In a statement shared on the Baruch College Instagram account on Sept. 19, the college confirmed that Leader Family Hillel at Baruch’s Rosh Hashanah Celebration would be held in the Clivner=Field Plaza on Sept. 26 despite rumors that administration had canceled the event.
“There is a false claim circulating that Baruch College attempted to block a Rosh Hashanah gathering,” the statement said. “At no point did the administration communicate to any student or faculty member that the celebration should be canceled.”
The statement also emphasized students’ rights to freedom of worship.
“Every student has a right to worship and practice their religion, and we take pride in fostering a campus environment that celebrates diversity in all its forms,” it said. “A Rosh Hashanah festival will continue as planned on the nearby public plaza on September 26.”
The Rosh Hashanah event will include food, games and music. But Ernest Rafailov, the president of Hillel at Baruch, said the event was almost canceled due to safety concerns.
“Initially, this event was not supposed to happen,” Rafailov said. “It was not supposed to happen because our college president said that we cannot guarantee your safety on campus. It’s very sad to hear that we can’t guarantee our safety on campus when we’re trying to celebrate something like this.”
After a meeting between President S. David Wu and Jewish students, security measures were changed to enable the event to move forward as planned.
“Our [Hillel] director and other staff have been in contact with NYPD, that we know, to what extent we can’t comprehend yet, but they’ve been in contact,” Rafailov said. “They’ve been in contact with security of Baruch College. There would be a patrol of a police or security in the club suites so that there wouldn’t be any commotion between individuals.”
Rafailov said administration initially discussed asking Hillel to use other rooms, the multipurpose room or having a “Fall Festival” instead of a Rosh Hashanah event.
Aiden Herzlinger, Hillel at Baruch’s vice president of programing, said he felt it was essential Jewish students be allowed to celebrate the holiday with the Baruch community publicly.
“We’re living in a time where a lot of Jews feel like they have to hide their identity so its important to make a statement, put it to public, show people that we’re not afraid to be who we are,” Herzlinger said. “Isn’t that what this world is about? Isn’t acceptance and inclusion what we preach every single day? That applies to everyone.”
Daniel Clivner, one of the donors who helped create Clivner=Field Plaza, was the person who came up with the initial concept for the event.
“There was a protest going on here,” Rafailov said. “After he saw things happening in the plaza with this situation, he said ‘this cannot happen at my plaza.’ Long story short, he’s like, ‘Let’s celebrate it in a way, let’s bring some joy into this.’ And what better way to do joy when there’s a new year?”
Rafailov said the event might have been canceled without a final meeting between Wu and Jewish students.
“Because of this meeting, we’ve been able to go with a few details and he saw the importance of it, and now we’re able to have this event in motion,” he said. “So thank President Wu, and thank God.”
However, Rafailov said he thought Wu’s receptiveness was the result of a two hour meeting Hillel students had with U.S. Representative Ritchie Torres (D) from New York’s 15th District.
“We gave him all our concerns, not just regarding Rosh Hashanah, but just the way things are run in the schools, in the colleges, socially. From there, he made a statement, he posted videos,” he said. “I think that expedited the Rosh Hashanah event being fully announced by President Wu, from my perspective.”
Rafailov said he hoped conversations with administration would happen regardless of whether students prompt external intervention.
“It shouldn’t take a meeting with a lawmaker to get things done and for our concerns to be addressed, we have concerns, and we voice them to the administration, they should be addressed without any interference from outside people,” he said.
Safety on campus was a concern for both Rafailov and Herzlinger beyond the event. Rafailov said instances like a Hillel welcome dinner at Mr. Broadway that was targeted by protestors changed his perception of campus culture.
“I don’t feel safe on campus,” Rafailov said. “I don’t feel safe because there’s always, in the back of your head, ideas of ‘what if.’ And there’s exposure to stuff like the Mr. Broadway event.”
The students said Hillel hopes the Rosh Hashanah event will foster a positive space.
“We’re there to celebrate unity and coexistence, especially in a time where we’re on campus and think there’s a lot of tension, and obviously not just in Baruch but all schools,” Herzlinger said. “I believe that this is an event that can bring people together from all cultures.”
The event will run from 12:30–2:00 p.m. in the Clivner=Field Plaza on Sept. 26 and is open to all Baruch students.
