A Collaborative Santa Barbara Hillel

Due to all of the pressure and anxiety that arises with acclimating to a new environment, Formatted: Highlight
Formatted: Highlight
who wouldn’t want to engage with a tight-knit, benevolent community that has the potential to

help others feel at home as well as ease their transitions? At the University of California, Santa

Barbara, incoming Jewish freshmen, as well as others who are interested, are encouraged to get

involved and ultimately take great pride in a non-academic community known as the Santa

Barbara Hillel. According to Swales’s “The Concept of Discourse Community,” there are six

major components involved in what is known as a ‘discourse community’ (15). Although Santa

Barbara’s Hillel group does not comply with every single component of Swales’ six-piece

description, it can still very well be perceived as a discourse community –one that interacts with

its members mostly through Facebook– for various reasons.
Discourse communities primarily emphasize common goals, communication,
participation, genres, and a special language (15). Though there is no particular or unique
language spoken amongst the Hillel community, asides from praying in the Hebrew language, its
Commented [MOU1]: What reasons? Be specific, so that
your reader doesn’t have to guess. Your thesis will be much
stronger then.
Commented [MOU2]: Why did you put this paragraph and
not the second body paragraph as the first body paragraph?
I’m not suggesting to switch them. It’s just a question.
5 minutes later… Ok, I think that if I were you, I would
combine the introductory paragraph with this paragraph.

members focus on maintaining certain aims, communicating through their use of genres, getting

involved as much as possible, and showing a great amount of support for one another. Further, in

contrast to Swales’ perception of discourse communities, the Santa Barbara Hillel is extremely

accepting and accessible to people of other religions who are not knowledgeable about Jewish

customs and values, while simultaneously preserving their loyalty to Judaism. Commented [MOU3]: This sentence is a bit too long and
contains multiple ideas. Should this part be in a separate
sentence?
As an individual who values and feels connected to my religion of Judaism, I decided it

would be a great idea to affiliate with the Santa Barbara Hillel and attend weekly Friday night

dinners. In addition to preparing meals and hosting such dinners, this discourse community holds

other events throughout UCSB’s Week of Welcome, as well as the rest of the year, in order to
familiarize themselves with the students and display their goals for each year. The Santa Barbara

Hillel’s main mission is “to enrich student lives so that they may enrich the Jewish people and

the world” and their main vision is to accumulate “a world in which every student has the

opportunity to make an enduring commitment to Jewish life, learning, and making the world a

better place” (2).

Firmly believing in Hillel’s principal mission as well as their vision, I chose to show my

support by attending nearly three or four events, and in doing so, have met many new people

who are having an influence on my transition and can teach me anything I want to know about

this community. Since I have only been enrolled at UCSB for a few weeks, I have not yet had the

chance to further my commitment to Hillel by volunteering there or finding a part-time position.

Contrarily, after speaking with representatives and my friend, Shaina, who volunteers for their

Greek life booth, I have received much detail about genres within this community that highlights

the way in which Santa Barbara’s Hillel abides by one of Swales’ most important criteria.

Genres are quite significant in the Hillel community as there are many existent, such as

their main website, blog, Facebook group page, word of mouth, and different booths both on and

off campus. Since I am not as deeply involved in this community as those working and

volunteering at the facility, I contacted my friend Shaina about the genres that she was aware of.

She pointed out that there are groups made through the mobile application, GroupMe, in order to

communicate and transfer ideas, event details, suggestions, and more (1). Because Shaina, like

me, is not a part of the actual board of members employed by Hillel, I decided to go online to

Facebook and message the Engagement Associate of the community, Hannah Phelps, regarding

weekly meetings. She clarified that there are indeed weekly meetings that take place, especially Commented [MOU4]: I’m very impressed with how
thorough you’re in your research. Good job!
in order to discuss future plans and any concerns or issues present within the community (5).
 Though there are many genres associated with the Santa Barbara Hillel, this discourse

community primarily relies on the social media platform, Facebook, to launch important

information. Facebook is not only well-known and easily accessible to almost everyone, but it

allows individuals to be and feel more organized. Through the genre of Facebook, members of

this Jewish “home away from home” present detailed posts, either weekly or daily, that serve as

introductions or reminders for upcoming events and opportunities. Broken down, these messages

tend to possess an entertaining or welcoming introduction, date, time, and location; there

generally aren’t any surprisingly exceptional or official closings. To top off the descriptions,

each Facebook post also includes an attachment of a fun, flyer-like image that has a concise

message and captures people’s attention with its background visuals. The images released with

each Facebook post promote a sense of liveliness and enjoyment to all those who belong to the

group.

The Hillel Facebook group is composed of the student body, faculty, alumni, and

administrators. The administrators of the Facebook page, who are those among the board of the

community, are the members who specialize in formulating and distributing the prominent

messages, while the students are the ones viewing and replying to the messages. Students also

have the ability to like, comment, or share any posts within the group page, but most students,

though there are usually only a few who do react to posts, choose to simply like posts rather than

proceed with the latter options. When new events are created, students may just show up to the

event or they can give the administrators a heads up by hitting ‘interested’, ‘going’, or ‘ignore’.

With every forthcoming event comes a new post that typically attempts at having some

relation to Judaism, as this discourse community’s focal interest is bringing Jews together to

remain connected to their Jewish identities as well as meet others who want to do the same. For
example, one post involved an administrator “wishing everyone a Shana Tova, a Happy New

[Jewish] Year” (7). Another post encouraged the group members to “join [the community] at

Hillel tonight for [their] Welcome Home Shabbat,” also known as a formal Friday night dinner

that embraces Judaism through praying and eating a delicious, distinct, and seemingly home-

cooked meal (12).

