Sid socials overlook Jewish students

Tonight is Sid Richardson College’s ’80s Party. It also happens to be Yom Kippur, the most important day of the year for observant Jews. That these two events coincide is, to me, an enormous affront and a blatant lack of respect for Jewish students at Rice.

From what I have heard, and I acknowledge that it is all hearsay, Sid Socials had originally planned for ’80s Party to be the weekend of the 15th but moved it to the 20th when it became clear that many people would be away at Austin City Limits. While I respect their desire to include as many people as possible in their party, I feel that it is extremely disrespectful to make adjustments on behalf of those leaving town for a concert at the expense of those celebrating a major cultural and religious event.

And believe me, it is major: Yom Kippur is the annual Day of Judgment. Tradition holds that it is the day on which God writes down the names of people to live and people to die within the coming year. Heralded by the shofar blowing on Rosh Hashanah, the ten days leading up to Yom Kippur are a time of reflection when observing Jews ask for forgiveness for their misdeeds from the previous year. In other words, it is kind of a big deal.

The night of Yom Kippur — Jewish holidays start at sunset and end at sunset the following day — begins a 24 hours of fasting, solemnity and repentance. Those observing the holiday are supposed to avoid all distractions that could prevent them from fully reflecting on and working to amend their misdeeds, hence the fasting. Consensus from prominent Rabbis has since clarified that all sexual activity, drug use and any other form of revelry is not acceptable given the somber attitude of Yom Kippur. Thus, it is clear that observance really cannot coexist with a party environment. Indeed, it is impossible to fully respect the tenants of Yom Kippur and at the same time attend ’80s Party.

It is true that the Jewish population on campus is small. But by placing ’80s Party on such an important holiday, Sid has inadvertently excluded a major part of this population.

In addition to leaving us out, ’80s Party has the potential to make the solemn day very difficult, creating a distraction for students trying to observe the holiday. While they sit in synagogue Jewish students may not be thinking about how they can make themselves better people this coming year, but what their roommates will be wearing, what music will be played and, more likely, all the fun they will be missing. Some might say that this is what Yom Kippur is about — making sacrifices to prove that you are dedicated to reforming yourself. But I would counter that there are already enough sacrifices built into the holiday without Sid throwing one more on top of the pile.

This is not just an idle rant, and I would ask those of you who think it is to consider how you would feel if a major event were placed on an obvious religious or cultural day that you felt it was important to observe. It is true that ’80s Party is, in reality, just a party. But that is not the point. It is about religious and cultural sensitivity, and the importance of making a group that is already a clear “other” on campus feel even more isolated.

In the future I would ask that Sid, and all colleges, take into account all major religious and cultural events that would preclude some group on campus from attending. A formal apology or change of date might be nice, too.

Julia Lukomnik is a Baker College sophomore.

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