Jewish Hillel may come to USU
Holidays like Purim, Passover and Chanukah can be lonely for Jewish students at Utah State University.
Guy Serbin, who is working on his doctorate in soils science, is seeking other Jewish students in order to form a Hillel, which is part of an international Jewish organization for students.
The nearest Hillel is located at the University of Utah and at one hour and 45 minutes of driving time each way, it gets to be too much traveling Serbin said.
“It’s not the most convenient,” he said. “The last time I went down was for Passover.”
Like most religious people, Serbin said he likes to congregate with people who have similar beliefs.
“I’m not way religious, but I like to do things when holidays come around,” Serbin said.
Serbin has placed advertisements in the Back Burner of The Statesman, but has yet to see results.
“If I can find more Jews who are interested, we’ll be able to have better activities,” he said. “It’s like finding needles in a haystack.”
The homogeneous population of the state of Utah means there isn’t a large number of Jews – somewhere between 5,000 and 7,000 are estimated, Serbin said.
The closest synagogue is in Ogden, 50 miles away – a big difference from where Serbin grew up in Philadelphia.
“There is a large Jewish population there,” he said. “Within walking distance after 10 minutes there are five to 10 synagogues.”
Working to get students organized in a Hillel may be a daunting task, but Serbin said he is missing something spiritual. He said in the past few months he decided to get started organizing.
“The people here are wonderful,” he said. “But it is less-diverse here than anywhere I’ve been.”
Serbin said once a Hillel is organized, Jewish faculty and staff will be welcome to participate in activities.
“If we have to arrange something off campus, that’s a possibility,” he said.
Serbin can be contacted by e-mail at gserbin@cc.usu.edu or by phone at 797-0406.