Photo by Emma Quirk ‘26. President Holley chatted with Jewish Chaplain Amelia Ender, her family and JSU board members at this year’s Yom Kippur event hosted on Sept. 25.
By Emma Quirk ’26
Photos Editor & Staff Writer
Guests were treated to a catered dinner featuring fresh rolls, melon, berries and bagels with lox after receiving an invitation from President Danielle R. Holley to break the Yom Kippur fast together.
Students and staff entered the Willits-Hallowell Conference Center on Monday, Sept. 25, with Jewish Student Union co-chairs Nina Baran ’25 and Jennifer Garcia-Isabel ’24 leading the “brakhot” — blessings to acknowledge being in community and gratitude for the food about to be eaten. As dinner began, Holley gave a short speech, introduced herself and spoke with each table of guests as they ate.
This tradition was last held consistently at Mount Holyoke College in 2010, when Joanne V. Creighton’s presidency ended. Beverly Daniel Tatum reinstated it last year during her time as interim president.
Holley was excited to extend the invitation, she explained in an interview with the Mount Holyoke News. “I have been fortunate enough to be a part of other Yom Kippur fast-breaking events in my life, and I find them to be meaningful and joyful affairs,” she said. “I was thrilled to find out it was a presidential tradition to host [the Yom Kippur break fast] and [am] delighted to continue the tradition.”
Olive Benito ‘26 was enthusiastic about breakingfast with the new president.
“I thought that it was really special to be invited … I was happy to meet President Holley for the first time and grateful that she … showed an understanding of and willingness to engage with the practices of Yom Kippur,” Benito said. “I think it’s always an honor for our traditions to be recognized and so generously accommodated.”
Amanda Weber ’26 echoed these sentiments. “It meant a lot for the new president to put in the effort to continue the tradition, and for her to make sure we were all safe and able to be together,” she said.
Emma Mair ’23 felt that it was even more meaningful when reflecting on this tradition in light of the history of the Jewish community at the College, she wrote in an email with the Mount Holyoke News.
“To be invited to break the fast with the president is meaningful evidence that the College cares for its Jewish community members in a way that it hasn’t always previously,” Mair said. “Mount Holyoke has a long legacy of antisemitism, both overt and covert: limits on numbers of Jewish students, blatant disregard for the Jewish calendar [and] lack of resources available for Jewish community members.”
Although the Yom Kippur event may have been just one meal, to Mair, the President’s gesture holds a larger significance.
“Being invited to break the fast with the president is … both a strong testament to the College’s commitment to honor the unique needs of Jews and celebrate our community, and a meaningful act of teshuvah (repentance/return) for previous harm caused,” Mair said.
It is fitting for this type of repentance to occur during Yom Kippur. “It’s the holiday of social justice work as we consider how we caused harm, how to repair that harm and how to hold ourselves and our community accountable to not repeat that harm again,” Mair said.
For Baran, “Yom Kippur is a day of atonement and introspection, but it’s also a day where we can come together as a community.”
Before dinner, Mair and Jewish Chaplain to the College Amelia Ender led a Neilah service in Eliot House. The Neilah is the final Yom Kippur service performed before breaking the fast, and it is thought to be a symbolic closing of the gates of Heaven. Students in attendance then walked to Willits together.
“My favorite part of the night was walking from Eliot House to the Conference Center after services, surrounded by friends,” Benito said. “I felt grateful to know so many people in our Mount Holyoke Jewish community, and so excited to share a meal with them.”
While originally meant to be held at the President’s House, the break fast ended up taking place in the Smith Dining Room at Willits. Some students felt that this location change ended up being beneficial. Baran said that, compared to last year, “this one felt more intimate due to the change in location.” Their favorite part of the event was “doing the Birkat Hamazon with President Holley,” a set of blessings performed after a meal.
Students are looking forward to continuing the tradition next year. Benito and Weber both said they “would definitely go” to a similar event next year.
Other attendees appreciated the atmosphere created. Jonencia Wood, assistant vice president of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, said the event was “fantastic” and “heartwarming” and that she enjoyed getting to interact with students.
“I was able to meet new students and talk to them about why this practice felt so important to them and I learned so much from these conversations,” she said. “I was able to connect with first-years who experienced Yom Kippur on this campus for the first time, [and] they shared that this felt really supportive and gave them a greater connection to Mount Holyoke.”
Holley was happy with the event and is looking forward to future community gatherings.
“I have been pleased and deeply grateful at how supportive and welcoming the entire Mount Holyoke campus is. I am not Jewish, but to be in community to celebrate the conclusion of the holiest day in the Jewish calendar is profoundly moving,” Holley said. “[This]says a lot about the care and acceptance that everyone at Mount Holyoke has for one another. I’m grateful for these moments and I look forward to more this year … [and] am very much looking forward to opening my home to the [break fast] next year.”