COLLEGE GUIDE The Official Hillel Guide to Jewish Life on Campus
FINDING THE RIGHT ISRAEL TRIP A WORLD OF OPTIONS: EXPLORATION OFF-CAMPUS THE TOP 60 SCHOOLS JEWS CHOOSE
E U SS I L A R U G U A IN SPRING 2015
Learn to thrive
Top 5 in the nation for producing the best-qualified graduates – The Wall Street Journal
Hillel at ASU is the center of Jewish campus life and serves over 3,000 undergraduate and graduate Jewish students. Nationally ranked as a top public choice for Jewish students, ASU is a place where you can pursue a life of meaning and purpose among a community of like-minded individuals. Come join thousands of the nation’s most accomplished students, including Fulbright Scholars, National Merit Scholars and successful entrepreneurs.
2
• Jewish Life on Campus
asu.edu hillelasu.org
Trying to pay for a higher education?
Let the member agencies of the International Association of Jewish Free Loans help. We have interest-free education loans available. The following agencies are ready to assist Jewish residents living in their respective state needing financial assistance. (Jewish Education Loan Fund-Atlanta, GA (serving FL, GA, NC, SC, VA), Baltimore, Buffalo, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland Maine, San Antonio, San Francisco, Washington D.C.) Please locate your direct contacts by clicking on the link below and go to Find Your Agency for further details:
www.freeloan.org We look forward to helping you pursue your educational goals.
hillel.org/guide 3
COLLEGE GUIDE Spring 2015 Publisher Hillel International
Publisher’s Letter
At the heart of Hillel’s work is ensuring that the more than 100,000 Jewish students who enter college each year are able to connect with Jewish life on campus and feel at home wherever they attend school. Whether you choose a campus far away or stay close to home, we know that the decision process is rarely easy. That’s why I’m pleased to introduce the Hillel College Guide magazine. As you make this pivotal choice, we at Hillel are here to support you even before you arrive on campus, throughout your college career and after graduation as well. As you visit schools and prepare applications, we hope you will use this as a resource to help you find the college experience that’s right for you. Interested in studying abroad in Israel or volunteering over spring break? Keep reading to learn how Hillel can help make that happen. And if you want a closer look at what the Jewish college experience is really like, flip through the personal stories of Brandon, Tai, Nicole, Stephanie, Sydnie, Naomi, Michael and Alexandra. Every Jewish student has a unique story to tell, and this issue of the Hillel College Guide features only a small sampling of the students you will meet and build relationships with in college. We hope you enjoy getting to know them. On campus, Hillel creates lasting connections with students, inspiring and training them to become leaders and build their own communities. We welcome students of all backgrounds and foster an enduring commitment to Jewish life, learning and Israel. As you embark on this exciting next step, my colleagues and I wish you the very best, and we look forward to seeing you soon and welcoming you into the Hillel family. B’hatzlacha! Best of luck! ERIC fInGERHuT PRESIDEnT AnD CEO H I L L E L I n T E R n AT I O n A L
Editorial Board Eric D. Fingerhut, President and CEO, Hillel International Sidney Pertnoy, Chair, Hillel International Board of Directors Matthew Berger, Senior Adviser for Strategic Communications Kim Brumer, Associate Director for Donor Services Hindy Chinn, Director of Information Technology, Operations Hannah Elovitz, Communications Associate Monica Herman, Assistant Director of Communications Michael Kusie, Director of Information Technology for Online Services Elizabeth Munsey, Associate Director for Online Services Maria Radacsi, Director of Design and Production Editorial and Design Mid-Atlantic Custom Media Director Jeni Mann 410-902-2302 jmann@midatlanticmedia.com Editor Joshua Runyan Editorial Team Melissa Apter, Melissa Gerr, David Holzel, Amy Landsman, John Marks, Heather Norris, Suzanne Pollak, Marc Shapiro Art Director Kim Van Dyke Design Team Lonna Koblick, Michael Jankovitz Advertising Stephanie Shapiro 410-902-2309 sshapiro@midatlanticmedia.com Hillel College Guide is produced two times a year by Hillel International and Mid-Atlantic Custom Media. The acceptance of advertising does not constitute endorsement of the products or services by either company. The publisher reserves the right to reject any advertisement that is not in keeping with the standing or policies of Hillel International. Copyright 2015, all rights reserved. Reproduction of any part of the Hillel College Guide without written permission is prohibited.
Hillel International 800 Eighth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001-3724 (202) 449-6500 www.hillel.org
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Home to hundreds of Jewish students on campus, Jewish Life at Georgetown supports five Jewish-led student groups, a Jewish residential living-learning community, diverse Shabbat & Holiday observances, Kosher meal options, and a Jewish communal gathering space.
