By Marisa Moore
There are currently five Jewish Community Fellows at Rhodes College. As part of their fellowship, they periodically share their experiences as Jewish college students with the larger community.
Being Jewish has always been a huge part of my life.
When I was younger, I attended Hebrew school since I was 3 years old. I made some of my favorite memories with my friends such as attending Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, going to the Holocaust museum, and making hamentaschen and challah in our weekly cooking classes. These memories will stay with me forever, and have shaped me into the person I am today.
Going into college, I wanted Judaism to continue to play a role in my life. I am so thankful that I was offered the Jewish Community Fellowship at Rhodes College because it allowed me to continue to be a part of the Jewish community far away from home. It also allowed me the opportunity to attend my dream school where I could further my education, continue my softball career, be a sorority member of Alpha Omicron Pi, and intern at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Leaving California to go to school in Memphis was a big change, but it was also the best decision I have made in my life. Some of my favorite events in Hillel have been bagel brunches, Shabbat dinners, and bowling with the University of Memphis Hillel. As a member of Hillel at Rhodes, I was inspired by other people’s birthright experiences, and I am planning my own birthright experience this coming summer!
The Jewish Community Fellowship has given me so many opportunities here in Memphis that I wouldn’t have had without it. I am thankful for all the friends, memories, and opportunities of a lifetime all thanks to Jewish Community Partners and Rhodes College.