Brown University – The Jewish Ivy?
On the weekend of November 7-9, Brown University hosted its unprecedented celebration of “130 Years of Jewish Life at Brown.” At some point during Shabbat dinner, between the ridiculously decadent noodle kugel and Robert Kraft’s talk about combatting antisemitism in a tent pulsing with over 1,000 Jewish Brunonians – or Jewnonians, as we say – I realized that my alma mater has become the Jewish Ivy.
As an active leader in the Brown Jewish Alumni and Friends organization, I felt compelled to attend. I had not participated in any of the planning, other than strong-arming a fellow a cappella nerd to speak on a panel. Many of my alumni friends, however, were knee-deep in orchestrating this labor of love over the course of the past two years. I came to show support for our community, to spend quality time with friends, and, if I am to be honest, with a certain degree of reservation and skepticism.
After all of the pain and trauma experienced in our alma mater over the past two years, was this truly the right moment to “celebrate”? Were we ignoring the elephant in the room, namely, the fact that college students continue to experience escalating antisemitism across the globe on a daily basis? That anti-Zionist faculty continue to peddle activism as pedagogy? That a raving antisemite had just been elected mayor of New York City merely days earlier?
The answer proved to be an unqualified yes.
With a theme of L’dor V’dor – from generation to generation – the weekend brought together Jewish alumni from as far back as the 1950s up through the present for what amounted to an intergenerational therapy session. It proved to be the great hug of Jewish pride that many of us did not realize we needed.
More than that, I realized while diving into the kosher tiramisu with the branded chocolate disc on top that this event was the most powerful flex of Jewish resilience that any university community has demonstrated. Jewish Brunonians firmly and powerfully announced that we are here to stay. With the full backing of Brown’s administration, President Christina Paxson’s constant presence throughout the weekend, the participation of Jewish faculty and administrative leaders including the inaugural dean of the newly elevated Thomas J. Watson, Jr. School of International and Public Affairs John Friedman, locked down and vigilant security, and carefully curated and coordinated events to fill every hour of the weekend, Brown University answered that announcement with a resounding affirmation that Brown wants us to stay.
Far from ignoring the difficulties of the past two years, those concerns were acknowledged and woven subtly throughout the many panels and lectures. In fact, I believe many alumni attended because of those difficulties, flying cross country to lend their voices and feet to the message that we will not disappear. As Co-Chair and Hillel Board Member Abby Doft noted, “One primary goal was to show up for the Jewish students and faculty on campus. Jewish alumni and parents are here to support Brown and the campus Jewish community.”
Keynote speaker Robert Kraft spoke on his efforts first to combat antisemitism and now hate of all kinds through his Blue Square Alliance Against Hate. Panels brought together current students with differing opinions regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and demonstrated how civil discourse is now being modeled through proactive programming. Alumni mentored and exchanged contacts with students interested in pursuing similar careers. We reminisced in the Grad Centre Bar surrounded by current students and swimming in a warm sea of slightly hazy memories. Intergenerational panels described how being Jewish at Brown evolved over the decades from a fairly isolated experience (in the 1950s, Jewish students were intentionally roomed only with other Jewish students and were excluded from fraternities) to one of full integration and now have come full circle back to the struggles against hate that current students face. Bringing this collective knowledge together in one place demonstrated that, even in the worst of circumstances, Jewish life continues to thrive and assert itself in one way or another.
But the event also showed that we are far more entrenched than a mere dandelion growing against all odds in pavement cracks.
Preparation for the event resulted in the creation of a fascinating assortment of resources permanently assembling and recording the story of Jewish life at Brown. Planners created a Jewish Walking Tour of Brown, a printed History of Brown RISD Hillel, special library exhibits and presentations, and most significantly, a digital archive of Jewish life called “Jewish History at Brown: A Timeline” assembled by an enterprising student. Per Brown’s charter, the university was founded on the concept of requiring no religious test for admission. This likely resulted in the early inclusion of Jews, with the Corporation affirming the admissibility of Jews as early as 1770, although the first Jewish student – Israel Strauss – did not matriculate until 1891. A physical installation of the timeline now adorns the walls of Hillel, reminding students of the generations who paved the way to their education.
By far the most valuable aspect of the weekend for me was hearing from students about their struggles over the past two years and how much it meant to them to see alumni there in support of their community. Senior Brooke Cohen explained, “Our last four years have had so many ups and downs. Our first year was fantastic, while our sophomore and junior years were very challenging with the campus climate. Coming back senior year, it feels like a new beginning, and this last weekend felt like an incredible testament to how strong the community is. I have come out of this weekend feeling very energized and grateful for the Jewish community at Brown. Thank you for making the space to celebrate that. This weekend will be one of the most memorable highlights of my time at Brown.”
President Paxson similarly remarked during breakfast at Hillel on Sunday morning that “it feels like we have turned a corner.” Certainly, the complete lack of protest throughout the weekend signaled a sea change in the environment. The campus was covered in branded signs and banners for the event, and not one was defaced in any way. Non-Jewish student and professional employees cheerfully directed alumni all weekend without a cross word. Many of us took great comfort in the calm, safe atmosphere that mirrored the Brown we knew and loved.
At an alleged 24 percent (full disclosure – I have no means of independently verifying this, but I heard it repeatedly all weekend), Brown now boasts the highest percentage of Jewish students in the Ivy League. Mind you, most of the other Ivies actively have been excluding Jewish students for the past decade, so the competition is not exactly stiff. Also mind you, the Ivy League really is *just* a football conference and not a particularly good one, at that.
And yes, we know life is not perfect. We know that Adi Ophir and Omer Bartov plan to teach anti-Zionist propaganda courses this spring. We know that SJP is about to conclude its year of probation and resume activity on campus. We know we must remain vigilant and continue to protect our community from both internal and external attack.
The past two years drained us all emotionally and physically. Taking a weekend, however, to indulge in much needed Jewish joy and pride did not detract from our motivation to continue to fight for Jewish civil rights and against the rising tide of bigotry we face daily. Rather, it steeled our resolve to protect the beautiful community we built for over a century and solidified our ties to one another in a way that will serve to bolster our determination to see another 130 years of flourishing Jewish life at Brown.