Other posts reveal that on less formal occasions, which commonly occur Monday through

Thursday, various foods will be provided and sometimes games will occur as well. During

UCSB’s 2018 spring quarter, Hannah Phelps, who is not only the Engagement Associate but also

an administrator of the Facebook page, invited students to “come for the food [and] stay for the

open mic” during a kosher cookout, and in the beginning of the 2018 fall quarter, invited

students to “stop by Annex Lawn [and] grab a bagel” (3 & 4). Another administrator, Jen Stone,

presented Tailgate Tuesday with her idea of coming to Hillel to “meet new faces, feast, and play

some backyard games” (10). By disclosing that there will be free food and games that could

possibly relieve some stress, college students are more inclined to attend such events.

The way this discourse community converses within its Facebook group page is more

casual than proper, which denotes that the members of Santa Barbara Hillel believe in feeling

comfortable with one another. One post began with “Woah Woah Woah…,” while another began

with “Chocolate, Marshmallows, Graham Crackers, and Jews!” (13 & 8). Further, there is no

standard format or length for each Facebook post; there is flexibility within this genre. Posts are

organized by date in descending order and the Hillel group page is structured just as any other

Facebook group page. Commented [MOU5]: Does this part belong to this
paragraph?
Most people who join Hillel do have some form of Jewish background, which means they

are likely aware of Jewish holidays, concepts, phenomenas, and more. On the other hand, anyone
who wants to be included in this genre may be as long as they have a sincere interest in it. People

are also welcome to explore the organization in person through a friend, roommate, family

member, etc., prior to joining the Facebook page. This discourse community prioritizes

inclusion, positivity, and on another note, well-being, which can all be recognized through

Facebook posts as well: “bring a friend”, “finals got you down? Beat out that stress at our

quarterly challah bake”, and “it’s the Monday of Finals week…swing by Hillel tonight at 10 PM

for pancakes and eggs” (12, 9, & 11). Every administrator ensures that their message is upbeat

and friendly in order to appeal to their audiences’ emotions. They also release posts with a

greater attitude: “we can’t wait to see you tonight!” (6). In doing so, students are undoubtedly

forced to see the staff’s bright and pleasurable nature.

The Santa Barbara Hillel continues to expand its population every single year and

absolutely illustrates a discourse community. This group is not exclusive towards other

communities and does not function with a special language, but it does keep particular goals

amongst its members, encourages participation, ensures family-like ways are ingrained within

the community, and contains a range of methods of communication with the assistance of genres

– especially Facebook. For those who wish to join this community and participate in the weekly

events and extraordinary opportunities, vital information is predominantly sent via Facebook,

and feedback, remarks, or reactions can, too, be presented to the administrative members through

this remarkable source of communication.

 Works Cited

Michalowicz, Shaina. “Hillel.” Received by Elad Cohen, 06 October 2018.

1

2
Our Mission. Santa Barbara Hillel. 08 December, 2014.

http://santabarbara.hillel.org/home/aboutus/our-mission. Accessed 07 October, 2018.

Phelps, Hannah. “Come for the food, stay for the open mic. Calling all talented…” Facebook,
3

15 May 2018. https://www.facebook.com/groups/SantaBarbaraHillel. Accessed 09

October 2018.

Phelps, Hannah. “Happy first day of classes UCSB! Stop by Annex Lawn…” Facebook, 27
4

September 2018. https://www.facebook.com/groups/SantaBarbaraHillel. Accessed 09

October 2018.

Phelps, Hannah. “Hillel Weekly Meetings.” Received by Elad Cohen, 08 October 2018.
5

Phelps, Hannah. “Shabbat Sha-Pasta! Join us for a very special CATERED Shabbat meal...”
6

Facebook. 01 June 2018. https://www.facebook.com/groups/SantaBarbaraHillel.

Accessed 09 October 2018.

Phelps, Hannah. “Wishing everyone a Shana Tova, a Happy New Year…” Facebook, 07
7

September 2018. https://www.facebook.com/groups/SantaBarbaraHillel. Accessed 09

October 2018.
8
Stone, Jen. “Chocolate, Marshmallows, Graham Crackers, and Jews! What could be better?!...”

Facebook, 26 September 2018. https://www.facebook.com/groups/SantaBarbaraHillel.

Accessed 09 October 2018.

9
Stone, Jen. “Finals got you down? Beat out that stress at our quarterly challah bake…”

Facebook, 05 June 2018. https://www.facebook.com/groups/SantaBarbaraHillel.

Accessed 09 October 2018.

10
Stone, Jen. “It’s always sunny in Isla Vista! Cruise by SB Hillel for a BBQ in our…”

Facebook, 25 September 2018. https://www.facebook.com/groups/SantaBarbaraHillel.

Accessed 09 October 2018.

11
Stone, Jen. “It's the Monday of Finals week and that can only mean one thing....JHOP!!...”

Facebook, 11 June 2018. https://www.facebook.com/groups/SantaBarbaraHillel.

Accessed 09 October 2018.

12
Stone, Jen. “Join us at Hillel tonight for our Welcome Home Shabbat!...” Facebook, 28

September 2018. https://www.facebook.com/groups/SantaBarbaraHillel. Accessed 09

October 2018.
13
Stone, Jen. “Woah Woah Woah.... There's only ONE WEEK until Birthright Registration…”

Facebook, 30 August 2018. https://www.facebook.com/groups/SantaBarbaraHillel.

Accessed 09 October 2018.

14
Swales, M. John. The concept of discourse community. The University of Michigan, Ann

Arbor, 1990