University Refuses to Grant Chabad Chaplaincy

Princeton, NJ — Following the University’s denial of a request from the Jewish organization Chabad for a chaplaincy position in the Office of Religious Life, a group of students has started a petition asking President Tilghman to reconsider the decision.

“Chabad will continue to be on campus, regardless of what the University decides,” Chabad student board president Arthur Ewenczyk ’09 said. The University cited its policy to recognize only one Jewish chaplain under the Center for Jewish Life (CJL).

As a result of the decision, Rabbi Eitan Webb, the director of Chabad at Princeton, will remain unaffiliated with the University and the Office of Religious Life (ORL). Attitudes toward Webb’s attempts to reach out to students elicited reactions ranging from enthusiastic support to wary disapproval within the Jewish community.

Interim Dean of Religious Life Frederick Borsch said in an email that he sees the decision to deny Webb chaplaincy as “primarily an affirmation of Princeton’s ongoing and strong commitment to the Center for Jewish Life, [which was] founded to be a Center for hospitality, care and support for the rich diversity of Jewish life, practice and spirituality at Princeton.”

Some in the campus Jewish community agree with the University’s decision.

“The issue about Chabad is that making [Webb] a chaplain is really problematic,” former CJL president Joseph Skloot ’05 said. “I would say that [Chabad] should be like the fraternities on campus, or like any number of other groups that aren’t recognized by the University, but it should not be recognized by the University, and Rabbi Webb should not be recognized as a chaplain of the University.”

Ewenczyk said he believes that denying Chabad chaplaincy harms religious diversity on campus, adding that he felt the decision was “hurtful to the students on campus.”

CJL president Matt Kandel ’09 said in an email that “Orthodox, Conservative and Reform [Jewish] student groups have long made the CJL their home, in addition to Jewish arts, political, social and other organizations. My understanding is that the CJL would welcome Chabad to become a part of this structure.” Kandel added that his email reflects his own opinion and does not represent the official policy of the CJL.

Julie Roth, the CJL rabbi with the chaplaincy, could not be reached for comment.

Status and position

Chabad has been recognized by the University as a student group since 2005, when the University changed its policy to allow religious student groups without an established “campus ministry” to become official student groups.

Official recognition as a campus student group is one way to access University resources, but chaplaincy would open more doors. Webb and Ewenczyk both said that the chaplaincy position is mostly a matter of perception.

“Right now,” Ewenczyk added, “as far as [Webb’s] official status with the University, he’s just a rabbi who happens to live in Princeton.”

Ewenczyk also said that “the chaplaincy would give Rabbi Webb certain things that he doesn’t have access to, [such as] official recognition, an additional voice in the ORL, as well as greatly facilitating certain things, such as organizing events, getting funding from alumni and access to engaging more student life on campus.”

Supporters of Chabad’s chaplaincy cite the fact that there are over a dozen Christian chaplaincies, saying that one Jewish chaplaincy is not enough. Several other universities, including Harvard, Dartmouth and Columbia, have independent Chabad chaplaincies. In 2001, the Chabad on Campus National Foundation received a sizable donation from a benefactor, and since then its presence has tripled on college campuses.

Both Ewenczyk and Webb said that despite their belief that the University ought to change its policies, Chabad is not planning to take legal action.

The Rabbi’s persona

Andrew Bogorad ’09, a current Chabad student board member, did not practice Judaism before arriving on campus. But after meeting Webb, he said, he became more interested in Judaism.

“[Webb] really opens your eyes and gets you to seek out more information,” Bogorad said, adding that “[Webb is] very personable and relates really well to people … he’s a great person to talk to, knows tremendous amounts about Judaism, but never forces anything on you at all.”

Other students who have interacted with Webb agree that he and his wife Gitty create a welcoming environment in their Nassau Street home. The Webbs moved to Princeton in 2002.

In addition to hosting about 40 people a week at Friday night Shabbat dinners and holiday meals, the Webbs encourage students to drop by their house at any time. During his walks around campus, Webb often greets and casually converses with many people.

“He’s very kind, funny and is the reason why Chabad is so popular,” Ewenczyk said. “Friday night dinners at his house are a great time, with his wife and kids and all the jokes and stories and discussing religion. It’s a very relaxed atmosphere.”

Kandel said, “I agree that Chabad does many good things on campus. Rabbi Webb and his wife Gitty offer students a uniquely warm and inviting home setting that students clearly miss while at school.”

Resisting Chabad

Despite the attractions of Chabad, opponents have questioned Webb’s motives and his ability to work with other groups.

Skloot said in an interview that Webb should not be a University chaplain and that Chabad should not be a University-affiliated student group.

