Jewish life at Carleton is active, dynamic, and varied. The college is served by Rav Michaela Brown, our Associate Chaplain for Jewish and Interfaith Life and supports two active Jewish student organizations, the Jewish Students of Carleton (JSC) and Jewish On Our Own Terms (JOOOT).
Jewish life on campus is lived out and supported in many ways:
Shabbat
- Students gather each Friday evening to celebrate Shabbat, led by our rabbi and student leaders.
- A well attended service is followed by a student-cooked dinner for Jewish students and the broader Carleton community.
Havdalah
- Students gather on Saturday evenings for Havdalah to mark the end of Shabbat.
Jewish Text Study
- Carleton hosts weekly opportunities for Jewish learning, led by our rabbi and student leaders.
Holiday Observances
- High Holidays: Carleton hosts Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services and meals for 100+ students and community members.
- Sukkot: Every year students build an Open Sukkah that welcomes students of all backgrounds and is accompanied by other festivities.
- Tu Bishvat: Carleton celebrates Tu Bishvat with a seder honoring the trees and the earth, inviting campus environmentalists to join.
- Purim: Jewish and Hindu students on campus partner each year to host a joint Purim/Holi celebration featuring a Purim spiel and Bollywood dancing that is known to be a highlight of the year by all students.
- Passover: Carleton hosts two seders for Passover – one a campus-wide seder led by Rav Michaela and the second led by students for Jewish students.
- Yom HaShoah: Yom HaShoah is commemorated at Carleton with a memorial service and speaker.
- Shavuot: Shavuot often falls just as finals approach in the spring and we find fun, delicious, dairy-filled ways to take a break from studying!
Jewish Interest House (Page East)
- Page House East is a dedicated living space for Jewish students on campus and serves as a center for Jewish activity, complete with a kosher kitchen.
Beit Midrash
- A Jewish gathering space, Beit Midrash is a dedicated space in the Chapel for Jewish study and learning.
Academics and Travel
- Chumie Juni, Assistant Professor of Religion, and Stacy Beckwith, Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies, together offer religion and Hebrew language and literature courses at Carleton
- The Jonathan Paradise Israel Experience Scholarship offers a summer study in Israel
- Carleton students often travel to Israel on Taglit-Birthright together
- Carleton encourages and supports students in many other internships, study, and work experiences during school breaks at U.S. and Israeli institutions