Volume 67, Issue 7

Panim: Bringing Jewish Pride to College Campuses
by Joe Greene

Are you interested in providing an informative and evocative Shabbos to Jews who might be lacking the weekly luxury on university campuses nationwide? Does a Carlebach-style Kabalat Shabbat and continued discussions about Judaism lasting late into the night interest you?  If so, then you might consider exploring Panim.

Panim is an organization whose stated mission is to enhance the Shabbos experience at college campuses around the United States, though the group tends to focus on the Eastern Seaboard.  This year Panim has already visited many schools, including Arizona State University, the University of Florida, the University of Delaware, and New York University.

During the course of a given Shabbos, Panim holds two discussion groups on various Judaic philosophical topics; Sexual Ethics and Jews in the Public Eye, for example,  are among the most common.  The group works in conjunction with the Hillels and Chabad Houses on the various campuses, striving to whet students’ appetites to the importance of shabbos, especially those who have yet to experience one.

Panim typically targets universities with sparse Orthodox populations in order to educate and instill pride in those considered more removed from religious Judaism.  The organization, however, is not a kiruv group.  Panim’s goal is “to give a greater awareness of Jewish Pride and heritage to Jewish college students,” says current club President Chaim Hirsch.

Jason Finkelstein, a Yeshiva graduate and current Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary student, in conjunction with the Max Stern Division of Community Services (MSDCS), founded the organization and club several years ago.  Finkelstein, along with MSDCS Coordinator of Youth and Outreach Services Rabbi Ari Rockoff, got the organization where it is today.

In order to become a Panim advisor, you must apply and undergo an interview process with two senior members of Panim.  The club looks for people who possess amicable personalities, honed social skills, and the ability to feel comfortable leading discussion groups.  Furthermore, potential recruits require a degree of intellectuality as well as fluency in contemporary hot-topics so as to shed light on many of the heated questions posed by Shabbaton participants.

According to Hirsch, the most important characteristic for discussion leaders is that they be non-judgmental of the participants.  Group leaders must understand that students come from diverse backgrounds, and, therefore, should not be judged by their level of observance.

There are currently 75-100 group leaders in the organization’s database.  Depending on the expected crowd at each particular Shabbaton, Panim organizers select anywhere from four to eight leaders.  The selection process works on a rotation system in order to give as many leaders as possible a chance to participate.  Hirsch says of the demand to attend a Shabbaton, “It’s a very small pie that a lot of people who want a piece of.”

The club already has 12 programs scheduled for the spring semester, in such places as Emory University, University of Texas, and the University of Iowa.  Hirsch hopes to have between 15 and 20 programs by the end of the semester.♦

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