Moving Into Sheldon

11/30/2021

by Kate Dunlop

Five Questions with Kyle Pellerin ’22

When the Chaplaincy moved into the renovated lower level of Sheldon this fall, one of its goals was to promote religious pluralism. The Chaplaincy is facilitating this work in part by providing dedicated meeting rooms, along with a kitchen and common space, for student religious organizations. Among the groups in this interfaith space is the Hillel Society.

Kyle Pellerin ’22 is one of the society’s three heads. Here, he shares his thoughts on what his faith — and having dedicated space for it — mean to him.

How would you describe the Hillel Society?
The Hillel Society is for those who practice Judaism or are affiliated with Jewish tradition. The club’s goal is to provide a safe space, celebrate holidays, and just interact. We’ve done Hanukkah Chapels and invited the whole School to Seders. We get together for bagel breakfasts, that's a big thing. And it's about having fun, so it's about building community as well.

Why is it important for the Hillel Society to have a dedicated space?
It's just good to have our own place where we can get together. People can be themselves and not worry about their identity or what's going on around them. Before, we met in the Upper or at our adviser’s house, but that was [difficult] because it was [several] people in Ms. Hrasky's kitchen.

How is the new space?
It’s really nice. We have our own room with a table and chairs for everyone, and we're getting decorations. Then there’s the common area and the kitchen, and a lot of us like to cook. I think the kitchen is going to be the biggest thing. We’re hoping to have Shabbat dinner there. We like to be together. I was surprised by how spacious the whole space feels; it's just really comfortable. It feels much more like a home than a school building, which is nice. We’ve started meeting more, from twice a term when I came here to five times already this fall. We hope to be able to access the space beyond business hours and do even more in there, but we are just so excited and thankful to have it available to us.

Is the club working on any initiatives?
We're trying to do a Hanukkah event. ...We’d like to do our Passover Seder in the spring for the whole School, which we haven’t been able to do the last two years because of COVID.

What does your faith mean to you?
The most important thing is just a sense of happiness and peace and community. But there's a lot of important teachings from religion that can help. Praying helps me reflect on the day and think about the future. Religion helps me to focus on the world around me and also on myself at the same time.

Religion might make people think of strict codes and long services, but my religious experience, especially here, has been so much fun. I’d like people to know how happy the club is and how happy I am. I just like being a part of it. To wake up every day and feel like you're part of something bigger than yourself — that's really powerful.