About 2,800 Jewish Students attend The George Washington University. Yeshiva University, Tulane University, Syracuse University, and Brandeis University are all private universities that have roughly 2,000-2,800 Jewish students and all have Yom Kippur breaks, where classes will not be held on September 28th, 2009. All of these schools are listed under Hillel's Top 10 Jewish Schools.
I’d like to get school off on Monday, September 28th for Yom Kippur. If everyone has the day off, then Jewish students won’t feel behind in their classes and feel penalized for skipping class to observe Yom Kippur. Students who miss class on that Monday tend to feel overwhelmed because they missed a class that the school should’ve cancelled.
Join the Facebook group and sign the online petition! Jewish or not, everyone would like a day off from classes on Monday, September 28th, 2009!
11 comments:
This is a terrible idea. GW is not a religious institution and while it may seem like a lot of Jewish people go to GW, the reality is they are still in the vast minority of students.
It sets a rough precendent, too, as clases would have to be cancelled for all religious holidays for all religions in the interest of fairness. If that's the case, I personally look forward to days off for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Eid al-Fitr, and Criminon Day, on which GW students observing the teachings of the Church of Scientology disseminate free copies of Scientology-related materials, such as The Way to Happiness, to prisoners.
Also, the link to the petition doesn't work.
To James,
Thanks for your response! First, the petition link has been changed, and it should be working now. If it isn't please let me know!
Above you stated that GWU isn't a religious institution, however it is a private institution. Also, Tulane and Brandeis are not religious institutions but they have a day off for students to observe Yom Kippur. Do you think they shouldn't have a day off for students to observe Yom Kippur?
As soon as you give us a three-day weekend for Easter (that's Good Friday), this'll be great.
and just to clarify: sorry if that last comment sounded disdainful. I think it'd be great if Jewish students got a day off to observe that important religious holiday; it would just be a bit unfair if Christian students weren't able to have a day off to celebrate the important holiday of Good Friday or travel back home to celebrate Easter with their families.
But then one has to wonder about the burden placed on Muslim students when they want to celebrate Eid, etc....
I've been emailing with Connor Walsh, who is going to be one of the U- At large SA Senators next year. We've been discussing trying to get that Monday off after Easter Sunday, since Easter is the holiest day of the Christian calendar, like Yom Kippur is for Jews.
Aw, that's cool Paige, good luck! Again, sorry if I sounded negative earlier, everyone supports holidays off and would be especially nice for people who do celebrate religious holidays.
Ugh...Paige get over yourself and your "I'm going to change the world" attitude - it's getting highly annoying on this site. No, GW should not have ANY type of religious holiday - and believe me I'm one of the most religious persons here. You're the personification of the GW entitled student who wants attention and anything but to go to school. Just go to class for those two measly hours and celebrate the whole day any type of religious holiday you have. If we want to get higher in rankings, let's not deal with this ego trip of yours where you want to be some martyr ready to change something.
I have a better argument for the idiotic things you are proposing (not so much on the ad hominem slant) but I"m getting fed up with these "great" proposals and your petitions/Facebook groups.
To Anonymous-
First off, your opinion doesn't means a lot when you cannot muster up the confidence to post under a real name. Second, by saying "Just go to class for those two measly hours and celebrate the whole day any type of religious holiday you have" does not illustrate much understanding for several holidays. In the case of Yom Kippur, Jews are instructed to spend the evening and the entire next day in temple. I will contend that not all Jewish students do that but a vast majority do go to evening services, morning services and then afternoon services.
Also, I do not think it is fair to claim that Paige is doing this just to get more days off school. But if you want to start a real debate, I would encourage you to use your real name and stop hiding behind the "anonymous" option.
Haha ...I wouldn't want to be associated with idiots. Love it how everyone is immediately showing off their "muscles" by asking first and foremost for the name. Who give a sh*t what the name is ...is that going to change what I say?
I'm Greek Orthodox so for my Easter we need to not eat and drink the whole Friday and go to church for Lamentations at noon to night - I'm weak and tired but I don't complain.
Service starts on Saturday night at midnight goes the whole Sunday until 6 AM then again on Sunday night we have to go to church - and guess what...I don't complain.
For such a "liberal" school everyone seems to be praising around here we sure are trying to be strict with religions. I don't like Paige - she gives off a highly annoying vibe and her posts are worthless.
I don't like giving time off for religious holidays - it's just dumb reasoning. We all have problems, issues, and different contexts but we have to deal with it. In the real world, no one's giving you a break.
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