Izzie Corley
Staff Writer
Starting next year, The College of Wooster Jewish student organization, Hillel, will be operating a dedicated program house on campus. As outlined in the Religious and Spiritual Life weekly round-up email on Monday, Feb. 7, the Hillel house is “dedicated to building a more visible Jewish community on Wooster’s campus.” Participating students will be living in Kate House, which is on Beall Avenue and directly north of Bornhuetter Hall. Kate House is a two-story building featuring a downstairs common room, and 6 single-occupant rooms on its second floor. The housing rate for any program house or apartment is $7110, $560 more than the standard double or triple rate, according to the Office of Residence Life housing selection webpage. For that price, students living in Kate House will enjoy access to their own room as well as the company of an intentional Jewish community, all for a rate $510 less than a single dorm in a standard residence hall.
“Any student in good standing may apply to live in the Hillel House,” states RSL’s email, “though we hope this can be a place where Jewish students specifically can live intentionally in community together.” Kate House is intended to be a safe and intentional space for housing, religious services and even everyday socialization for Jewish individuals on campus.
While the deadline to apply for program housing for next year was Feb. 9, students can benefit from the social and religious opportunities at the house. Those interested in attending programs, Shabbat dinners, movie nights and more can request to be granted swipe access by the Hillel group, so that they can enter the first floor of Kate House regardless of their dorm/housing. The second floor will remain reserved for those who live there.
Going forward, students interested in Jewish campus life can look to Kate House as a centralized location for community activity. “Hillel house will be a place where we will host the majority of our events,” said Ryan Tepperman ’24, a current board member of Hillel. Having access to this location gives Jewish students an opportunity to attend events without leaving campus, as well as meeting more of their fellow Jewish peers.
“The purpose of the Hillel house is that it will be a safe space for our group to worship without being removed because something else is going on in a space that we reserve,” said Tepperman. “This will be our own space and we won’t have to worry about that happening.” A reserved location provides a sense of peace and privacy that is perfect both for getting into the spirit of a religious service, and for fostering a friendly and laid-back atmosphere for social activities. Clubs and organizations such as Hillel that do not have their own space run the risk of a scheduling conflict when trying to find somewhere to meet, or even the chance of another group ignoring that schedule. Having a guaranteed space of its own will help the Hillel organization to foster and strengthen the Jewish community on the College of Wooster campus.
