The Jewish Student Association will be endorsing senate candidates for the upcoming ASSU election. Candidates seeking endorsement must go through a 5-10 minute in-person interview on Monday, 3/31, the day before Spring Quarter classes start., between 2-5 p.m. Candidates can be expected to be asked about important issues for Jewish students on campus as they relate to senate matters.
If you are interested in being endorsed by the Jewish Student Association, please send an e-mail to Jonathan Kass, jkass@stanford.edu, with all the times you will be available between 2-5 p.m. on Monday, 3/31. Please send your interview time availability no later than Friday,
3/21. If you are interested in an endorsement but absolutely cannot make an in-person interview at those times, please contact Jonathan anyway to set up alternate arrangements.
Thank you very much!
Sincerely,
Jonathan Kass
On Behalf of the Jewish Student Association Executive Board
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
A Reflection from Israel -- by Jessica Galant
So I haven't really had the opportunity to write a written reflection on my amazing Birthright trip to Israel this winter break (which everyone should do by the way..register now!!)It will take about 10 pages and I will do it eventually. The experience was so much more than words could give it, but I will do my best. In this blog, I want to describe one part of the trip, the unexpectedly most moving part of the trip and something that truly changed my outlook on life and Israel.
On the second to last day of the trip, my busmates and I (Bus 686 pride!!)went to Mt. Hertzel, the military cemetary in Jerusalem. Here, the soldiers are buried along with government leaders, Yitzhak Rabin, and Hertzel himself. The first important thing that was pointed out was the fact that war heroes were buried next to average soldiers. Each soldier was the same in the eyes of G-d and all were buried facing the Kotel. They fought for the same purpose, dying for the same cause. Let me just preface these next couple statements with the fact that I never cry. It's like my tear ducts don't work or something. But, for some reason the next experience was too overwhelming for my sheltered heart. We went to the fresh graves, 3 new mounds of dirt to represent fallen soldiers within the past week. The thing that got to me the most was that, in America when I have gone to cemetaries and see the years of birth and death, the majority of the deceased are in their 60s, some 40s and 50s, but few younger than 30 unless there is a tragedy. However, at Mt. Hertzel, the majority of the graves were for 18, 19, 20 and 21 year olds...my peers. That was too much for me. I saw my brother's face in their headstones. I didn't know them but I felt that they would have been my friends. I wondered what their favorite book was, where they liked spend the weekend, if they had a girlfriend or boyfriend, and saw their faces. I felt the cool wind on my face and saw my friends around me. I felt cold. Empty. It wasn't fair. Why was it them and not me? And then, I thought, I am a soldier. We are all soldiers, fighting for what we believe in. I believe in love, freedom, happiness, family, friends, Israel, and the expanding universe. I will never forget that day. I will fight until the day I die for what I believe in, for myself and for them. May they rest in peace. Alav/Aleha Hashalom.
---- Jessica Galant, '10
On the second to last day of the trip, my busmates and I (Bus 686 pride!!)went to Mt. Hertzel, the military cemetary in Jerusalem. Here, the soldiers are buried along with government leaders, Yitzhak Rabin, and Hertzel himself. The first important thing that was pointed out was the fact that war heroes were buried next to average soldiers. Each soldier was the same in the eyes of G-d and all were buried facing the Kotel. They fought for the same purpose, dying for the same cause. Let me just preface these next couple statements with the fact that I never cry. It's like my tear ducts don't work or something. But, for some reason the next experience was too overwhelming for my sheltered heart. We went to the fresh graves, 3 new mounds of dirt to represent fallen soldiers within the past week. The thing that got to me the most was that, in America when I have gone to cemetaries and see the years of birth and death, the majority of the deceased are in their 60s, some 40s and 50s, but few younger than 30 unless there is a tragedy. However, at Mt. Hertzel, the majority of the graves were for 18, 19, 20 and 21 year olds...my peers. That was too much for me. I saw my brother's face in their headstones. I didn't know them but I felt that they would have been my friends. I wondered what their favorite book was, where they liked spend the weekend, if they had a girlfriend or boyfriend, and saw their faces. I felt the cool wind on my face and saw my friends around me. I felt cold. Empty. It wasn't fair. Why was it them and not me? And then, I thought, I am a soldier. We are all soldiers, fighting for what we believe in. I believe in love, freedom, happiness, family, friends, Israel, and the expanding universe. I will never forget that day. I will fight until the day I die for what I believe in, for myself and for them. May they rest in peace. Alav/Aleha Hashalom.
