conservative people) and also a UCF

Chabad (another type of jewish temple) maybe five minutes away from campus. I immediately

went to go check them both out during my first week of school. I went to both Hillel and Chabad

services, and I decided that UCF Chabad was the way I wanted to go. I felt happy and content

deciding I was going to attend as many Friday night services and dinners as I could. I felt as

though I could still be the person who Im set out to be while also not losing my roots. I was

happy because I found a place that would eventually turn into my home away from home.

The people who I was first introduced to were the rabbi and his wife. They were super

nice, friendly, and inviting people who immediately made me feel as if I were back home. Their

vision is to, open the door of Judaism to all Jewish students and faculty on the UCF campus.

They established the Chabad so all Jews that attend UCF and come from different types of

backgrounds and degrees of observances can come together in one place and explore their own

Jewish heritage together.

The programs at the UCF Chabad house change weekly. They host weekly Shabbat

dinners and services where the Jewish students meet new people from UCF and celebrate

bringing in the Sabbath all together. Different holidays call for different ways to celebrate, so the

Chabad also has different ways of celebration. They also host lectures and classes on Jewish

laws, philanthropy, and ethics (some even are offered as 3 course credits)!

The Chabads core belief is that every single Jew has their own contribution that they

need to make for the Jewish people. Predicated on the Mitzvah of "Ahavat Yisrael - love of a
fellow Jew," Chabad seeks to engage fellow Jews at their own pace and comfort level through

innovative educational programs in all areas of Jewish life.

I believe that the coolest part about attending UCF Chabad is that the worry of money is

never there. All services, dinners and programs are FREE! Yes, you read that right, FREE of

charge for all UCF students! No one is ever going to be turned away from Chabad because of the

money.

Now some may think that because most Chabads are mainly run by Orthodox people,

only Orthodox people can go. This myth is false! Chabad is non-judgmental, and it is open to all.

The majority of people who participate in Chabads programs are not Orthodox. When you are

at Chabad, a Jew is a Jew. Chabad does not label other Jews because it tends to divide the Jewish

people instead of coming together as a whole.

It was a very hard adjustment for me to leave my home after living there with my parents

for 18 years, but I knew that I needed to take this huge step in my life in order to live my life!

Once I arrived at UCF, it was very overwhelming for me because I have never attended a public

school before, let alone go to the biggest public schools in Florida! I felt a little bit at peace

knowing that Chabad would be there, and that made me feel like I had a little bit of my home

with me. The people that work at and run Chabad could not be any nicer and accepting to the

new freshman. They really made me feel like I am at home and I can relate to them because they

are similar to me.