When actuarial science major Yam Schutzer moved to Southern California from Israel seven months ago, she didn’t have her longtime friends or immediate family members to rely on. The uneasiness of living in a new country began to subside the first time she met a fellow Pierce College student who spoke Hebrew.
That student then introduced Schutzer to Chabad at Pierce, a club for Jewish students.
“When you come to a new country, and you come alone, you always try to look for people who remind you a little bit of home,” Schutzer said. “For me, being in Chabad reminds me of my family over there.”
Through the warmth of friendly smiles and fresh-baked challah bread, several Pierce Jewish student groups gather each week and create community—both on and off campus—for students like Schutzer. The clubs include Pierce chapters of Hillel International, Chabad and Yavneh, which each host their own weekly lunches along the Mall. Hillel meets from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Mondays, Chabad meets at noon on Tuesdays and Yavneh hosts lunches at 1:15 p.m. on Wednesdays.
May is Jewish American Heritage Month, and for theater major Eliana Captol, being involved in Pierce’s chapter of Hillel means “being proud to be Jewish and not hiding away.”
“The people and the events make me want to keep coming back,” said Captol, who has been involved in Hillel at Pierce for three years. “[My favorite event] was the formal, which happened last December.”
Computer science major Eitan Moradian began taking classes at Pierce this year and got involved in Hillel soon after he enrolled. He attends Hillel’s weekly lunches, as well as off-campus events such as Chaburah, a relationship class for college students.
“Meeting other Jewish people has been good,” Moradian said. “And I learn more about Judaism.”
Rabbi Isser Kluwgant started coming to Pierce to work with students through Chabad in 2015, after a student reached out and said there wasn’t much of a Jewish community on campus at the time. Kluwgant has spent the past nine years working to change that.
“This is a really important place for there to be a Jewish community available to college students,” Kluwgant said. “Most of the students we deal with are first generation, who have very traditional backgrounds, but whose parents couldn’t afford Jewish education. Jewish education is typically very expensive.”
Kluwgant said seeing Jewish students connect at Pierce has been “very fulfilling.”
“When the students here get the teaching, get the lessons and meet fellow Jews, it’s like they discover a sense of their identity,” Kluwgant said. “I watch it improve their well-being and improve their grades, and they stay in touch long term.”