DEPARTMENT OF JUDAIC STUDIES – Sources confirmed Tuesday that Ronit Lisker, the instructor for JUDAIC 281: Jews in the Modern World, surprised students last week by substituting a giant mirror in place of the planned speaker, Dr. Barry Armovitz. Reportedly, the substitution is part of a broader effort to promote experiential learning in the department: rather than listening to a talk on the everyday life of a Jewish-American college student, the 400 Jewish-American college students present had the opportunity to observe 400 Jewish-American college students in their normal classroom environment.
“I think the thing that surprised me most was the sheer number of North Face jackets and MacBooks those Jewish students owned,” said LSA junior Ariel Rosenberg, adjusting her North Face jacket and typing furiously on her MacBook Pro. “It’s great to see that some Jewish-American families have enjoyed financial success, but I’d hate to see it result in a more widespread pattern of conspicuous consumption and conformity.”
“That’d really be a bummer,” Rosenberg added.
Students of the class seized the opportunity to draw a number of acute observations about the modern Jewish-American student. LSA sophomore Jared Bloom remarked that the number of times he saw the saw the letters “AEΠ” “ΣAM,” and “SIG” was “straight meshuggeneh – am I saying that right?” Several students also reported sightings of “countless” students who looked “eerily similar” to classmates in their econ and business classes and their neighbors from one of the Oxford dorms.
“I think it’s great that we’ve had the opportunity to see how Jewish-American society has developed until this point,” said Hillel president Harry Arnold from his seat in the front row. “I feel like I’ve gotten a better grasp on my own place in society thanks to this presentation.
“Seriously though,” he continued, turning around in his seat, “is there not a single goy in this class?”
Originally Published: Jan 2013
