I can go the distance!

Who could ever know that one semester could be so important in one person's life? I frequently manage to find myself bogged down by various things and responsibilities semester after semester. While I am by no means complaining, as being busy is much much better than not being productive. No matter the semester I always manage to find myself feeling like not enough butter spread over too much toast. While there is plenty of Andy... sometimes I feel as though there really is not enough for all that needs to be done.

I have recently rediscovered the soundtrack from the disney movie "Hercules", and on it is a particular song entitled "I can go the distance." Consequently I have found myself listening to it more than any other song in my music library. It is a theme song of sorts that I feel appropriately describes much of what I have been feeling lately. For those who have not seen the movie or are not familiar with the song, it is about a young Greek demigod hero who is seeking his place in life. While I am neither Greek nor a demigod, I can certainly identify with a young man who is looking to find his niche in life. I am at a crossroads of sorts... I feel too old to really still be in college but simultaneously I can't help but think that I am too young to really be making my way in life. At what point does a person feel as though they are ready to take on the world?

I have been struggling with this idea for much of my collegiate career. I have tried to live my life in the vein of religio-ethical conduct. While I don't think I have always succeeded, I do feel as though I have made the effort I have endeavored to make myself the best person I can possibly strive to become. I guess this brings me back to the pivotal question: What does it really mean to be a mensch? The four years that I have spent at Temple I have spent attempting to be older than I really am, and now that I AM older I might be second guessing that decision. There is something to be said about being young and enjoying one's youth.

It should be noted that I am happy with the person that I have become and I am by no means upset at the way in which I have conducted myself in college. I am just at another transitory stage in my life and I am reflecting on decisions made and the past four years of my life. As I said earlier, Temple was by no means my first choice, but it most certainly was a good choice. I have grown here and I feel as though I have made an impact on this campus. For better or for worse North Philadelphia has been my home for the past 3.5 years and it will honestly be sad to leave. The changes, specifically in the Jewish community, have been great and I can only speculate as to where it will go from here.

I would like to thank everyone at Temple for helping to make my time here meaningful... But now it is time to look to the future and embrace whatever may come.

Here's to going the distance...

Keepin' it Kosh'

Have you ever noticed that there are times that certain themes become more prevalent in your life? For example: you are doing a presentation on hammerhead sharks for your science class and you begin reading up on their behaviors and habits and such. Then, you are perusing what's on TV and notice a "Nature Special" on hammerheads. Then the topic of hammerhead sharks comes up in conversation a few day later independently of you. It would seem that a higher power or some kind of serendipity has been toying with your life. Is it that these thematic elements are merely coincidental? Or could they merely always be present and we only make such connections when our minds are more sensitive to a particular topic? Is there some serendipitous force that provides "thematic" experiences for us throughout our lives?

One such theme that seems to be recurring through my life at the moment is that of כשרות, or Kashrut (Jewish Dietary Laws). I have been serving as one of the student mashgichim for Hillel at Temple University's new kosher operation since last year. At first we only were serving meals for shabbat and the holidays but as the final stages of the kitchen installation have become complete, we are preparing for a full kosher meal plan at Temple. Not only will this provide a great opportunity for the students on campus to explore kosher dining, but it can and will serve as a real draw for new students who are interested in living a more observant lifestyle. This is most certainly serve as a foot in the door to provide future growth for the Jewish community at Temple. The truth of the matter is that Temple can, and foreseeable will, become an inexpensive (albeit in-state only) alternative for observant Jewish students looking for a good education at a good price. I am only sorry that I will not be here for the inevitable growth that the Jewish community will see in the coming years.

I have recently taken on the position of Head Student Masgiach, which essentially means that I am responsible for scheduling the other student mashgichim's hours. As a result of taking on this responsibility I have been having many meetings about the Kosher operation at Temple Hillel. Pretty soon we will be running training sessions for students interested in serving as mashgichim. I am very excited for the weeks to come!!

In a related note... the theme of kashrut has carried over into other parts of my life. In another one of my professional lives no less! I teach hebrew school at Society Hill Synagogue and we have something (ironically) called "Theme Group". The last half hour of every hebrew school session is reserved for a special topics of sorts in which each teacher imparts some aspect of Jewish living, history, experience, etc... upon their students. In quite an ironic move, the topic of Kashrut was thrust upon me a few weeks ago to teach to my students. I suppose I am qualified?

This is just one of those times that a "theme" of sorts becomes prevalent in one's life and experiences... I guess I am just going to have to "Keep it Kosh" for the time being.

Smoothy Sailing

There are times when your faith is restored through the independent actions of others. I recently became President of Hillel at Temple University, Temple's Jewish Student Union. To be honest, it has been adding to my stresses for the past few months, and I was beginning to lose sight of why I wanted to do it in the first place. Then, out of the clear blue, came tonight. Tonight was a social event put on by one of my peers on the student board, Ms. Megan Baumel. The event was titled "Smoothies on the Roof", well due to the inclement weather it became just "Smoothies with a breif foray into the roof. As a way to connect with other faith based groups on campus we decided to invite the Newman Center at Temple University. Well, apparently smoothies are quite popular as we has an AMAZING turn out. Somewhere along the lines of 60ish people showed up and we (and by that I mean me) had to run out to get more smoothie supplies. A fair amount of my fraternity brothers were there as well. All in all it was quite a fantastic event.

Watching all of those different people interact and enjoy themselves in the Edward H. Rosen Center for Jewish Life at Temple University helped me to realize why I wanted to be a leader in the organization in the first place. Thank you to everyone who showed up and thanks especially to Megan Baumel, who really put it all together. It is times like these that rekindle old motivations.