SU’s juggler shows off lifelong hobby, teaches process one ball at a time
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If it’s a sunny day in Syracuse and there’s no snow on the ground, chances are there’s a twentysomething throwing multiple clubs in the air simultaneously on the Shaw Quadrangle. Students may wonder who he is, or why he’s juggling midday on Syracuse University’s campus.
Most likely, it’s mathematics Ph.D. student Josef Komissar putting off his schoolwork.
“Usually I’m procrastinating,” Komissar, 26, said. “It’s just a hobby.”
But Komissar is dedicated to that hobby. He started juggling at 7, when his mom taught him how to juggle with three balls. He continued throughout high school and eventually started a juggling club during his undergraduate studies at Hamilton College. Now, he’s taken his talents to SU.
Gordon Jones, the faculty adviser of Hamilton’s club, said Komissar’s encouraging nature made him a fitting leader for a difficult activity like juggling.
“He made it very easy to be learning, and that made it a lot more fun,” Jones said. “Instead of trying to reach a goal, you were just enjoying the process.”
After graduating from college in 2022, Komissar traveled the world for a year, learning about the art of juggling along the way. Out of Komissar’s travels that year, the most memorable experience was the month he spent at a circus school in Melbourne, Australia. Gaining knowledge about non-Western circus skills was “really cool,” Komissar said.
Throughout the year abroad, Komissar said he experienced the value of being a part of the juggling community. Some invited him into their homes unprompted.
“Part of what I learned in that year was that jugglers tend to be very open and accepting and nice people,” Komissar said.
Komissar has also visited multiple juggling conventions, which he said are weekend-long events in various cities like Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Toronto. He visited his first one in Melbourne while abroad. Komissar said the conventions are a space for him and fellow jugglers to gather and enjoy themselves.
“It’s absolutely a unifying experience that everyone comes together and just relaxes and has a good time together,” Komissar said.
Syracuse University Ph.D. student Josef Komissar juggles multiple clubs on an SU lawn. Komissar founded a juggling club at Hamilton College during his undergraduate studies. Avery Magee | Development Editor
Nina Neumann, who succeeded Komissar as president of Hamilton College’s juggling club, said she joined the club because of Komissar. One day when Neumann was juggling solo on Hamilton College’s quad, Komissar approached her randomly about getting involved.
She said Komissar’s quiet leadership and juggling expertise were helpful, and his absence was felt once he graduated.
“We missed having somebody who had that knowledge base and was routinely able to teach us new things,” Neumann said.
Komissar, who started his SU studies in 2023, said there’s more math behind juggling than most people may think. He said math is how he and other jugglers discover new tricks.
Komissar said “juggling theory” reveals consistent patterns, and certain tricks can be represented as a series of numbers.
Komissar recently gave a talk to his graduate student peers about the math behind juggling, and then repeated the presentation at his alma mater. He said learning about the math involved in juggling and teaching it to others is something he enjoys.
“If you’re a mathematician, it’s fun to see,” Komissar said. “Even if this isn’t real research math that people are going to look too deep into, it makes these beautiful patterns.”
Outside of juggling, Jones said he also knew Komissar for his academic accomplishments. At Hamilton, Komissar joined Phi Beta Kappa, an academic honor society. Jones said Komissar’s scholastic success, alongside his juggling, make him especially well-rounded.
“It’s kind of cool to have someone where you get to know them and respect them in one realm, and then find that you can respect them in a number of different realms,” Jones said.
Besides being a talented juggler, Komissar has the uncommon ability to make everyone around him feel special, Jones said.
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“There’s something about someone that can make you feel good about yourself that is impressive,”Jones said. “And he does that.”
For now, Komissar’s juggling days are limited to warm ones on the Quad, or when he can get to conventions in nearby cities like Rochester and Ithaca.
Komissar hopes he can start his own convention in Syracuse soon. He believes the juggling network he’s created would show up.
“I know people in all of these cities who would happily come here for a convention,” Komissar said. “They just need to find a space.”
