Jewish Student Population At University Of Virginia: How Many?

The University of Virginia has a thriving Jewish community, with an estimated 1,000 Jewish undergraduate students and 400-600 Jewish graduate students. This makes up around 6% of the undergraduate student body and 6-7% of the graduate student population. The Jewish community at the University of Virginia is very active, with over 700 students participating in Jewish life. The Brody Jewish Center, Hillel at UVa, offers a wide range of programs and resources for Jewish students, including weekly Friday night dinners that attract more than 75 students. The University also offers kosher food options and a Jewish Studies Program with courses in modern and classical Hebrew.

Jewish student population at the University of Virginia

The University of Virginia has a thriving Jewish student population, with an estimated 1,000 Jewish undergraduates (comprising 5.9% to 6% of the undergraduate student body) and 400 to 600 Jewish graduate students (6% to 6.9% of the graduate student population). The Jewish community at the university is very active, with more than 700 students participating in Jewish life.

The history of Jewish students at the University of Virginia dates back to the 19th century, with Gratz Cohen of Savannah, a former Confederate soldier, being the earliest known Jewish student, attending the university from 1862 to 1864. In the 1800s, Jewish students attended the university in small numbers, and some notable Jewish alumni from this era include Leo Levi, who won the Jefferson Society medal for debate in 1876, and the Oberdorfer twins, A. Leo and Archie, who received their law and medicine degrees, respectively, from the university in 1899.

In the early 20th century, there was a relative increase in the number of Jewish students at the University of Virginia. However, they often faced exclusion from joining existing fraternities, which led to the establishment of Jewish fraternities on campus, such as Zeta Beta Tau and Phi Epsilon Pi in 1915, followed by Phi Alpha in 1922 and Alpha Epsilon Pi shortly after. The university also had a Jewish Student Union, established in 1939, which later joined the Hillel Foundation, a program of the national Jewish fraternal organization, B'nai B'rith.

Today, the University of Virginia offers a Jewish Studies Program, which is an interdisciplinary program emphasising Jewish civilisation and community. The university also provides kosher food options in its dining halls and has a thriving Hillel Jewish Center, known as the Brody Jewish Center, which offers a wide range of programs and resources for Jewish students. The Brody Jewish Center is located at 1824 University Circle and is open to all students, offering a quiet library, high-speed wireless internet, and social and educational events.

History of antisemitism at the University of Virginia

The University of Virginia has a long history of antisemitism, with Jewish students attending in small numbers during the nineteenth century. The earliest known Jewish student, Gratz Cohen of Savannah, attended the University from 1862 to 1864 and wrote about his experiences of antisemitism in letters to his father. In the early twentieth century, there was a relative increase in the number of Jewish students, and they established their own chapters of Jewish fraternities and sororities. However, the growing Jewish student population was met with concern by some administrators, and the University imposed quotas and restrictions on the number of Jewish students.

During this time, Jewish students faced social and academic exclusion. They were formally or informally excluded from joining existing fraternities and sororities, and in response, they organized their own chapters of Jewish fraternities and sororities. In 1915, students established the first Jewish fraternity at the University, Zeta Beta Tau, followed by Phi Epsilon Pi in 1922, and Phi Alpha in 1922. Despite these efforts to create a sense of community and belonging, Jewish students continued to face discrimination and prejudice.

The University's founder, Thomas Jefferson, had wished for a clear separation between education and the practice of religion. However, his views did not prevail, and the University appointed a Chaplain from the "four principal religious denominations of the state" (Episcopal, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Baptist) to lead Sunday religious services. The Y.M.C.A., established in 1858, also played a significant role in shaping the religious environment on campus. While the University claimed to be true to Jeffersonian principles of religious neutrality, the presence of these Christian organizations created an environment that was not welcoming to Jews.

In recent years, the University of Virginia has continued to grapple with incidents of antisemitism. In 2023, a Jewish student reported being threatened at gunpoint by his housemates due to his religion. The student's complaint led to the suspension of the two offending students and prompted the University to emphasize its opposition to bigotry. Additionally, the University has faced criticism for dropping charges against anti-Israel students who were arrested during a demonstration in the spring semester.

