Hillel has a new book club

A group of students has started a book club at Hillel to promote discussion of literature that has spiritual elements.

"[We wanted to] explore the religious elements in modern literature and even pop culture," said Jason Seigel, who came up with the book club in an effort to promote conversation between Jews and non-Jews about religion and literature. Seigel is the co-chair of Koach, the Conservative Programming Group at Hillel.

A motivating factor in Siegel's decision to start the book club was his belief that religion goes largely unexamined by many students and is absent from their daily lives.

"Religion seems all too estranged from everyday life and concerns for many people," he said. "Some college students do, certainly, choose to actively practice their religion the Jumbos who come to Shabbat services at Hillel every week attest to at least the Jewish population of students that practices actively."

Seigel seeks to engage students with elements of religious life besides worship, however: "What about religious life outside of specifically practicing religion?" he said.

"[We] formed the Book Club in order to study the place of religion outside of active worship," Seigel added. "We try to see how religion is as much an element of modern culture and literature as it is a form of spiritual reflection."

Seigel is particularly interested in examining religion's role in modern art and public life. He also hopes that the Book Club will serve to make Judaism more accessible. According to Seigel, many people perceive "Jewish" literature as dealing only with specific subjects.

"For a lot of people, Judaism is this abstract thing," Seigel said. "We wanted to show that Judaism is dealt with in 'normal' books, not just Holocaust and Israel-themed books."

The book club holds informal gatherings at Hillel. "Most of all, we try to get to know one another and have discussions with one another that are both stimulating and friendly - everything is totally student-led," Siegel said. "It's not an academic thing; we keep it fun and interesting."

For senior and book club member Janet Mapa, the book club is "an excuse for me to read something easy and fun," she said. "I joined the book club because I love to read and then discuss what I have read with other people."

Although only four people attended the book club's first meeting, the club has since doubled its membership, using posters, print advertising and word of mouth to attract interest. At the first meeting, the club members read short stories and discussed what to read in the coming year. Books were chosen through group consensus, and though the club focuses on books that have some sort of religious theme, it does not limit itself to books about any particular religion.

The club chose Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code as its first reading selection, and at the club's second meeting, University Chaplain David O'Leary spoke about the depiction of Christian sects in The DaVinci Code.

The club's most recent selection, discussed at its meeting on Tuesday, was Jonathan Safran Foer's Everything is Illuminated.

Though the club has not yet decided what to read next, James Michener's The Source and Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay were mentioned at the last meeting as possible contenders.