---- Jessica Galant, '10
Monday, February 11, 2008
Jewish Leadership Council Elections next Tuesday!!
A lot of Jewish students at Stanford take advantage of all that Hillel has to offer... but perhaps not enough of us know what goes on behind the scenes, or how hard the Jewish Leadership Council (JLC) works to keep Hillel running smoothly. Now is the time to do our part to help!!
Whether you want to learn more about how it all works, help elect new JLC members, or become one yourself, this week is when it really counts!!
Here's the important info:
** JLC Elections will be held Tuesday, February 19, 2008 at Hillel House at 5:30pm. Everyone is invited to participate in voting!
** If you want to apply to be on JLC, a completed application is due by 10 PM on February 17 to andrewe@stanford.edu (and all you have to do during elections is give a short 3 minute speech). Info and application can be found at the Hillel website.
The positions that are available are:
- President
- Vice President of Public Relations
- Vice President of Campus Relations
- Shabbat Chair (2)
- Engagement Chair
- Social Action Chair
- Education Chair
- Social Chair
- Israel Chair
- Financial Officer
- AEPi Liaison (New!)
- AEPhi Liaison (New!)
Descriptions of each position can be found in the application, including the names of those students who currently hold each position, so you can ask them questions!
Jon Kass was kind enough to tell me about his experience on JLC this year, which I hope will inspire others to get involved with JLC and Hillel:
I think it's amazing that I've had the opportunity to help shape a community that I care about so much. The Jewish Community at Stanford is large enough that I feel like there are so many kinds of people and I'm not all alone in my Judaism, but small enough that each person can shape the way the community feels. By being on JLC, I gained the same kinds of skills I would for any student group--event planning, meeting people and whatnot--but I got to do it for a student group and a community that really means something to me. - Jon
Please comment on this post if you have questions about the process, or if you have your own stories to share about being on JLC and your involvement with Hillel.
See you all at elections next week!!
~ Jenny
Whether you want to learn more about how it all works, help elect new JLC members, or become one yourself, this week is when it really counts!!
Here's the important info:
** JLC Elections will be held Tuesday, February 19, 2008 at Hillel House at 5:30pm. Everyone is invited to participate in voting!
** If you want to apply to be on JLC, a completed application is due by 10 PM on February 17 to andrewe@stanford.edu (and all you have to do during elections is give a short 3 minute speech). Info and application can be found at the Hillel website.
The positions that are available are:
- President
- Vice President of Public Relations
- Vice President of Campus Relations
- Shabbat Chair (2)
- Engagement Chair
- Social Action Chair
- Education Chair
- Social Chair
- Israel Chair
- Financial Officer
- AEPi Liaison (New!)
- AEPhi Liaison (New!)
Descriptions of each position can be found in the application, including the names of those students who currently hold each position, so you can ask them questions!
Jon Kass was kind enough to tell me about his experience on JLC this year, which I hope will inspire others to get involved with JLC and Hillel:
I think it's amazing that I've had the opportunity to help shape a community that I care about so much. The Jewish Community at Stanford is large enough that I feel like there are so many kinds of people and I'm not all alone in my Judaism, but small enough that each person can shape the way the community feels. By being on JLC, I gained the same kinds of skills I would for any student group--event planning, meeting people and whatnot--but I got to do it for a student group and a community that really means something to me. - Jon
Please comment on this post if you have questions about the process, or if you have your own stories to share about being on JLC and your involvement with Hillel.
See you all at elections next week!!
~ Jenny
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Winter Quarter is Just That Time of Year… aka: What Stanford Jews Think About Vaden
When I admitted to myself last Tuesday that I really was sick, I figured that I couldn’t complain too much because … well, it’s just that time of year. I was the fourth person on my hall to get a fever that week, and I decided to count myself lucky because I didn’t have whatever flu was going around that sent two of my friends to the hospital because they were dehydrated from throwing up all night. So when I realized that my regular cold had turned into some serious asthma, I figured, Meh, it could be worse.
