Issue date: 9/30/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Mike Christy Pre-education major Michael Schlossberg takes part in a Rosh Hashanah service put on by the UA Hillel Foundation in the North Ballroom of the Student Union Memorial Service last night. Rosh Hashanah, commonly known as the Jewish New Year, marks the first of the High Holidays, which are specifically set aside for an individual to focus on repentance.

While the majority of the UA campus embarks on its normal Tuesday routine, roughly 3,600 Jewish students must choose between observing their religious holidays and attending their regularly scheduled classes.

The Jewish High Holy Days of Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah rarely fall on the same days two years in a row. This causes many professors to forget that the holiday is coming and consequently schedule major assignments on days when it is forbidden for Jewish students to do work, said Rachel Tasky, a psychology junior.

Whenever the Jewish holidays occur during the school week, Tasky undoubtedly has a major assignment due, she said.

"I feel like I get screwed, but at the same time, I don't think the teachers even realize they should be looking at a calendar," Tasky said. "The first thing (they think) is not, 'Oh, it's Rosh Hashanah that day, so I shouldn't have a quiz that day.' I think it's just a lack of knowledge more than anything."

Jen Jalowiec, vice president of the UA Hillel Foundation and a communications senior, said that the problem stems from teachers just not being aware of the calendar.

"I think departments need to be held more responsible, because departments have to approve the syllabus," Jalowiec said. "Departments should be held responsible for going through (syllabi) and saying, 'Maybe you should reconsider having an exam on this day because that is a Jewish holiday.'"

Students who must miss classes for religious observance can be put at a disadvantage because they have to work twice as hard to catch up in classes, she said.

"We have all Christian holidays off, so the majority of the campus doesn't ever have to worry about missing (class) because of religious reasons," Jalowiec said. "Every single Jewish holiday, we have to see if we are missing school. . . . (We are forced to) choose between our religion and school."

Continued...

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