Barnard College - Mortarboard Yearbook (New York, NY)

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Some heartlanders assert that New York City is not really part of the United States. This is something of an exaggeration but, as most of us already know. New Yorkers are certainly a unique bunch. Where else can you take a cab driven by a Russian immigrant to go to a Cuban Chinese restaurant? But all kidding aside. New York is a great cos- mopolitan city and it is precisely this ethnic diversity that makes it this way. New Yorkers can trace their origins to all corners of the globe. Most are immigrants or the children of immigrants who came here in search of a better life. Immigrants preserved their institutions and cultures, frequently creating scale replicas of the towns and villages they left behind, on the new soil. Today one can go from little Italy to Chinatown to Spanish Harlem to Lubavitch Brooklyn, all in the span of one after- noon. Barnard shares in this ethnic mix. It is a microcosm, however imperfect, of the city in which it is located. Some of its students are first generation Americans for whom a Barnard education is the first step toward achieving success. Though many students come to college hoping to break away from what they feel are the prohibitive constraints of their native cultures or religions and try to form new identities, most Barnard women value their ethnic heritages. Ethnic student organizations celebrate these traditions as an important part of the Barnard experience. What is even more important though, is the broadening of ideas that occurs in meeting and associating with people from different cultural and reli- gious backgrounds. The education that comes from becoming close with someone from a different background and learning to under- stand and appreciate their culture is more important than any book knowledge. This is the first year that Mortarboard has included an ethnic section. There was some initial resistence to the idea. Considerably fewer ethnicities are represented than exist at Barnard. All beginnings are hard and we hope to have a fuller section next year. We at Mortar- board believe that ethnic student organizations are an important feature of life at Barnard and deserve to be remembered. Carol Green B ' 81

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From Queen Esther to Rosalyn Yalow, the Jewish woman has always estabhshed a place for herself in history. We as Jewish women at Barnard are eager to emulate these role models. Barnard has enabled us to integrate our desire for academic achievement with our commitment to Judaism. The Jewish experience at Barnard is one which is a joint endeavor with Columbia. One only has to step into the Jewish office at Earl Hall and glance at the calendar which lists the endless number of activities designed to serve the interests of the college commu- nity. Jewish activities don ' t only abound on the weekend; pick any night of the week and you can find some event taking place. The year begins when an orientation is sponsored for incoming Jewish students. As the year progresses, the Council of Jewish Organizations, or the CJO as it is fondly called, buzzes with activity. In any given week, you could find yourself wavering between going to an Israeli movie sponsored by Kadima (the Zionist group on campus), a Sukkot party hosted by Yavneh (a religious student organization), or a rally sponsored by the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry, organized to speak out against the oppression of Rus- sian Jews. Various activities are scheduled during the day, keeping in mind the ever increasing commuter population. For example, the Nosh at Noon, which gives the harried commuter the opportunity to dis- cuss topical Jewish issues and or relax while munch- ing on bagels and cream cheese (lox from Zabar ' s is just too expensive!). Over the weekend, the resident I 1 ' 1 i WMP IV ' student is made to feel at home. Shabbat meals com- munely prepared are served to a large but intimate group of students who want to share in a spirited traditional Friday night meal. Barnard is blessed with Jewish students from a wide range of backgrounds, from women who define their ' Jewishness ' as ethnic rather than religious, to the denim skirted students who spent the year in Israel ' s Michlalah immersed exclusively in religious studies, to the women considering careers as Rabbis. For these women, there are a variety of Sabbath ser- vices offered which are sponsored by the Orthodox, Conservative and Reform groups. For those interested in communal Jewish living, or others in search of a niche in the neighborhood, the Bayit is just the right place to be. A family atmosphere predominates with everyone assuming responsibility to maintain the spirit of daily Jewish life. If you ' re a Barnard woman who was lucky enough to get a dorm, you can eat to your heart ' s content on the Kosher meal plan, recently instituted in BHR, or join a Kosher suite in 600, 616 or Plimpton. It wasn ' t too long ago that a trip downtown to a Kosher deli, or a trek over to J.T.S. was the only option available to the famished student observing the dietary laws. Not only does the college campus lend itself to Jewish life, but students are also fortunate enough to find themselves in New York City, which is one of the great centers of Jewish culture and activity. Many synagogues and institutions offer lectures, courses and events which are open to the student in search of a deeper understanding and appreciation of her Jewish identity. Adena Berkowitz B ' 81 Roxanne Kleiman B ' 81 11