Living in FroSoCo has its serious advantages, but when it comes to being sick – especially on weekends – I find it hard to deal with. Our dining hall, Ricker, is closed on Friday and Saturday, so I had to beg my friends to bring me food all weekend. And let’s all just admit it: west campus is far from Vaden! Maybe if I lived in Stern or Wilbur, I wouldn’t dread the trek out to see a doctor, but because I live so freaking far away from Vaden, I dread having to go. Don’t you think it’s a crime to make a sick person bike all the way across campus just to see a doctor?
Well, there was no way I could get myself on a bike – I didn’t even have enough lung capacity to drag myself downstairs. So after a week of lying in bed, praying that I would get better on my own, I stumbled down the hall on the following Sunday night and asked my CA if she would drive me to Vaden on Monday morning. Of course she willingly agreed, and said that after she got out of class, she would drive me over.
So Monday morning I set my alarm for 8am sharp, just so that I could wake up in time to call Vaden and make an appointment before their day filled up. You might be wondering… Why couldn’t I just call on Sunday when I finally realized that I needed to see a doctor? Because the night/weekend answering service at Vaden won’t schedule appointments! They only deal with emergencies. So after I waited on hold for ten minutes while the office got settled in, I made my appointment and promptly went back to sleep until 11.
Once I actually got to Vaden, things went very smoothly and quickly. I checked in on the computer (very easy, very fast) and I was only sitting in the waiting room for about 30 seconds when I was admitted into one of the examination rooms. The nurse asked me intelligent questions, took my vitals, and I only had to wait two minutes before the (very handsome and younger-looking-than-usual male) doctor came in to finish the interrogation. I told him my story, we decided on a treatment plan (Well, Jenny, it’s not one of your worst cases of bronchitis. I think we should hold of on the antibiotics. Why don’t you just take Tylenol to make yourself feel better until your body just naturally kicks this thing?), and my CA took me back to bed. All very productive, I must say.
We’ve all heard the quintessential Vaden story about how the first question you get asked when the nurse checks you in is Are you pregnant? – whether you’re a guy or a girl. I want to stand up for once and say that story is B.S. Nobody asked me straight out whether I was pregnant – they did it in a much nicer way: When was your last period? … Just in case I “forgot” that I might be pregnant. Anyways, I’ve never heard one of my guy friends tell a version of this story, so I’m pretty sure that the nursing staff knows what they’re doing. And at least they’re nice about it.
But truly, there is not much I can complain about when it comes to my treatment at Vaden. When I asked him about his opinion, I think Jon put it very nicely: “You know, for once I really can't complain that much. Every time I've been in there, they have offered free (or very low cost) care to me immediately. Once when I had the stomach flu they even admitted me for several hours. Moreover, they offer free sexual health screenings, which everyone should take advantage of, and they have a very nice facility. I've heard rumors of the incompetence of the staff in the past, but from my experiences I would say that's not the case.”
Well-put, Jon. Thanks for brining up the issue of cost, too. For all my friends who have Cardinal Care, getting treated at Vaden is easy, and filling prescriptions at the little pharmacy is even simpler. I don’t have Cardinal Care because I’m still on my parent’s health insurance plan, so Vaden won’t fill my prescriptions. I end up begging a ride from one of my friends so I can go to Long’s and wait in their slow line to get my meds – but at least there’s one close to west campus we can drive to.
And what about the other services at Vaden? In my opinion, the SHPRC is one of the greatest things that Stanford has to offer. They hire very nice, very knowledgeable students to sit in that little room on the second floor and help you pick out condoms. Thanks, Stanford.
Also, CAPS offers free counseling to students with experienced staff and well-trained peer-counselors. Sarah brought up a good point about CAPS when I asked for her opinion: “…students are only able to have 10 sessions with CAPS for the FOUR years that they are here. That is pretty crazy, especially because mental health is such a serious concern. We definitely want to see the policies changed so that students have more sessions with a counselor.” Does Stanford think that I am going to be magically cured from my childhood trauma during just ten meetings with a CAPS counselor? Probably not. Maybe they want me to pay more money if I am unstable enough to need more help than that, but I agree with Sarah that Stanford should offer more support.
