Since opening its doors for the Jewish Baccalaureate ceremony in May, the Freeman Center for Jewish Life has been the hub of the Jewish community on campus. But with a variety of rooms and a dining facility, it has so far this semester hosted about a dozen events not organized by the center, and many more will take place throughout the rest of the year.
Roger Kaplan, director and president of the CJL, said the presence of non-Jewish groups is not an accident. "One of the reasons this building was built was not only to serve the Jewish community, but also to provide additional programming space at Duke," he said.
In an attempt to integrate itself quickly into the campus environment, the CJL has welcomed several non-Jewish groups into its building for a variety of events.
The list of events held at the CJL includes speakers sponsored by the Community Service Center and the Center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Life as well as retreats for Student Affairs, the Asian and African Languages and Literature department and the Women's Center.
Some of these events have had themes related to Jewish issues. The lecture sponsored by the Center for LGBT Life focused on connections between homophobia and anti-Semitism.
Other groups have held events at the Freeman Center because of the attractive facilities. "It's in a convenient location, right on a bus line," said Carolyn Lee, who helped organize two events for the AALL department. "We think the whole setting is very nice," said Lee, assistant professor of the practice and coordinator of the Chinese program.
Caroline Nisbet, director of resource administration for Student Affairs, said her group chose to have its retreat at the CJL in order to get a feel for the facility. Participants came away impressed. "It's a wonderful space," she said.
Members of many groups stressed that the openness of the CJL enhances campus awareness of Judaism.
Kerry Poynter, program coordinator for the center for LGBT Life, said, "It's great people are going into the Freeman Center if they're not [usually] exposed to Jewish culture."
Trinity senior Matt Weiss, president of the CJL student board, said he is pleased with the diversity of events in the building. "Our biggest successes have been when we open the building to students and the community," he said.
Kaplan emphasized that he hopes to continue seeing a diverse group of students use the CJL, making sure its influence extends beyond the Jewish community. "We are not trying to create a ghetto," he said.
Donna Lisker, director of the Women's Center, said everyone benefits from sharing the CJL space. "We use each other's space deliberately in order to build coalitions, to build community and to avoid fragmentation," she said.
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