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Life

The Lone Orthodox Jew at Notre Dame

The New York Times got lots of attention for their attention to profiling lonely Jews — most recently, the few Jews in Montana.

But what about being the [only] Orthodox Jew at the nation’s most famous Catholic university, Notre Dame? It is apparently a struggle against constant misunderstanding, as an article in a local college paper makes clear.

“Sharratt said he feels a general ignorance pervades campus about what Judaism stands for,” the reporter notes — before going onto use Sharratt to explain the basics, like how ““there are laws on how to clip your fingernails, tie your shoes, dress, what to think about, what you should have on your mind, self-inspection, prayer, business dealings — there are 613 biblical commandments.”

More importantly, though, the article allows Sharratt to explain once and for all why he can’t go to Notre Dame football games — though during the last few years, who, of any faith, would want to?

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