So… to sum up:
• The nights / weekends services at Vaden could use some beefing-up
• Vaden is far away from west campus – sick people shouldn’t have to ride the marguerite, ride their bikes, or beg their friends for rides to the doctor. I vote for a golf cart service to/from Vaden appointments!
• Vaden doctors are friendly and professional. The facility is clean and easy to navigate.
• CardinalCare makes it easy to get prescriptions filled at Vaden, but they are not very receptive to other insurance carriers.
• SHPRC rocks – everyone should take advantage of the free sexual health screenings at Vaden.
• CAPS is great – as long as you can be cured in ten sessions.
Thanks to everyone who helped make this post possible. Please feel free to add your comments on this blog so we can continue the conversation about What Stanford Jews Think About Vaden.
If you have ideas for future posts, or if you want to write one of your own, please let me know!!
Here’s to a healthy quarter,
~ Jenny
Living in FroSoCo has its serious advantages, but when it comes to being sick – especially on weekends – I find it hard to deal with. Our dining hall, Ricker, is closed on Friday and Saturday, so I had to beg my friends to bring me food all weekend. And let’s all just admit it: west campus is far from Vaden! Maybe if I lived in Stern or Wilbur, I wouldn’t dread the trek out to see a doctor, but because I live so freaking far away from Vaden, I dread having to go. Don’t you think it’s a crime to make a sick person bike all the way across campus just to see a doctor?
Well, there was no way I could get myself on a bike – I didn’t even have enough lung capacity to drag myself downstairs. So after a week of lying in bed, praying that I would get better on my own, I stumbled down the hall on the following Sunday night and asked my CA if she would drive me to Vaden on Monday morning. Of course she willingly agreed, and said that after she got out of class, she would drive me over.
So Monday morning I set my alarm for 8am sharp, just so that I could wake up in time to call Vaden and make an appointment before their day filled up. You might be wondering… Why couldn’t I just call on Sunday when I finally realized that I needed to see a doctor? Because the night/weekend answering service at Vaden won’t schedule appointments! They only deal with emergencies. So after I waited on hold for ten minutes while the office got settled in, I made my appointment and promptly went back to sleep until 11.
Once I actually got to Vaden, things went very smoothly and quickly. I checked in on the computer (very easy, very fast) and I was only sitting in the waiting room for about 30 seconds when I was admitted into one of the examination rooms. The nurse asked me intelligent questions, took my vitals, and I only had to wait two minutes before the (very handsome and younger-looking-than-usual male) doctor came in to finish the interrogation. I told him my story, we decided on a treatment plan (Well, Jenny, it’s not one of your worst cases of bronchitis. I think we should hold of on the antibiotics. Why don’t you just take Tylenol to make yourself feel better until your body just naturally kicks this thing?), and my CA took me back to bed. All very productive, I must say.
We’ve all heard the quintessential Vaden story about how the first question you get asked when the nurse checks you in is Are you pregnant? – whether you’re a guy or a girl. I want to stand up for once and say that story is B.S. Nobody asked me straight out whether I was pregnant – they did it in a much nicer way: When was your last period? … Just in case I “forgot” that I might be pregnant. Anyways, I’ve never heard one of my guy friends tell a version of this story, so I’m pretty sure that the nursing staff knows what they’re doing. And at least they’re nice about it.
But truly, there is not much I can complain about when it comes to my treatment at Vaden. When I asked him about his opinion, I think Jon put it very nicely: “You know, for once I really can't complain that much. Every time I've been in there, they have offered free (or very low cost) care to me immediately. Once when I had the stomach flu they even admitted me for several hours. Moreover, they offer free sexual health screenings, which everyone should take advantage of, and they have a very nice facility. I've heard rumors of the incompetence of the staff in the past, but from my experiences I would say that's not the case.”
Well-put, Jon. Thanks for brining up the issue of cost, too. For all my friends who have Cardinal Care, getting treated at Vaden is easy, and filling prescriptions at the little pharmacy is even simpler. I don’t have Cardinal Care because I’m still on my parent’s health insurance plan, so Vaden won’t fill my prescriptions. I end up begging a ride from one of my friends so I can go to Long’s and wait in their slow line to get my meds – but at least there’s one close to west campus we can drive to.
