CU Jewish Studies Interns: Carly Coons

Carly Coons, originally from Denver, is a senior at CU Boulder. She is majoring in International Affairs, minoring in Religious Studies, and receiving a certificate in Jewish Studies. She is eligible to receive a major in Jewish Studies when it becomes a major/minor program.

1. What organization are you interning for and what do you do for it?

I am interning at Congregation Har HaShem, a Reform congregation here in Boulder. I am working on the Kehillah: A Community Conversation Project to build sacred community within the Congregation. As Rabbi Rose has explained it, the initiative is working “to draw in as many people as possible into a conversation about who we are as a community, what we are seeking as individuals, and what we might become as a synagogue.” As an intern, I meet with congregants and organize the information we are gathering.

2. What are your goals, this semester, for your internship?

Last semester, I took the course “Global Secular Jewish Societies” with Caryn Aviv. We spent some time looking at how the role of synagogues is changing in our current society. This semester, as an intern, I am excited to be getting a hands on experience in examining this very question in the Boulder Jewish community. I hope to learn more about what the role of synagogues is becoming in today’s society. In addition, I am also looking forward to learning about the inner workings of a synagogue and its function within the greater Jewish community. I know that the experience I am gaining at Har HaShem is invaluable because it is providing me with access to participate in the synagogue work flow, as well as to be part of building relationships between Congregants in the synagogue.

3. How are you active in the Jewish community on the CU campus?

I am the current Student President of CU Boulder’s Hillel, I sit on the Student Advisory Board for the Jewish Studies Department, I attend events at Chabad, and I studied abroad at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem my Junior year. All of these experiences have helped me to find my own community at CU, as well as help create a community for others.

4. What do you plan on doing after graduating?

I am busy applying for programs and jobs, and I am open to a variety of opportunities. My goal is to find something in the Jewish community and to work in the areas that I am passionate about, including Jewish communal work, youth leadership and development, international relations, and with religious organizations. So if you know of anything, you know who to call!

5. How do you remove the power steering pulley on a Chevy Caprice Classic?

The task of removing the power steering pulley on a Chevy Caprice Classic is very simple. However, if you do not know how to do it already, it will not be helpful for me to explain it to you.