Rosh Hashanah, a Jewish High Holy Day, will coincide with the second and third days of class in 2013, a conflict that will directly impact many members of the Brown community. For many Jewish students and faculty members, Rosh Hashanah entails attending synagogue for two full days, which could prevent them from taking part in shopping period Thursday and Friday. University officials are currently meeting with members of the community to attempt to alleviate difficulties caused by the conflict.
The scheduling conflict was approved by faculty members at their February meeting after months of debate.
"For a school that's 20 to 25 percent Jewish, that's crazy," said Lex Rofes '13, president of Hillel. "It's outrageous. We are making students decide between spiritual life and academic life."
The first week of shopping period is a key time to attend class - students need to show up and show professors they want to be a part of their classes, Rofes said. "If it's a seminar, you could be missing the only meeting of the entire week," he added.
To mitigate backlash, University officials are working to ensure no students are adversely affected by the scheduling conflict, said Dean of the College Katherine Bergeron. Though the conflict will not occur until 2013, officials are already holding meetings to figure out how to help students balance their academic and religious commitments, she said.
Rosh Hashanah has fallen in the first week of school twice in recent memory, said Professor of Judaic Studies David Jacobson. In both previous situations, faculty members, who have ultimate say over the academic calendar, have voted to change the start date of classes, he added.
The Rosh Hashanah conflict was the topic of discussion at the December faculty meeting as well as at a faculty forum dedicated specifically to the issue.
The 2013-14 academic year begins Sept. 4, a Wednesday. Rosh Hashanah, a celebration of the Jewish New Year, starts that night and continues for two days until Friday night. The services are often some of the most heavily attended events of the year, Rofes said. "The holiday represents a lot of people's one connection to Judaism every year," he added.
Jacobson said he will be unable to attend class either day. "This is going to create a lot of problems for students and faculty members," he said. "Many people don't work or attend synagogue."
"I won't be able to be at my first class - I feel like I'll be at a disadvantage from that point of view," he added.
"I'm not super-religious or anything, but I will have to miss class," said Zach Ingber '15, a Herald opinions columnist.
Ingber said he is disappointed by the conflict, since Rosh Hashanah is one of a few times when Jewish students unaffiliated with Hillel come to services. "I'm not going to sue the school or anything. I'm just disappointed at their lack of sensitivity," he added.
Chelsea Feuchs '14, vice president for campus relations at Hillel, said the conflict with shopping period was particularly difficult for Judaic studies concentrators like her. A lot of classes in the department are small, so even if the professor does attend, too many students will be absent to have a real class, she said.
University officials, including deans and chaplains, met earlier this week to discuss the issue. The University will work to promote communication between all departments to ensure no classes are canceled as a result of religious observance, Bergeron said. "We also want to extend the shopping period that year, so that opportunities for students are extended as well," she added.
The University will ensure additional materials are online from those classes so no students feel they have missed any significant material, Bergeron said. She added that administrators will also create a forum where students can write to professors to explain they missed class for religious reasons so that no individuals are penalized for absences, she added.
Though Jacobson said he appreciated the University's effort to combat the effects of the decision to have class on Rosh Hashanah, he said he doubted the effectiveness of some of its proposals. For instance, he said there is no conceivable way he could hold class on Thursday or Friday.
A proposal to push the first day of classes a week later to accommodate the Jewish community would have caused orientation to overlap with Rosh Hashanah, which "seemed worse," said Professor of Comparative Literature Karen Newman.
Newman, who proposed the faculty vote keep the calendar the same, said she understands the conflict's significance, but she does not think it should determine all scheduling.
This year's Commencement ceremonies also conflict with Shavuot, another Jewish holiday. Shavuot, which is not a high holiday, celebrates the Jewish nation's receipt of the Torah.
Though Bergeron said the University is currently unaware of any graduates who will not participate in commencement because of the overlap, Jacobson said he would not be able to attend the ceremony for religious reasons and would not be surprised if there are other students who also have to miss it.
Rabbi Mordechai Rackover, associate University chaplain for the Jewish community, said he will not be able to give his traditional invocation at commencement because his orthodox beliefs prohibit using a microphone on Shavuot.
The University will also make arrangements for those prohibited from travel during the holiday to stay longer at Brown, Rackover said.
Bergeron said the University is willing to hold a separate Commencement ceremony for students unable to attend the official one if it becomes necessary. The University has previously held additional ceremonies for the women's crew team when they make it to nationals, she said.
