BEING A FELLOW
1. Responsibilities.
Once
or twice I heard someone say the division of your duties should be 80% JCSC and
20% Hillel. I think this is fairly
accurate, though every Hillel and every person are different. What this means, is that you should spend
80% of your time working on things that relate directly to your job description
as a JCSC Fellow—your target groups, one-on-ones with students in those groups,
engagement programs you are planning, things from the Corps such as your
monthly reports and team calls. The
other 20% should be spent on Hillel stuff, such as Shabbat and holidays,
all-encompassing events such as the opening BBQs and area-wide events, and
board and staff meetings. These numbers
aren’t set in stone of course, but they are a good thing to keep in mind so you
don’t get stuck doing something that shouldn’t take up all your time, and so
you stay focused on your own priorities.
One of the great things about Hillel of San Diego is that there is a
relatively large staff, and it is well organized so that everyone is doing
their own job. This means that you
won’t easily get roped into something that isn’t in your portfolio or job
description.
Target
groups, target groups, target groups.
This is how your job is structured, and should give you direction in
your engagement and programming tactics, at least to get started with. Once you have identified your target groups
(this involves sitting down with Jackie and talking about what is needed on
campus and also what interests you), your primary goal is to meet and “engage”
as many people from those groups as humanly possible. This is done through programs, tabling, one-on-ones (such as
coffee, lunches, etc), partnering with like-minded groups, and all sorts of
other wacky ways. You will hear some
great ideas at Leader’s and by checking out the Program Exchange online. The sky is the limit. Don’t forget the old standards, but also try
new things and make sure what you do is a good fit with the SDSU campus.
Target
groups serve a number of functions.
One, it’s like target advertising.
If you know your audience, you will be more successful at getting the
word out. Two, you can pick and design
programs that will appeal to certain types of people. In other words, making the merchandise match the consumer
(example: Greeks and parties go well together). Three, knowing some basic interests of a person helps start the
conversations: “Oh, you’re a first-year.
Do you live in the dorms? Which
building?” Fourthly, using target
groups of students who may be more estranged from the Jewish community means we
can reach more deeply into those populations, both helping them to identify
Jewishly and also diversifying the Jewish life on campus.
2.
Jewish Learning
Every
JCSC Fellow is required to participate in one hour of Jewish learning each
week. What this consists of is up to
the Fellow and should be based on your own needs Jewishly/spiritually. What you feel you need to learn, is what you
should be learning. At SDSU, the staff
meets Friday morning to learn Parshat HaShavuah, the portion of the week. This can count as your Jewish learning,
though Jackie asks that you take something on of your own as well.
When I first moved to San Diego I was really interested in
learning Talmud. I had started during
my year in Israel, but really needed guidance to get anything out of it. I started looking around for a chevruta or
tutor, but couldn’t find one. Second
semester I decided to compile a reading list for myself based on
recommendations from some of the greatest teachers of my life. It was a good idea, and worked out
okay. I didn’t get through all the
books, and not all the teachers made recommendations when asked, but I did
learn significant things. This year I
took a less abstract approach. I signed
up for a Torah trope class at Tifereth Israel synagogue. Reading torah was a skill I have always
wanted, and something that was concrete, learnable in a year, and beneficial to
the Jewish community. It was a very
successful endeavor for me. In addition
to that, this semester Jackie and I learned the book of Joshua together during
our supervision time. This was
initiated by my realization that while I keep reading and rereading the 5 books
of Moses, I didn’t know what happened next.
So we read it, talked about it, and had a good time with it.
Please
don’t be intimidated by the vague schizophrenia of this list. Jewish learning is something I personally
discovered relatively recently, and to my surprise was quite interested in and
good at; so I tried to cram in as much as possible in my two JCSC years. Similarly, your Jewish learning should suit
you. It should enhance your life and
your work as a Hillel professional and should be something that is fun and
interesting to you. You will have opportunities
at Leaders to talk to other people about what they are doing, so if you don’t
have ideas yet, talk to them and talk to Jackie.
3. Supervision
Supervision
is another hour of your week which is reserved. This is your time with Jackie.
With her office right there, and her door always open, it isn’t
generally too difficult to get her attention the rest of the week either. But supervision is your one-on-one time, and
focuses on you learning, growing, and doing the best job you possibly can.
For
me supervision consisted of updates on what was already going on, logistical
and tactical planning, brainstorming, and discussions of students who needed to
be discussed. This was also my chance
to ask any questions I had, to explore ideas, to share thoughts, etc. Use this time to your benefit. As you may have heard, and will hear again,
the reason this is called a Fellowship is because you are expected to grow and
learn within it. This is your chance.
Supervision
worked best for me at the same time every week. This won’t be true for everyone.
Do what you need to do. Jackie
is really good about making sure she meets with each person, but it is also up
to you to make sure you are getting what you need. If you aren’t, or aren’t sure what you need, let Jackie
know. She is very receptive to these
things.