Randy Barlow
Student leaders for both Muslim and Jewish faith-based groups have been working this past month organizing events to celebrate their holidays and reach out to the campus community.
According to the respective president of each group, these initiatives will continue throughout the rest of the semester, and they have already scheduled several events.
President of the Muslim Student Association Sarah Oraby, a senior in biomedical engineering, said her group will be hosting one such event Oct. 2 on Harris Field.
“In light of Ramadan, we are having an event called Fast-A-Thon,” Oraby said. “We ask that people fast during the day so that we can come together in the evening to break that fast together.”
Oraby said Ramadan is important because it celebrates the completion of the Quran, the Muslim holy book. She explained that during the holiday where Muslims fast from dawn to sunset every day for a month, it is important to not only offer religious penance but to try and be better people and give charitably to others.
In accordance with these traditions, Oraby said MSA will donate all the money raised through the event to the Urban Ministries of Wake County, and she is hoping for a large turnout this year.
“Last year, we had 120 volunteers, and we are hoping to have an even higher number this year,” Oraby said. “It is hard to tell how big the event will be because, often, people sign up at the last minute.”
President of the campus Hillel Benjamin Mazur, a junior in religious studies, said his group will also be participating in some charitable work.
“We are organizing some social-justice type programs,” Mazur said. “We are coordinating a day to help renovate a foster home in Raleigh.”
Mazur said his group hosted a dinner Sept. 28 and held services in the green space behind Talley Student Center in honor of parents’ weekend and the upcoming Jewish holiday of Sukkot.
“Sukkot is the festival of the harvest and is very much like Thanksgiving,” Mazur said. “You are encouraged to reach out to those who aren’t able to provide for themselves.” Mazur said this event was extremely successful, and with the fundraising members of Hillel did earlier in the week, the group will be able to make a generous donation to a local food bank in honor of this holiday.
“One of the main ideas of this holiday is to take some of your surplus harvest and give it to the less fortunate,” Mazur said.
Jacob Freeman, a junior in electrical engineering, said Hillel has been able to sponsor several events and really appreciates the effort faith-based groups put into their events.
“These events are important for creating a sense of unity among students who share common beliefs,” Freeman said. “They help students feel at home here at the University.”
Oraby said creating this sense of belonging is the most important function of these events and that is why she will continue to organize them in the future.
“The month of Ramadan is a special time of the year, and it is tradition to break the fast with people you care about,” Oraby said. “A lot of Muslims live away from home, so we try to create a sense of community and family here on campus.”