L Y N D S A Y.  P.  S I E G E L. '00.

The following feature story appeared in the campus publication MOSAIC in January 2000.

OPENING A DOOR TO HER HERITAGE AND HERSELF

Lyndsay P. Siegel ’00 has opened the doors of understanding to many new worlds at Trinity. An American studies major, Siegel has come to appreciate the beginnings of this country and its people in a dramatically new way. And through a concentration in English literature, she has come to learn how deeply Toni Morrison’s writing resonates within her. But perhaps the most meaningful discovery by Siegel while at Trinity has been self-discovery -- and a greater understanding of the integral role her Jewish heritage plays in her life.

A San Francisco native, Siegel celebrated major Jewish holidays with her family, such as Hanukkah, but didn’t attend weekly Shabbat services or keep a kosher household. She attended the Convent of the Sacred Heart, an all-girls Catholic high school, because of the quality of the school’s education. "San Francisco is a very liberal place and most people are accepting of all religions, ways of life, and belief systems," she explains.

Hillel
Siegel felt comfortable being among the handful of students with Jewish backgrounds in her high school. But by the time she came East and entered a new world, she began to question who she was and to look for other students with similar origins and interests. "When I first came to Trinity, I began to realize how important it was for me to know about my identity," she says. For that reason, as a first-year student she became active in Trinity’s Hillel Foundation for Jewish students. Elected vice president of Hillel during her sophomore year and president her junior year, Siegel has worked to increase the number of Hillel-sponsored functions on campus, including dinners to observe Holy Days, as well as to institute more social gatherings, such as wine tastings. Among the most satisfying events she helped to organize was a Passover seder service for the Trinity community in 1998, which was widely attended.

Associate Professor of Religion and Director of the Jewish Studies Program Ronald Kiener, who served as an adviser to Hillel last year, says, "As president, Lyndsay provided leadership in what emerged as an important transitional year for Hillel. She served admirably."

Siegel expects that there will soon be even more interest in Jewish faith and culture on campus. Trinity alumnus and trustee Henry Zachs ‘56 has given the College $1.95 million to support construction of a new Hillel House as well as a challenge gift to support the Hillel House, the Hillel Endowment Fund, and the recently launched Jewish studies program, which provides a secular, multidisciplinary investigation of Jewish civilization from its ancient origins through contemporary life. Siegel was among the students who worked with the Boston-based architectural firm of Leers Weinzapfel Associates to draw up plans for the new Hillel House, which will provide for a kosher kitchen and prayer service room. Construction of the new facility, to be built in the northern sector of the College, is scheduled to begin in the summer and be completed within a year.

American and Jewish studies
In addition to her extracurricular activities at Hillel, Siegel has discovered other ways to give expression to herself. She has derived great pleasure developing her aesthetic sense through courses in sculpture, color, and painting. "I love art and want to do something with my skills in the future," she explains. But the classes she has found most fulfilling are those that focus on her roots. In her sophomore year, one course offered as part of the Jewish studies curriculum, "The Holocaust: Historical, Philosophical, and Literary Aspects," proved particularly helpful in placing her growing interest in her background into a broader context. "I learned more about World War II and how America felt about the war and how people were, and continue to be, in denial that the Holocaust occurred," she says.

Courses in her major, American studies, have helped Siegel to better understand the oppression certain groups, like the Jews, have experienced. One of her favorite courses, "Overlords and Undertones," taught by Professor of English J. Fred Pfeil, enabled her to see ways in which dominant groups repress other groups of people including gays, blacks, and women. While she has found the history of this country fascinating, Siegel says her studies have caused her to heighten her focus on her own origins. "When I think of myself in the context of being an American, I feel a little distant because my family is all from Poland and Russia. When I consider my own ethnicity, I am an American, Jewish woman. I am not just American or just Jewish, but both."

According to her academic adviser, Associate Professor of History Cheryl Greenberg, "What’s interesting about Lyndsay is that, although she’s invested a great deal personally and academically into exploring her roots, she hasn’t become a narrower or more parochial person because of it." Noting that Siegel visited South America, including Ecuador and Peru, over winter break, Greenberg says, "Lyndsay tries to broaden her experience and uses her interest as a springboard to explore the world around her."

Following graduation, Siegel plans to explore the world even further by investigating career opportunities within the production side of the movie industry or applying her interest in art to a career in fashion design. Regardless of the path she chooses, she intends to remain active in Judaism. Her involvement with Hillel has been, she says, "one of the most satisfying activities of my Trinity career."

-Simeon Ketchum ‘00