Reform Judaism magazine recently ranked UF as the American public university with the largest undergraduate Jewish population. UF has 6,500 Jewish students, which is 17 percent of the Student Body, according to the magazine.
Despite these numbers, UF doesn’t cancel classes on Jewish holidays, a practice that inconveniences some students and upsets others. UF’s academic calendar does not recognize any religious holidays, though some major Christian holidays fall during term breaks.
Giving students off for Jewish holidays isn’t simple, because not everyone celebrates every holiday on the Jewish calendar, said Jack Kugelmass, director of UF’s Jewish Studies program.
“The solution is let students take the holidays they want to take and have faculty be sensitive to those days,” he said.
Chelsea Graubert, a visual art studies junior, said she gives professors advance notice of her observance but worries the scheduling won’t work.
The 20-year-old said it would make sense for UF to cancel classes on several Jewish holidays.
“We get other major holidays off, so I don’t see what the difference is,” Graubert said.
Economics junior Deborah Abrams, 20, said she and her Jewish friends have had to complain to get some of their professors to reschedule important tests.
Last week, Provost Joseph Glover sent an email reminding colleges that students and faculty must work together to accommodate holy days. But students need to inform professors of conflicts.
Executive Director and CEO of UF Hillel Keith Dvorchik said giving students Jewish holidays off is complicated because other religious groups might ask for their holidays to be recognized.
Over the years, some Jewish students and parents have complained to him about not getting the holidays off.
A student’s parents once argued the university would never hold classes on Easter Sunday. Dvorchik agreed.
“First of all, you’re right, because it’s a Sunday,” he told them.
