LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Souls of DuBois Conference

To the Editor: Our morning panel featured three of the leading African American professors at Penn, Ralph Smith (Law), Elijah Anderson (Sociology) and Farah Griffin (English). Their discussion of their own work in reference to the conference theme, "Crossing the Color Line: Preparing for the Twenty-First Century" was stimulating and provocative setting the tone for the rest of the day. Our spectacular luncheon featured cuisine from peoples of color all over the world, while our student entertainment segment highlighted the talents of many DuBois House residents. Our students of color panel initiated one of the many ongoing dialogues at Penn on how color, race, ethnicity and diversity continues to be central to university and student life. President Rodin stopped by this session and made some important remarks. Our finale, which featured Philadelphia's poet laureate, Sonia Sanchez, was simply magnificent. Overall, it was a stunning success for Penn and for DuBois House. We hope that this lack of press coverage was a small oversight on the DP's part. We are certainly aware that all campus events cannot be covered, but an event of this magnitude, with the best that Penn, DuBois House and the City of Philadelphia can offer seems to deserve all the press coverage that can be mustered. Howard Stevenson W.E.B. DuBois College House Faculty Master (3 signatures follow) Another Jewish Perspective To the Editor: I was rather dismayed upon reading Shawn Klein's column ("A Jewish Perspective," DP 3/31/95) in which he described his Judaism basically as "probably the ultimate source" of those family values force-fed at every family dinner. I think that Klein's perspective is not unique; it is probably shared by many, if not most of Penn's 3,000 Jewish students and is indicative of a trend in American Jewish society. It seems that Klein is not being intellectually honest in his almost apologetic rationale for calling himself Jewish. Klein raises two challenging issues (the contrast between religion and science, and the authenticity of Jewish genealogy) only to summarily reject them and therefore the implications of belief in God and belonging to the Jewish "tribe." Fine -- but to conclude from this that Judaism is "counting on family," "unconditional love," and "an urgent sense of responsibility to take care of one's own" presumes no ideological difference whatsoever between Jews and any other family-oriented culture in the world. I would have greater respect for an individual who honestly assessed the difficulties described by Klein, chose to reject them, and then lived his life without feeling he had to call it "Jewish" simply because that was the way he was raised. Like Klein, I too am a BBB major. I too am Jewish. Yet I think that the issues that Klein raises are too important to be summarily dismissed. Science and Judaism do not have to clash; the more I learn about each the more I expand my understanding and awe of the beauty and wonders of the universe. Unfortunately, though, most Jewish students don't know nearly as much about their religion as they do about their major and are therefore understandably at a loss when their childhood beliefs are confronted with scientific and sociological difficulties. I would strongly encourage drawing conclusions and making decisions not from remembering what it's like sitting at a Passover Seder, but from a position of reading, searching and learning about one's heritage and roots. Shawn, if your claim that you are bothered by these issues is legitimate, then they deserve honest attention. And if you really want to know how a religious student himself feels in a BBB class, I'd love to talk to you. Gil Melmed College '95