By Lauren Mar
As a space for Scripps students who identify as Jewish, Kehillah is one of the several historic affinity-based Scripps CLORGs (student-led clubs and organizations) which was founded in the early 2000s. Kehillah struggled to maintain student engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic due to remote learning. But now, thanks to the work of students like Aviva Maxon ’24 and Ella Lehavi ’24, Kehillah is back in full force to foster community among Jewish students.
Both Lehavi and Maxon emphasize that more than a religious affinity group, Kehillah is a social affinity group. “Kehillah has been a really important space for me in college to be able to engage with my Judaism and culture without the religious pressure of other Jewish spaces,” says Maxon, the current president of Kehillah.
While other Jewish clubs and organizations at the Colleges are run by outside groups like Claremont Chabat and Hillel, Kehillah remains the only Jewish affinity club run by students from one of the Colleges. Lehavi explains that unlike a larger organization which already has a movement or is attached to outside views, Kehillah’s smaller community allows Scripps students to freely navigate their identity. “A lot of different Jewish students come into college with their experience, their baggage, and their relationship to their culture that manifests in all sorts of different ways. Kehillah is a space that very much molds to the people in it,”
In 2020, Maxon was contacted by Kehillah’s board members at the time, who had graduated in 2021. The senior board members entrusted Maxon with the CLORG’s Google Drive account, in which much of the CLORG’s archive lives on, passed down between students who keep the organization alive. The club’s survival is a testament to the dedication of the students, who have been looking at ways to continue improving Kehillah’s programming and resources for students.
Some events Kehillah has held in the past include a Purim fashion show, Hanukkah-based crafts, and candy sukkah making. Beyond social programming and their biweekly meetings on Wednesday evenings at Scripps Communities of Resources and Empowerment (SCORE), Kehillah also aims to provide institutional support for students. One such way is through providing members with email templates to send to professors for a high holiday. Especially because many of the CLORG’s current members are underclassmen, this type of support ensures that Jewish students are provided with resources to assist them with any obstacles they may face in their education.
Whether it’s in social events or in discussions with peers, Lehavi and Maxon emphasize the safe space that Kehillah provides for Jewish students.
“It’s very meaningful to have that place where I can just go and not worry about what filters I need to put my identity through,” Lehavi shares.