“The issue ultimately is that for Rabbi Webb, he’s trying to practice Chabadism which is bent on coercing other Jews into its rubric,” Skloot said. “And that coercive ideology is fundamentally problematic. Pluralism has never been their strong point.”

Others have also questioned whether Webb would fulfill all the obligations of a University chaplain, including embracing other faiths. “Interfaith work is not a part of their mission at all,” Skloot said. “Their mission is to spread their dogma to other Jews.”

Webb, however, said in an email that he believes “cooperation across the spectrum of faith is vital to the success of the religious community at Princeton” and that he would be willing to work with chaplains of other denominations.

Skloot also said that Webb has “proven that he’s an untrustworthy figure.”

“The CJL has tried to cooperate with him, and time and time again he has failed to abide by CJL policies and campus policies,” Skloot said. “He serves alcohol at his events. He has flaunted the dietary regulations of the CJL by bringing in outside food into the dining hall, which is against the CJL’s policy.”

Webb denied serving alcohol “beyond the sacramental Kiddush wine” at his events. The CJL serves small amounts of wine for sacramental reasons, and this practice is approved by the Office of the Dean of the Undergraduate Students (ODUS), but Webb admitted he did not gain ODUS approval for the wine he serves. Other students say that Webb serves more alcohol than ODUS approves for the CJL.

Several students also said that Webb sent out fundraising letters to alumni using images of University buildings, which requires the permission of the University. The Office of Development oversees alumni donations and must give permission for student groups to solicit alumni. Webb denies ever taking such an action.

Competition with the CJL

In the letter that cites the University’s policy to have a single Jewish chaplain, Tilghman indicated that after discussions with the Jewish community, she concluded that it would be in the best interest of Jewish students on campus to maintain the one-chaplain policy under the CJL. Others who oppose Chabad’s chaplaincy fear that a growing Chabad presence may divide the Jewish community on campus.

Skloot said that establishing a Chabad chaplaincy “would create a competing Jewish institution that has very little interest in collaborating with the existing Jewish community.”

He added that while there are many strains of Judaism, “Hillel as an institution says all of those are recognized forms, and yet Chabad would not allow — and denies the authority and the legitimacy of — those movements except itself.” Hillel is an international campus Jewish organization of which the CJL is a part.

“So the problem arises that when the University supports Hillel, it supports all forms of Judaism –– including Chabad,” Skloot said. “When the University supports Chabad, it only supports Chabad. It would be setting up two systems against each other that are incompatible.”

Chabad members disagree that its presence will draw students away from the CJL. “The goal of Chabad is not to take anything away from the CJL, but to add another option,” Bogorad said. “Choice is good, but the point is not to be divisional.”

Cooperation is already underway. This year, Chabad joined the CJL in holding “Sushi in the Sukkah” and “Shabbat 300.” Both groups consider these to have been successful events. “Not only do I think Chabad will grow, I think that the CJL will grow as a result of it,” Webb said.

Skloot, however, said that Webb has “said repeatedly that he would like to build a ‘Chabad house’ with an alternate kosher dining facility on campus.” This would detract from Princeton’s already small Jewish community, Skloot added.

Webb said he is planning to move into a house on Edwards Place, across from the U-Store, which will accommodate the expanding Chabad community.

Supporters of Chabad also claim that the CJL has insufficient means to meet the needs of some Jewish students, and that Chabad provides an additional choice that will also contribute to the CJL’s mission to serve the community at large.

“The Hasidic approach to Judaism is not included in the CJL,” Ewenczyk said. “Incorporating Chabad into the CJL wouldn’t work and wouldn’t make sense because there’s really no place for Rabbi Webb in the CJL.” Webb concurred that he does not think that combining the two would make sense.

Chabad’s letter to the University last summer maintained that “Chabad’s efforts will complement those of the CJL, providing students access to a mystical Chassidic tradition that is ancient in its roots and powerful in its modern relevance.”

Kandel said that “it appears that Chabad at times attracts a group of students who might not otherwise engage Jewishly at Princeton, and I imagine that most people would view this as constructive.”

Ewenczyk said that the CJL and Chabad promote different strains of Judiasm and need different leaders. “Rabbi Webb and Rabbi Roth have different interpretations of Judaism,” he said, adding that “one Jewish chaplain cannot embrace all positions.”

But there remains the question of priority. “The idea of … two organizations, one which denies the legitimacy of the other on campus, just seems like dividing an already small community,” Skloot said.

Ewenczyk said that student opposition to Chabad’s chaplaincy is not strong.

“As with all religious groups,” he said, “there are people who don’t agree with Chabad … I personally have not spoken to anyone who would oppose the chaplaincy; some say they would prefer it not happen but they don’t seem to care very much either way.”