According to estimates, there are currently 1,000 Jewish undergraduate students (6% of the student body) and 600 Jewish graduate students (7% of the student population) at the University of Virginia. The University hosts several Jewish organizations, including Hillel, Chabad, and Jewish Greek life organizations. Despite these positive developments, antisemitism continues to be a concern, with dozens of recent reports of antisemitic activity on campus.

Jewish fraternities and sororities at the University of Virginia

The University of Virginia has a long history of Jewish fraternities and sororities, which were established in the early 20th century. In 1915, Jewish students at the university, who were excluded from joining the existing fraternities, organised their own chapters of two Jewish fraternities: Zeta Beta Tau and Phi Epsilon Pi. This was followed by the establishment of Phi Alpha in 1922, and Alpha Epsilon Pi soon after.

Alpha Epsilon Pi, or "A E Pi", is a primarily Jewish fraternity that was founded at the University of Virginia in 1924 as a Mu chapter. It obtained its first house in 1935 and moved into its current house in 1962. Although it lost its charter in 2010, it was re-established in 2012. The organisation has historically been involved with the Greek Jewish Council, which was last chartered in 2001.

Sigma Alpha Mu, or "Sammy", is a historically Jewish fraternity that was founded at the University of Virginia in 1968 and re-founded in 2005. It has moved residences multiple times and has been involved with the Greek Jewish Council at the university.

Sigma Delta Tau, or "Sig Delt", is a historically Jewish sorority that established its Beta Rho chapter at the University of Virginia in 2011.

The Greek Jewish Council, or GJC, is a currently dormant Greek Council that has been active several times in the history of the University of Virginia. The council was last chartered in 2001.

Jewish student organisations at the University of Virginia

The University of Virginia has a number of Jewish student organisations, including the Brody Jewish Center, Hillel, Chabad, and Jewish Greek life organisations. The Brody Jewish Center, also known as Hillel at UVA, is a student-led organisation that offers a wide range of programmes and resources for Jewish students. It is a welcoming and inclusive space, open to all students, regardless of their religious background. The centre provides kosher food, social events, leadership development programmes, and support for students. It also has a library, residence space, and a kosher kitchen.

The Hillel Jewish Center, established in 1939, is another important hub for Jewish student life at the University of Virginia. It is affiliated with the Hillel Foundation, a national Jewish fraternal organisation, and offers religious services, lectures, discussion groups, interfaith dialogue, and vocational guidance. The centre is located in a beautiful Spanish-style house with neoclassical details, providing a welcoming environment for Jewish students to build community and express their religion and culture.

In addition to these centres, the University of Virginia also has a Jewish Student Association, specifically within the Darden School of Business. This association aims to foster awareness of Jewish culture, traditions, and history within the Darden community through educational and social avenues. It creates a friendly and inclusive community for students to connect and network.

The University of Virginia's Jewish community is quite active, with over 700 students participating in Jewish life. This includes weekly Friday night dinners at the Brody Jewish Center, attracting more than 75 students, and sending students to Israel. The University also offers a Jewish Studies Program and Hebrew language courses for those interested in exploring Jewish history, literature, language, culture, and society in an academic context.

Jewish studies at the University of Virginia

The University of Virginia has an estimated 1,000 Jewish undergraduate students and 400-600 Jewish graduate students, making up 6-7% of the student population. The University offers a Jewish Studies Program, which is an interdisciplinary program that emphasises Jewish civilisation and community. The program involves coursework with over 25 faculty members from diverse departments, as well as extracurricular lectures, colloquia and cultural programs. Students can examine all aspects of Jewish society, literature, language, culture, and history.

The study of Jewish history at the University is enhanced by the community of Jewish Studies doctoral students, particularly in longstanding programs in Judaism and comparative religious studies in the Department of Religion and the German Department. The University's Jewish History program in the Corcoran Department of History links traditional subjects, such as Zionism, antisemitism, and the Holocaust, to emerging fields, including human rights history, genocide studies, and legal history.

The University's Jewish community is very active, with over 700 students participating in Jewish life. Weekly Friday night dinners at the Brody Jewish Center attract more than 75 students, and the Center has sent more than 400 students to Israel in the past four years. The Center is a student-led organisation with over 75 students in leadership positions within the Jewish Leadership Council, the student governing body.

The University also offers six semesters of modern Hebrew and four semesters of classical Hebrew, as well as the option for an independent study.

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