One question [that kept coming up among Hillel leadership] was, “How do you how do you create community here?” Another question was really almost “What brand of Judaism are we portraying?” and I say that not along lines of denominations or anything– but more social justice stances. Like, what kind of events we want to put our effort into, are they going to be more cultural, religious or spiritual, what other momentum can we gain?
It was very hard to find allies on campus. I don’t think anyone discouraged us, but it was often hard to find non-Jewish people who were really invested in supporting, growing Jewish life on campus.
Summary: Hannah Joy Sachs describes her Jewish life prior to Davidson College and in relation to her identity as Asian and Jewish. She describes her experience of Davidson College as a visiting student and her knowledge of its Presbyterian affiliation. Joy Sachs talks about her involvement in campus Jewish life, the need for community amongst Jewish students, and working towards diversifying Jewish life and increasing institutional support for Jewish students at Davidson. She also recounts engaging the greater Davidson community and the events she helped organized. Joy Sachs explains how she felt a noticeable presence of Presbyterianism on campus, in contrast to the lack of support for students who were religiously Jewish. She also discusses her experience as an Asian Jew and micro-aggressions towards her. Finally, she talks about her experiences post-Davidson, including studying at the University of Oxford, working as a Springboard fellow for Hillel, and learning about the doxxing of neo-Nazis at Davidson College in 2018.