詹妮弗·k·森田著

2024年5月9日

When Rabbi Ben Herman hung the mezuzah – a sign of protection – on the doorpost of the Jewish Life and Resource Center at 萨克拉门托 State, he was joined by audience members who recited the Hebrew blessing by heart.

萨克拉门托市领导和犹太社区成员于5月8日与教职员工和学生一起庆祝该中心的正式开业，该中心是加州大学与戴维斯和萨克拉门托的希勒尔大学合作建立的。

The Jewish Life and Resource Center, 囊状态’s newest “equity and affinity center,” is the first space on campus dedicated to supporting Jewish students.

“This may seem like just a building among many buildings, but it’s so much more than that,” Mayor Darrell Steinberg said. “It’s about enabling young Jewish students to identify as Jewish safely and with pride.

“What Luke Wood and this university are demonstrating is something for the rest of the state and the rest of the country to uphold. The idea that there can be real safe spaces for the peaceful exercise of free expression and the First Amendment, and at the same time not let those lines be crossed that frighten, that vilify, too many young people, especially Jewish students.”

囊状态 is home to several 公平和亲和中心 that provide safe spaces for students from historically marginalized backgrounds and identities. 他们提供资源、规划和一对一的支持，让学生了解自己，建立社区，加强与大学的联系。

President Luke Wood called the opening of the Jewish Life and Resource Center, located in Suite 1010 of Modoc Hall, a “defining moment in 囊状态’s history.”

“And the fact that we’re able to do it in partnership with Hillel makes it even more special,” Wood said. “Across the country right now you’re seeing people move away from open dialogue, move away from honest conversations. We wanted to do something that’s different.

“Where other campus communities may vilify, we want to unify. Where other campus communities may want to sow seeds of discord, we want to sow seeds of truth and understanding.”

希勒尔是一个国际犹太校园组织，于1965年在加州大学戴维斯分校对面的街道上建立了戴维斯和萨克拉门托中心，作为犹太学生的家外之家。 But the center’s location meant most of its focus had been on UC Davis students.

希勒尔的工作人员尝试了一些方法来吸引萨克州立大学的学生参加他们在戴维斯举办的活动，比如报销他们的汽油费或拼车费。

“But not a lot of people wanted to make the drive,” Hillel Springboard Fellow Dasha Pozdnikov said. “That’s when we really started to look into ways we could establish ourselves at 囊状态.”

希勒尔在萨克州立大学的活动中摆了桌子，在那里他们遇到了像伊莱·西拉克这样的犹太学生。 这位计算机科学专业的学生在校园里积极参加社区服务团体，但他说他错过了与其他犹太人的联系。

“Being Jewish is a big part of our identity,” Sirak said. “It’s important to be connected to a community and not feel alone.”

Pozdnikov reached out to Wood as well as Mark Wheeler, the senior advisor to the president who had been working with 囊状态 Jewish students to offer more kosher food options on campus, start a training for faculty to better understand antisemitism, and establish a task force to address problems or concerns in the Jewish community.

“Where other campus communities may vilify, we want to unify. Where other campus communities may want to sow seeds of discord, we want to sow seeds of truth and understanding.” ——博彩平台校长卢克·伍德

Roughly 2% to 3% of 萨克拉门托 State’s 30,193 students identify as Jewish, according to Pozdnikov, and many of them told University officials they wanted a place on campus to share their cultural heritage.

“When it comes to Judaism, a lot of people identify on various levels in terms of religion,” Pozdnikov said. “A lot of students we come in contact with are proudly, ethnically Jewish, but don’t identify with the religious aspect of Judaism.

“It’s another reason it’s so important to have a cultural center.”

萨克拉门托市议员丽莎·卡普兰称赞该大学与希勒尔合作，使该中心成为现实。

“What we need to talk about nowadays is, how do we come together and have that conversation of acceptance when we disagree, and even more so at a time when our Jewish students do not feel safe,” Kaplan said.

从今年夏天开始，波兹德尼科夫希望该中心每月举办活动或节目。 最后，她想每周五都吃安息日晚餐。

“It’s so important to expose yourself to diverse environments, but it’s also important to have a space where you can go and be around people who you don’t have to explain your heritage or background to,” she said. “It makes a world of difference.

“Everyone wants to feel safe … and establishing a level of comfort just improves students’ overall performance in academics and mood in general.”