On October 2, the Colgate Hilel hosted a town hall to discuss the current state of transition after the departure of the former rabbi and director of Jewish life, Dena Bodian, over the summer.

Senior Emily Kahn, the president of Colgate Hillel, was eager to begin a conversation.

“The town hall is in order to get feedback on what types of rabbis students, faculty and community members would want, as well as to discuss the state of Jewish life on Colgate’s campus,” Kahn said.

University Chaplain Corey MacPherson said he hoped the meeting brought unity to the Jewish community.

“When students can see faculty and staff members part of Jewish life, that’s encouraging to them,” MacPherson said. “When you see a professor that’s active in your religious tradition it’s encouraging to see, so my hope was that voices were heard and that (students) realized that the community is here to support one another and care for one another.”

According to MacPherson, the committee’s goal is to find a rabbi by the start of the 2019-20 academic year, and thus the committee’s work is ongoing.

Contact Kirby Goodman at [email protected].