WFU Hillel has plenty of events early in the year with the purpose of making the freshmen students feel comfortable. During the annual Freshmen Bagel Brunch during the first week of school the entering freshmen get to know each other. We also all go to services together at Temple Emanuel, the synagogue in town during the high holidays, and Break the Fast together.
Winston-Salem is home to Temple Emanuel, a reform synagogue, and Greensboro (30 minutes away) is home to both conservative and reform temples. In October, we build a Sukkah and have a Jewish Students-Faculty-Staff picnic for everyone to get to know each other. In December we have a Chanukah Party Study Break, usually around exams, where we make latkas and light the menorah. In January of 2005, we participated in a fundraiser and prayer service for the victims and survivors of the tsunami disaster in South Asia. Each Spring semester, our organization selects a charity to donate to.
In the 2007-2008 school year, our students were represented in the Interfaith Council Executive Board and lead many service trips. We have also created and Interfaith Worship space inside the Benson Student Center that is intended for students of minority faiths on campus including Jews, Bahai students and Muslims.
Finally, our largest event on campus is the Passover Seder. All students, faculty and staff are invited to the Seder dinner held on campus. In addition, Holocaust Memorial Day and Israeli Independence Day are both observed if the holidays fall when the university is in session. For Yom HaZicaron or Holocaust Remembrance Day we do a 12 hour name reading marathon with other groups on campus.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How many Jewish students are there at Wake Forest University?
Wake Forest University is home to roughly 125 Jewish undergraduate students, 40 of which are official members of WFU Hillel.
2. Does Wake Forest University provide Kosher foods?
After meeting with our dining executives at the end of last year, the Interfaith Council has made significant headway in achieving the observance of some kashruth laws in our main dining hall. At the end of last academic year, we purchased blue and red handles for all of our pots so that Jewish students can ask for the blue handles to be used on their food so that we know that those pots are exclusively for dairy. Also, the dining hall serves matzo during Passover, and new for next year, there will be a vegetarian section at every single dining station! We are very excited about these changes. Additionally, one of our Hillel members will be keeping a kosher kitchen on campus in an upperclassmen townhouse style dorm that everyone is welcome to use!
3. What academic Judaism-related courses does Wake Forest University offer?
WFU offers a number of Judaism-related courses across a number of disciplines.
American Ethnic Studies
AES 232- The American Jewish Experience
English
ENG 377- American Jewish Literature
Political Science
POL 259- The Arab-Israeli Conflict
Religion
REL 111- Introduction to the Old Testament
REL 210- Jerusalem in History and Tradition
REL 261- Foundations of Traditional Judaism
REL 262- Contemporary Judaism
REL 308- Sacred Scripture and the Tradition of Abraham
REL 310- The Prophetic Literature
REL 311- The Pslams
REL 314- Ancient Israel and Her Neighbors
REL 317- Wisdom Literature
REL 319- Visions of the End: Jewish and Christian Apocalyptic
Near Eastern Languages and Literature
NLL 111 and 112- Elementary Hebrew
NLL 153- Intermediate Hebrew
NLL 211- Hebrew Literature
NLL 212- Hebrew Literature II
NLL 301- Introduction to Semitic Languages
NLL 314- Readings from the Rabbis
Women's and Gender Studies
WGS 377- Jewish-American Women Writers
4. What faculty leadership does Wake Forest University Hillel have?
WFU Hillel is led primarily by two members of the University faculty. Dr. Jac Heckelman, a professor in the Department of Economics, is our faculty advisor. Along with Rabbi Andrew Ettin, a professor in the English Department, they both lead the students in our organization.
5. Does Wake Forest have a Hillel house?
WFU Hillel has a lounge space with an attached kitchen in the basement of Collins residence hall, a freshmen dorm.
