Hillel event tackles race, religion

The inviting atmosphere was difficult to ignore at the Hillel Center Thursday night. The buzz of chatter from the dining room carried to the front door, along with the aroma of a mix of foods.\nAbout 50 students gathered to meet people from various backgrounds and to discuss identity and cultural issues during a program titled "Who says we can't talk about identity, politics, sexuality and religion over dinner?" sponsored by various campus cultural centers.\n"We get to know people by cooking," said Rabbi Sue Shifron from Hillel. "It breaks down barriers. The best way to talk is over food."\nStudents in attendance included those from the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Student Support Services, the Asian Culture Center, La Casa, Episcopal University Ministry and Teter Quad.\nSenior Will O'Berry, a Teter resident assistant, said he's used to being around diversity, but brought his residents to the event because he thought it'd be a good forum for discussion.\nBefore eating, the students learned about other cultures' foods by cooking a recipe each cultural center provided. The dishes included hummus, matzah ball soup, risotto, chicken with cashews and salsa.\nPreparing the meal also gave students a chance to get to know one another in a friendly way.\nSophomore Ruth Enslow said she liked how she felt welcomed at each table.\n"I liked how people asked me to do things for them, such as taking a tray to the kitchen," Enslow said. "It seems to be the focal point, so it was cool to be a part of that."\nAs the guests waited for the food to cook, Melanie Castillo-Cullather of the Asian Culture Center presented them with a challenge.\n"Find a new friend, introduce yourself and share what meal you always enjoyed growing up," Castillo-Cullather said.\nConversation died down once people in the kitchen began distributing the food. Castillo-Cullather then opened the discussion to more serious issues, such as identity, race and religion. \nEach table talked about a different topic, including homophobia, racial stereotypes and minorities in administrative roles. One table discussed the controversy surrounding IU President Adam Herbert and another talked about the role of former IU-Bloomington Chancellor Sharon Brehm. One international student shared his observations of the social class system in America. \nHillel employee Tslil Shtulsaft visited each table, observing how the event was going.\n"Everyone meshed really well, and nobody really knows anyone," he said. "We definitely accomplished our goal of getting people talking and starting an active dialogue."\nFreshman Josh Lorch said he was pleasantly surprised by the amount of people who attended the dinner and said his table had interesting conversations.\n"It's something people don't always take the opportunity to do, and more students should do it," Lorch said. "It'd be good for people who consider themselves mainstream"