Spinning toward success

The evening of Wednesday, Dec. 5 was undoubtedly one of the highlights of my tenure as executive director of Hillel and affiliation with the university. On the snowy, blustery and cold evening, a few days before finals and the second night of Hanukkah, the university Hillel recaptured the Guinness World Record for having the most dreidels spinning simultaneously for ten seconds. Despite the winter storm, the madness of the end of the semester and the multitude of commitments that pervade college life, 603 students, faculty and community members braved the elements. (This is a world record that we captured in 2000 with 535 dreidels but lost to a synagogue in New Jersey in 2005.) Indiana University Bloomington and the University of Michigan both tried and failed in their attempt to dethrone the Terps. Thanks to the efforts of the Hillel Planning Organization and its leadership under Rachel Farber and Shawn Levine, the legacy is proudly back in College Park.

Some readers might struggle to fully fathom the significance of the dreidel. For Jews, this simple spinning top has become a token of Hanukkah and the Davidian efforts of the Maccabees, a Jewish liberation movement, against Antiochus, a Greek tyrant who sought to rule over the Middle East and eliminate religious freedom and identity. Much like the Terrapin, this tiny dreidel bares testimony to the triumph of spirit, determination and courage over seemingly insurmountable odds.

The dreidel now takes on meaning for the whole university. What occurred in Ritchie Coliseum on Dec. 5 was not confined to the Jewish community. Instead, the 603 people on the floor that evening were representative of the broader university as well. The participation of university President Dan Mote, Dr. Linda Clement, Dr. Saúl Sosnowski, Student Government Association President Andrew Friedson, numerous faculty members and hundreds of students illustrates that the dreidel is a matter of university pride and the Terrapin will to be the very best.

Even the Greeks of new were spinning the dreidel of old, as the event was co-sponsored with Alpha Epsilon Pi, Sigma Delta Tau, Delta Phi Epsilon and Alpha Epsilon Phi. The broad spectrum of the diverse Jewish community supported this Hillel event, which was spearheaded by the Hillel Programming Organization and co-sponsored with Rak Shalom, Jewish Student Union, Koach, Republican Jewish Coalition, Chabad, Maryland Jewish Experience, TerPAC, Tzedek, Zionist Organization of America, Campus Entrepreneur Interns, Jewish Social Action Commission and Kedma. This is a beautiful testimony to the wonderful on-campus relations that exist in College Park.

Especially in this age when college students are chastised as apathetic and disinterested, the Spin-Off was not just about the game of tops. The Jewish university students who participated took a few moments to reconnect with a rich heritage and tradition that informs Jewish identity and purposeful journey. The non-Jewish spinners showed the strength of community that exists on the campus. They illustrated the ability of students at the university to establish shared traditions that reinforces individual, diverse and meaningful identities.

It is for this very reason that I feel such a sense of pride and gratitude about my involvement in the university community. This great institution and its people are a shining example of diverse talents, backgrounds and beliefs coming together to forge an amazing force that can conquer almost any challenge. Be it on the basketball court, the football field, the lecture hall or indeed the dreidel court, Terrapin spirit is something to be reckoned with.

I want to take this opportunity to thank every student for the unique magic that they bring to the campus. Every student brings a spark to College Park without which it simply would not be the same place. Together, these little sparks amount to a magnificent statement about the human ability to learn and grow, collectively and as individuals.

I look forward to working with each of you to continue our collective efforts to break records and propel the university into the public arena as a shining example for all. Thank you, Maryland. Long may the dreidel spin!

Rabbi Ari Israel is the executive director of Maryland Hillel. He can be reached at aisrael@marylandhillel.org.