And what about the other services at Vaden? In my opinion, the SHPRC is one of the greatest things that Stanford has to offer. They hire very nice, very knowledgeable students to sit in that little room on the second floor and help you pick out condoms. Thanks, Stanford.
Also, CAPS offers free counseling to students with experienced staff and well-trained peer-counselors. Sarah brought up a good point about CAPS when I asked for her opinion: “…students are only able to have 10 sessions with CAPS for the FOUR years that they are here. That is pretty crazy, especially because mental health is such a serious concern. We definitely want to see the policies changed so that students have more sessions with a counselor.” Does Stanford think that I am going to be magically cured from my childhood trauma during just ten meetings with a CAPS counselor? Probably not. Maybe they want me to pay more money if I am unstable enough to need more help than that, but I agree with Sarah that Stanford should offer more support.
So… to sum up:
• The nights / weekends services at Vaden could use some beefing-up
• Vaden is far away from west campus – sick people shouldn’t have to ride the marguerite, ride their bikes, or beg their friends for rides to the doctor. I vote for a golf cart service to/from Vaden appointments!
• Vaden doctors are friendly and professional. The facility is clean and easy to navigate.
• CardinalCare makes it easy to get prescriptions filled at Vaden, but they are not very receptive to other insurance carriers.
• SHPRC rocks – everyone should take advantage of the free sexual health screenings at Vaden.
• CAPS is great – as long as you can be cured in ten sessions.
Thanks to everyone who helped make this post possible. Please feel free to add your comments on this blog so we can continue the conversation about What Stanford Jews Think About Vaden.
If you have ideas for future posts, or if you want to write one of your own, please let me know!!
Here’s to a healthy quarter,
~ Jenny
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Welcome to CardinalAdom !!
Welcome to CardinalAdom!! <----- “Cardinal Red” ----->
This is the new blog that’s all about what the Jewish community is doing and thinking at Stanford University. My goal for this blog is to share everything that I discover about Stanford Jews so that we can all feel more connected and aware of how we stand. I plan to talk informally with many Jews throughout campus to discuss issues that are important to us as Jews and as members of the wider community of Stanford.
Some topics that you might find me blogging about are… How observant is the average Stanford Jew? … Which candidate will Stanford Jews support during the 2008 Presidential Election? … How do Stanford Jews view the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? … Do Stanford Jews have similar academic interests? … How geographically diverse are Stanford Jews?
Of course there are so many more interesting things to say and discover about Jews at Stanford, so if you (my readers) have questions of your own, please comment on this blog or e-mail me so I can help you find answers. Or, if you would like to write your own article for this blog, I would love the help and we would all love to hear what you have to say. Also, if you are one of those lucky Jews at Stanford and you would like your opinion to be heard, let me know so I can ask you about these issues.
Over the next few months, I will write a weekly blog update about one of these topics, and hopefully you will learn something interesting about the Jewish community here at Stanford. Check back periodically and read about what’s new with Jews at Stanford University!
~ Jenny Wolochow
Stanford University, Class of 2010
This is the new blog that’s all about what the Jewish community is doing and thinking at Stanford University. My goal for this blog is to share everything that I discover about Stanford Jews so that we can all feel more connected and aware of how we stand. I plan to talk informally with many Jews throughout campus to discuss issues that are important to us as Jews and as members of the wider community of Stanford.
Some topics that you might find me blogging about are… How observant is the average Stanford Jew? … Which candidate will Stanford Jews support during the 2008 Presidential Election? … How do Stanford Jews view the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? … Do Stanford Jews have similar academic interests? … How geographically diverse are Stanford Jews?
Of course there are so many more interesting things to say and discover about Jews at Stanford, so if you (my readers) have questions of your own, please comment on this blog or e-mail me so I can help you find answers. Or, if you would like to write your own article for this blog, I would love the help and we would all love to hear what you have to say. Also, if you are one of those lucky Jews at Stanford and you would like your opinion to be heard, let me know so I can ask you about these issues.
Over the next few months, I will write a weekly blog update about one of these topics, and hopefully you will learn something interesting about the Jewish community here at Stanford. Check back periodically and read about what’s new with Jews at Stanford University!
~ Jenny Wolochow
Stanford University, Class of 2010
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