Last Wednesday, voices rising and falling in careful unison drifted softly from the SPC Black Box. Inside, melodies of Hebrew words of remembrance enveloped the otherwise sparse space with a sense of community as students gathered for Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish year, marked by fasting and prayer.
For students at Emerson College, a smaller gathering took place as part of a service put on by Emerson and Suffolk Hillel organizations to give students space to come together for the High Holidays. The gathering was small and intimate, with about 20 people in attendance, composed mostly of students and a couple of faculty members.
Yom Kippur, known as the Day of Atonement, is usually observed with a 25-hour fast and intensive prayer. It marks the culmination of the High Holidays that begin with Rosh Hashanah in the fall. The holiday focuses on reflection, repentance, and seeking forgiveness for past wrongs. Many who observe the holiday spend their day in synagogue, where services include moments for reflection, readings, and traditional melodies. At sundown, the fast ends with the sounding of the shofar, a ram’s horn that is blown like a trumpet during Jewish religious services, concluding the period of atonement and renewal.
The service at Emerson, led by Rabbi Elisheva “Elli” Pripas, Emerson’s Jewish chaplain and Hillel adviser, gave students a space to observe the holiday they would otherwise participate in back home.
“It makes things a lot more convenient,” said Ava Echternacht, Emerson Hillel’s treasurer. “I don’t have to be like, ‘Oh no, where am I going to go for the holidays?’”
Andrew Miller, a junior creative writing major, agreed with Echternacht. He said it was important for him to have access to these events in an otherwise unfamiliar city.
“I can’t find a hub or a synagogue here,” Miller said. “And it’s good because I’m with my buddies.”
Services like the one held for Yom Kippur are a new addition to Emerson, with the arrival of Pripas as Jewish chaplain and Hillel adviser two months ago. She said it has been a welcome addition, as students have shared that in the past observing the holidays was “not always easy.”
Pripas said she values giving students a place to feel at home in their traditions and community. She said that, especially while students are at school, it’s important to give them a convenient space to observe so it does not conflict with their academic lives.
“Part of it is for folks who’ve grown up in specific traditions, making sure there are places where they can feel rooted,” Pripas said. “Being able to say, ‘I’m connected to the Jewish community, this is important to me, this is foundational to who I am, and also I’m here [at school] learning.’”
Emerson Hillel is among several cultural organizations that fall under the umbrella of the Office of Spiritual Life. The office is designed to support students in their reflection and growth through religious and spiritual programming, support, and education. Jackie Yun, assistant vice president of student experience, said she is grateful for the cultural events on campus that reflect a variety of identities so students can have a space to come together.
“Many [college students] hold faith-based identities. And some don’t, but we still want to ask bigger questions around meaning and have conversations around that,” Yun said.
Pripas said she hopes the services and other cultural events will encourage people to engage with cultures other than their own, experience new things, and become culturally literate.
“Being able to bring a friend to a service or dinner, being able to introduce food or different practices so that they learn more about all the different traditions of the world,” Pripas said. “I think all of those are important.”
