San Francisco Hillel has always tried to cater to international students who have come to this country to study.
And now, because some emigre and exchange students may find it comforting to have someone to talk to who will understand what they are going through, Hillel can also offer the services of two international staffers as well.
Sara Goldblatt, the new coordinator of the undergraduate program, joined Hillel last week.
The English-born Goldblatt is proud of her strong beliefs but doesn’t like to be too forthcoming about her religious background. She feels that there are already too many preconceptions about certain Jewish movements.
She would rather have students feel comfortable coming and talking to her about their spiritual faith without feeling misunderstood.
Although she says she had a really good time working for the Hillel at Cornell University, the small college town of Ithaca, N.Y., did not appeal to the city girl.
Having grown up in London, Goldblatt is glad to be back in a big city. She received an honors degree in philosophy from Cardiff University in Wales. The degree comes in handy for this job, she says, because it has taught her about broad-mindedness.
During this introductory stage of her job, Goldblatt is acquiring the knowledge that is necessary for her position. She is making contacts and building relationships in the community.
“I’m excited about all the changes that are happening,” she says. “We are looking to emulate things that were successful.”
Illya Mirtsyn, who has been coordinator for Hillel’s Russian program since 1999, agrees on the importance of having an understanding mentor. Working with emigres, he has found it helpful that he came from Kiev, Ukraine, only three years ago.
Many who participate are not necessarily students. Mirtsyn says he gets a lot of people in the community who “already have a full life.” These people may already have jobs and family, but they want a way to meet new people.
And twice a year, Hillel sponsors a Russian disco, often attended by as many as 200 people.
Mirtsyn serves as a resource for students, who often come to him just to talk. He believes that he wouldn’t have this effect if he were American.
Mirtsyn helped start a Jewish student group called Aviv at Solomon University in Kiev. The group kept growing larger but was not getting enough money from the university to support the monthly activities.
At one point, the group was invited to become a part of Hillel, and when it did, Mirtsyn became the executive director. In 1998, he moved to Chicago where his family still lives. Mirtsyn has now lived in the Bay Area for 2-1/2 years.
Mirtsyn has noticed that ex-Soviets of his parents’ generation don’t have as much of a connection to Jewish culture as people his own age.
“It’s a problem in the post-Soviet [community],” he says. “They don’t even know where to buy matzah. But for people born in the ’70s, we are finally getting some education and getting involved.”
Mirtsyn is proud that although he wasn’t brought up knowing much about his religious background, he now leads Hillel’s Passover services every year.
“When you can teach your parents something,” he says, “it feels good.”
And teaching is something that Mirtsyn holds in high regard. He wants to help recent emigres find self-identity through heritage as he did.
The last time that he saw his brother in Chicago, Mirtsyn brought him a kippah from Jerusalem. He says that although his brother has been surrounded by other ex-Soviets without much Judaism in their daily lives, he truly appreciated the tradition behind it.
Seth Brysk, San Francisco Hillel’s executive director, says there are just under 1,000 students from all seven campuses who participate in the three programs for undergraduate, graduate and Russian students. Twenty to 30 students attend Shabbat services each week.
While the Hillel serves such campuses as University of San Francisco and City College of San Francisco, the main campus is San Francisco State University, which has been the scene of anti-Israel actions.
Brysk, who has worked for Hillel for two years and also holds Israeli citizenship, said the Jewish students at San Francisco State are generally uninvolved and lack knowledge about current issues. But he sees this as a challenge and an opportunity.
“We are not trying to be everything to everybody,” he says, “but we can try to connect them to other organizations so that they can continue to be part of the community even after they leave school.”