LA JOLLA, California — When in doubt? “Explore your backyard,” Rabbi Eric Ertelrecommends. His advice sounds so simple.
Explore your backyard, explore your surroundings. Meet people, share laughs, create memories. After all, one must cultivate experiences in order to self-actualize, to find meaning in life. It’s beneficial to stop and smell those roses. You can read a sentence twice, just because you enjoy it. Swim in the ocean, hike some
trails, or even try hang-gliding. (Carefully!)
It’s the San Diego experience.
But it’s more than that. To Rabbi Ertel, it’s the San Diego Jewish experience.
It’s looking at life through a Jewish lens. “A lot of Jewish people grow up disenfranchised from religion,” Rabbi Ertel, also known as “Rabbi E,” says. The mission of his UCSD campus organization, called the San Diego Jewish Experience (SAJE), is to have students “connect to their heritage in a meaningful way.”
“We’re giving them that interest back,” he says.
And just like the countless activities in San Diego, SAJE has something for everybody. Do you love life’s adventures? Come along on Rabbi E’s birthright Israel trips. Perhaps you’re in the mood to socialize? Enjoy challah-baking with friends every Wednesday night at Rabbi Ertel’s house. Maybe you want to study? Rabbi Ertel offers a variety of Torah programs with special guest speakers. There’s even one-on-one learning! Holiday celebrations, birthday mentions, and even Shabbat activities are found in the Ertel home. And if all else fails?
“Free food is always an attraction,” Rabbi Ertel jokes.
“It’s a neat time period for Jewish students,” he continues, “it’s their first view of what Judaism means to them as an individual, as an adult.” He adds that interacting with like-minded people can bring a sense of fulfillment.
“Students are looking for meaning, and looking to their heritage can inspire them,” Rabbi Ertel explains. “But heritage doesn’t happen on its own, it’s only heritage if someone passes it on.”
Luckily, Rabbi Ertel is passing it on.
Both the rabbi and his wife, Rebbetzin Chaya Ertel, have cultivated a caring community filled with Jewish youth. And the students are reaping the benefits. As UCSD graduate Nora Rubin fondly remembers, “It was nice to know that a Jewish connection wasn’t far away.”
“You feel like part of a family,” she adds, “the food is home cooked, Rabbi E’s kids are running around, and you are treated like a guest rather than just an attendee.” She mentions that at the end of the day, it wasn’t even about the SAJE activities. “It was how they made you feel.”
Rubin tells a story of how she baked a challah and brought it back to her friend on campus, who was feeling ill at the time. “I was so grateful for the opportunity to make a freshly baked challah and give it to him…The event and space made that possible.”
The current students wholeheartedly agree. As UCSD student Britney Shirian notes, “By generously opening his home to students, Rabbi E has become a pillar in the community and created a strong Jewish foundation that will thrive in the years to come.”
What more could you ask for?
“One day, the present college students will be leading their Passover seder for their children and grandchildren,” Rabbi Ertel says. This brings to mind the Jewish saying, l’dor v’dor, from generation to generation. In other words, Rabbi Ertel’s SAJE holds longevity, it goes beyond one’s college years.
Students develop “a spiritual connection to something greater.”
Andy Neymit, a newly graduated UCSD student, felt highly connected as part of SAJE. He recalls the time Rabbi E ordered tefillin from Israel so both he and his dad could pray together.
“Rabbi E made it all possible,” he says.
Neymit also took part in Rabbi Ertel’s Torah study class. “It was my first experience learning Torah, and I originally felt like it was too daunting to start,” he reveals. “But Rabbi E’s program helped me understand Torah on a level that relates to my life, as someone who didn’t grow up Orthodox.”
Rabbi E wants to be that resource for students. He says he tries to provide them “the ability to implement Judaism at their own pace.” It can be as simple as socializing with fellow Jewish students, rolling some challah dough, or studying all of the commentaries of the Torah.
“Just keep an open mind,” he encourages students.
Besides an open mind, the Ertel’s keep an open door too, welcoming all people. They’re always there to listen, support, and strengthen the community. Katya Gluck, another recent grad, has strived to emulate that in her married life.
“We’ve tried to adopt their mentality of never sending people away. We want to help if someone needs a meal or a place to stay,” she says. Katya and her husband Trent were married by Rabbi Ertel.
“I’m so grateful to have them in my life,” she says.
Looking toward the future, Rabbi Ertel hopes SAJE will expand to make a bigger impact. “It would be amazing to have another rabbi and more educators to inspire the students,” he adds. “My greatest hope is that students stay around here, make a life for themselves.”
In essence, the San Diego Jewish Experience lives on. Students are able to connect within the community, enjoy life with Jewish meaning, and one day create Jewish homes for themselves.
Who knows? Maybe even ones with a backyard to explore.
