The University of Mary Washington’s Independent Student Newspaper Serving the community since 1922
The
Weekly
Ringer
VOLUME 97 | ISSUE 8
November 3, 2023
Maxine & Carl D. Silver Hillel Center Panel discusses AAPI culture, history replaced by Chabad organization and experiences in the DMV area ETHAN ROPP Staff Writer
Mateo gutierrez Staff Writer On Oct. 30, UMW hosted a panel discussion that brought faculty, students and local community members together to delve into the rich tapestry of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) history, culture and experiences. This event, which was hosted in the Chandler Ballroom, sought to foster a deeper understanding of and build allyship with the AAPI community. The event, titled “Exploring AAPI History, Culture, and Experiences: Building Allyship at UMW,” was a collaborative effort between UMW’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion, the Asian Student Association and the local AAPI community. Panelists included Guan-Yi Leu, assistant professor of political science and international affairs; Steve Rabson, adjunct instructor in the modern languages and literature department; Evelyn Yuen, a volunteer for the Viet Place Collective; and Jingying Li, an IT professional and Spotsylvania County resident of 30 years. Rabson began the discussion by providing a comprehensive overview of AAPI history and culture within the greater Washington, D.C. area. He highlighted the immense diversity within the community and focused specifically on the establishment of Chinatown in the district. “This was a real community, it had Chinese schools, churches, language teaching at the churches and other culture centers,” he said. Rabson also spoke on the range of ethnic backgrounds and how different groups have migrated and left their own indelible marks on the communities in which they live. Yuen, a second-generation Chinese-American, shared her experience with Eden Center. Eden Center is a primarily Vietnamese-American commercial center that was founded in 1984 and is home to over 120 family-owned businesses, according to their website. It is located in Falls Church, Va. and is the largest of its kind on the East Coast. “I actually grew up in Hong Kong, but every summer I would come to the DMV where the rest of my clan lives and to visit them, and every summer we would go to Eden Center,” she said. “So even though I emigrated here five years ago, Eden Center gives me a piece of home and it’s also a
Mary Washington’s Jewish student center, known as Hillel, has come to an end fewer than three years after its opening. What was originally named the Maxine and Carl D. Silver Hillel Center opened in late October 2020 with a soft opening and a miniature ceremony celebrating the donor, Larry Silver. The Hillel Center provided Mary Washington students with multiple study rooms, an espresso machine and snacks, a Shabbat dinner once a month, Jewish holiday activities and a Rabbi: Menachem Sherman. This past spring, the Silver Foundation—the building’s sponsor—decided to replace Hillel with a larger Jewish campus organization, known as Chabad. As of now, students have not been able to enter the building, and there have been no events held despite the signage change on the exterior of the building, which denotes the center as the Maxine and Carl D. Silver Chabad Center. Many Jewish students on campus were in shock and upset about this sudden change, and those sentiments still stand. “Hillel was a Jewish organization that worked with the Silvers to provide Jewish students with a community on campus to develop their relationship with Judaism and form relationships with other Jewish students,” said UMW Jewish Student Association President Logan Kurtz, a senior history major.
The organization officially known as Hillel International is present on over 850 college campuses and serves over 150,000 students, according to their website. Hillel International not only provides a social space for Jewish and non-Jewish students alike but also a space to celebrate Jewish holidays. Hillel International also provides students with birthright trips to Israel. “As far as I understand, the Silvers were dissatisfied with the financial arrangement they had with Hillel and decided to end their relationship,” said Jennifer Hansen-Glucklich, associate professor of German, faculty advisor for the Jewish Student Association and a member of the Jewish faith. Chabad, a different Jewish campus organization, was chosen by the Silver Foundation to replace Hillel at Mary Washington to serve the Jewish students. According to the Chabad organization’s website, Chabad is located on more than 850 campuses worldwide and works to nurture Jewish identity and uphold Jewish pride on college campuses. As of now, the organization has held no events and the doors have been locked, despite the Jewish High Holy days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur having just passed. As to what this transition entails, Hansen-Glucklich said, “This meant ending Rabbi Sherman’s employment. Chabad will be moving into the center at some point, but we don’t know yet when.”
SEE AAPI, PAGE 2 The Maxine & Carl D. Silver Hillel Center closed after three years of opening.
|2 INSIDE “INews miss Hillel”
THE
RINGER
UMW Jewish community responds to change
Opinion | 3
AI and boundaries: Responsible use in the classroom
Life | 4
SEE HILLEL, PAGE 2
Department of Modern Languages hosts Roberto Zurbano
Abbey Magnet / The Weekly Ringer
Sports | 8
Girl on the run: Eliana Ramirez takes to running the track.