*in no particular order…
1) You think of clever and creative ways to spy the Jewishness of other Bruins whom you have just met — maybe by looking for Star of David necklaces or bringing up a Jewish event that you recently attended or will attend, hoping they’ll react with, “Hey! I’m Jewish too!”
2) You coordinate your winter or summer break around Birthright and going with your Jewish Bruin friends.
3) You mark your calendar with all the Jewish-related events on campus and look forward to all of them — especially because you want home-cooked food and/or to see friends whom you haven’t spent time with in a while.
4) You know (almost) every active Jew on campus and are surprised when you meet one you did not know.
5) You are excited when you spot someone on campus or in class wearing a kippah.
6) Fall quarter starts a week later for all the UC’s because of a date-clash between Rosh Hashanah and the start of the school year.
7) You have the opportunity to experience an amazing and inspirational Yom Ha’Atzmaut (unless you did so in Israel, of course). Centered in the middle of Bruin Plaza with blasting Israeli music, great food, and friends to dance with — all thanks to Bruins for Israel!
8) You feel an automatic connection to your fellow Jews at UCLA when Israel is under attack, whether it be by the media or by fellow students.
9) You continue to long for a kosher option in the dining halls on the Hill.
10) There is a housing option, off campus, open to Jewish Bruins, cleverly named the Bayit (“house” in Hebrew).
