Join(ing) The Club

Yesterday was "Club Day" at CSULA. All recognized clubs had the option of having a table with their name on it, and sitting under an awning on the ASI quad. Of course, the newly established CSULA Jewish Club was there.

Me, along with my partner Victoria, who actually brought this all together, and Rabbi Moshe Levin took the challenge of finding Jews at CSULA. It wasn't easy and we didn't find many. But this adventure answered the question: Are there Jews at CSULA? The answer is yes.

We had an equal amount of non-Jews sign up, for a total of 6 people, along with our faculty advisor, the amazing Dr. Dany Frankl. How we met him is an interesting story.

After I strong-armed Gabby, one of four Jews I know on campus, into becoming a board member of the club (since 5 members were required, I asked Maria to be a board member - she was so excited!), I asked everyone I knew for a faculty advisor. Conventional wisdom (aka, no one else would do it), said the advisor should be Jewish. It was Lucy, an Armenian friend, who wondered if Dr. Frankl from Kinesiology was a Jew.

Yes, he's a Jew, former faculty member at the Wingate Sports Institute in Israel, current faculty member of Kinesiology, and he offered to sign on immediately. Talk about supportive, he's a gift.

The next step is to institute a "lunch and learn" program with Rabbi Levin, and see what direction the club goes from there. I am truly humbled by the open, revealed Hand of G-d in all of this. May we go from strength to strength.