Newsletter Spring 2018 (1)

Y O U H E L P M A K E
A D I F F E R E N C E
MY TALE
Josh Berger '18
Before attending Chabad my
Junior year at Chapman
University, Judaism and I were
in a weird place with one
another; if we were on
Facebook, our relationship
status would read ‘it’s
complicated’
Despite the fact that I had attended the JCC for
preschool and a private Jewish day school up until
5th grade, I had never considered myself to be truly,
authentically, and wholly Jewish.
"Immediately, I was made to feel at home.
As we said the Kiddush together, broke
Challah with one another..."
Immediately, I was made to feel at home. As we
said the Kiddush together, broke Challah with one
another, discussed the week’s Torah portion, and
recited prayers in harmony, I could feel a change
from within me. The community Rabbi Eliezer
helped establish and develop at Chapman Chabad
was one of inclusivity. I was not made to feel
marginalized or thought of by others as “less than”
because of the extent of my practice of faith.
Aside from the prayer, the meals, and the holidays
spent with Chabad, what sticks with me most now
as an alumnus were all the conversations I had that
emerged spontaneously between the scheduled
programming.
THE LIVES YOU'VE TOUCHED
Sure, I could recite the Hamotzi and wine blessings
by heart, and, yes, I did have a Bar Mitzvah and held
distinctly Jewish values concerning family,
education, and morality, but wasn’t being Jewish
about being more than that?
Before Chabad, I would tell others that I was merely
reform, or that I was only culturally Jewish; I felt
Jewish. Rabbi Eliezer and Chabad at Chapman
fundamentally changed my own perception of my
relationship with Judaism by teaching me that those
stipulations that I imposed on myself and my
identity-- “merely” and “only” -- did not exist.
From the moment I stepped into Rabbi Eliezer’s
home, I was greeted with smiles from himself, his
wife, Mushky, and his two children, Yasef and Mirel.
I have made many friends at Chabad that I not only
kept in touch with throughout the rest of my time at
Chapman, but also continue to keep in touch with
today. I have even brought friends to Chabad, from
Chapman and from afar, in an effort to share with
them an important piece of myself and my heritage.
Chabad teaches others about Jewish history,
philosophy, morality, and culture in a way that
doesn’t seek to evangelize, but rather to merely
enlighten.
Rabbi Eliezer and Chapman Chabad catalyzed my
growth as a person by making me more educated
about and proud of my Jewish faith. I look forward
to seeing how Chapman Chabad continues to
expand serve more people, and to hearing the many
other success stories that come from other people
like me in the near future. L'chaim!