TORONTO — Toronto is the home of the Maple Leafs, the CN Tower and, as of last month, the Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus (JLIC.)
Rabbi Aaron and Miriam Greenberg, third and fourth from left, are the campus Torah educators for the JLIC. From left are their children, Tzvi, Nediva and Ezra.
Earlier this fall, the Orthodox Union (OU), in conjunction with Hillel, introduced the JLIC to Toronto university campuses.
The JLIC has been set up at York University and the University of Toronto, and is available to students from other Toronto-area campuses.
The program, which is run on 15 campuses in North America, was created to continue Jewish education after high school. It promotes Orthodox Jewish culture on campus through one-on-one counselling, social programming, guest speakers and daily seminars.
While the program is available at American universities such as Yale and New York University, this is the first time it has come to Canada.
Toronto universities were chosen because of their high number of Jewish students.
“There is a large observant Orthodox community at York, and basically I think the partnership [between OU and Hillel] stemmed from a need to engage and educated the students who want to learn more about Jewish law,” said Steven Kraft, Hillel’s program associate at York.
Rabbi Aaron and Miriam Greenberg were chosen to serve as the campus Torah educators in Toronto. Both are natives of the city and York graduates.
While Miriam Greenberg does most of her work from home, her husband is often on campus, giving lectures, organizing social events or simply talking with students.
“There’s a wide range of programming. [We have] informal classes and high-level learning similar to what they would get in a yeshiva in Israel,” Rabbi Greenberg said.
The program is unique because of its flexibility. While Rabbi Greenberg provides daily classes on campus to all students ,regardless of their knowledge and background, he also meets with students at coffee shops or even in his home.
“The fact that you have a senior educator who’s available to educate all day, that is new and innovative,” Rabbi Greenberg said.
Since the program started, Rabbi Greenberg has been busy. His one-on-one counselling sessions include advice on dating, divorce, career and Jewish philosophy.
“I spend [all day] talking with students, which is good. It’s the way it should be. I really want to be there for students in the day time, to foster relationships. Even for Shabbat, a lot of students don’t have anywhere to go to. I get them to know my family and my kids, to feel that Jewish life,” he said.
To Kraft, the rabbi’s passion sets him apart.
“He’s just a true educator. He just really engages [students] with his passion for educating. Students really enjoy his presence on campus, and he constantly has students in his office,” Kraft said.
Unlike some American universities, York and U of T are known as commuter schools. Many students there don’t live on campus, which is a challenge for Hillel and the JLIC.
“It’s difficult to engage students outside of campus. When they have breaks in class on campus, we can engage them, but they have a whole life [off campus].”
Still, Rabbi Greenberg is able to work around that.
“It’s not just a matter of learning. It could be talking, shmoozing, having a coffee with students. We’re not locked into a location. Some students don’t want to come to Hillel. Wherever the students want to meet and talk, I’m flexible.”
