My LIterature Review

Sorry this wasn't up earlier, I tend to forget to actually post my stuff on the blog itself.

With an estimated 1300 to 1500 Jews at Virginia Tech, it is not hard to comprehend how active the religious community is in many different ways. In recent years especially, the Jewish community at Tech has become much more involved and outgoing than was previously the case. Many of the already existing Jewish organizations on campus have grown since the turn of the 21st century, and some new organizations have been created. However, even with all of the growth and success on campus, there are still many different areas which need help with regards to the Jewish life on Virginia Tech’s campus.
Although there is a definite Jewish presence on campus, there is not a major religious presence. Until the opening of the Chabad house, which is named after Liviu Librescu, an Israeli professor killed during the April 16th attack, Tech was not a real option for any Orthodox or religious Jew. The Jewish presence on campus was primarily “geared toward the social and cultural life” opposed to the religious aspect. There are three main streams of Judaism, Reform, Conservative, and Orthodoxy, and they move from liberal to conservative in the order listed. Majority of the Jewish students who participate in Hillel believe themselves to be either Reform or Conservative if they even choose to identify their Judaism. For Orthodox Jews, however, a much more religious setting is needed. The opening of the Chabad house is the beginning of a community for Orthodox Jews at Virginia Tech, for it gives them a place to stay for Shabbat, when they are not allowed to use electricity from Friday night to Saturday night.
Even with the opening of the Chabad house, it will take a large amount of work and promotion to help get a more religious community to come to Tech. Schools get reputations for their Jewish communities, and although Tech’s is growing in a social sense, as far as religious life it is not necessarily looked upon strongly. For now, the house will just need to complete its first successful year until it can continue to outreach to large groups of people outside of the community. Overall, the flourishing of the Jewish community at Tech is impressive and the community will most likely continue to prosper as it has in the recent years.