"'Doing' Jewish here encompasses a whole bunch of activities - but more than that, it's a legacy and a community that we belong to. Jewish Life here is more than doing any one thing. It's living an experience." -Student
COME VISIT US FOR WEEKLY SHABBAT OBSERVANCES A DC TZEDEK PROJECT TORAH ON TAP WITH OUR RABBI INSPIRING INTER-RELIGIOUS ENCOUNTERS SUPER-SOCIAL JSA PARTIES
THE ISRAELI FILM FESTIVAL SUKKOT-UNDER-THE-STARS RETREATS SEDERS-ACROSS-CAMPUS A VISIT TO THE ISRAELI EMBASSY A VISIT TO THE UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM
BUT DON'T BELIEVE US - JUST WATCH! SEE OUR VIDEO: https://vimeo.com/90502948 CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE: jewishlife.georgetown.edu hillel.org/guide 5
CONTENTS
Spring 2015
IN EVERY ISSUE 4 Publisher’s Letter 8 Finance 11 Academics 13 Entertainment 15 Advice 16 Voices
FEATURES
25 Food
26 Coast to Coast: Hillels keep the Israel connection strong
37 Health
30 Hillel International in the 21st Century
40 Tech
38 Travel
42 By the Numbers 34 College is all about finding you 50 Repairing the world
Cover photo: J. Pollack Photography, Courtesy of Hillel International
IMAGINE YOUR FUTURE Rabbi | Cantor | Leader in Jewish Education | Nonprofit Management | Scholar
Meet us at conferences, your university, and during your trip to Israel.
Join us at Campus Open Houses, Days of Learning, College Seminars, and High School Retreats in Cincinnati, Jerusalem, Los Angeles, and New York.
huc.edu/explore
explore@huc.edu
Engage with us online at webinars, virtual visits, and individualized information sessions.
(800) 899-0944 hillel.org/guide 7
FINANCE
FACEBooK. GooGLE. REDDIt. ese now ubiquitous companies— which made their founders billions of dollars—all share a similar pedigree: humble beginnings on a college campus. Take the case of West Windsor, N.J. native and University of Pennsylvania senior Daniel Fine, who aer graduation, will focus on his numerous successful business ventures—many of which he founded while at Penn. e 21-year-old global change and innovations major at Penn’s Wharton School of Business is the founder and CEO of Team Brotherly Love, an organization devoted to saving lives and finding a cure for Type 1 Diabetes. He’s raised more than $2 million for the cause. ree years ago, aer a number of other ventures, Fine launched Glass-U, a company that produces foldable, custom, Ray-Ban style sunglasses that have been licensed to hundreds of universities, fraternities, sororities and organizations such as Hillel and Taglit-Birthright Israel. Fine’s sunglasses have been featured at large events such as the Rose Bowl, Lollapalooza and SXSW; last summer, Glass-U was the exclusive provider for the FIFA World Cup. “It’s been a pretty cool trajectory as far as what’s been created and what we’ve done along the way,” says Fine, named as one of TIME Magazine’s Top 25 International Leaders of Tomorrow. “I have always been a big sunglass buff and have a drawer full of them” and said that he thought it was “cool… to walk around and see people wearing your own product.” While it can sometimes be challenging to balance life as a regular student with the responsibilities of running businesses, Fine says he doesn’t regret the task and recommends it for those who truly have the motivation. “Something that I’ve really seen is that a ton of people, entrepreneurs or otherwise, have ideas; they talk about them; they may sit in their heads for a couple of days, a couple
8 Hillel • Jewish Life on Campus
of weeks … and they’ve done nothing.” “Just start trying. Draw it out. Build it. … ere are so many different access points and resources that can be created that are in front of just about anybody.” Fine, who oen works with his younger brother Jake, recently embarked on another initiative—creating a mobile app called Dosed. Dosed, which is still in development, will be a mobile diabetes solution that integrates restaurant menus and food items with the actual ratios that diabetics need for their insulin, streamlining the process by eliminating the need for estimations, calculation and communication by transmitting the data to a user’s clinician.
Fine, who calls himself a proud Penn Jew, has long been an active member of the campus Hillel and has served on its executive board since his sophomore year. “Continuity and making sure that all of us learn about Judaism, our past, and where we’re going, is incredibly important to me,” he says. “[Having] the ability to give back was something that I’m fortunate … to have—whether that be engagement in getting people involved or other measures.” So many responsibilities can be daunting, but for those willing to put in the hard work, Fine offers sound advice: “Don’t let something sit around and just be another item on your to-do list,” he says. “Don’t touch paper twice, and that same thing goes for both the physical paper and also digital, meaning email. … Do whatever you can to really be productive.” —DMITRIy SHAPIRO
How to avoid educating yourself into debt ˝So you got into the
school of your dreams. now you have to figure out how to pay for it. So often you hear successful adults in their mid-40s—and even older sometimes—saying that they only recently paid off their student loans. The trap? The very optimism that got you into school believing that your coveted diploma will lead to financial success can also lead you to take for granted how much debt you’re racking up to get to the finish line. In the united States, college debt totals more than $1.1 trillion, according to a recent report in The New York Times. “A lot of people don’t understand how much debt they’re taking out, they just kind of sign the paperwork and figure out that it’s education and it will work out,” says Matthew Chingos, senior fellow and research director at the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution. “It works out for a lot of people, but it doesn’t always work out.” Chingos advises to be careful with the amount you borrow and base it on what income you can expect for your major. “If you take $80,000 to get a degree from art school,” he explains, “it’s not very likely that you’ll be in a strong position to pay that off.” Alex Pollock, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, agrees with Chingos. He says that for many students, college loans can be like narcotics. “It feels good while you’re taking [the cash], but someday it’s going to stop,” Pollack explains. “you’re going to go into repayment and suddenly you’re going to find that people are expecting you to come up with this money.” One way of cutting costs, says Pollack, is to stay close to home, however unpleasant that may be. “If you want to go off far away, basically you’re living out of a hotel provided by the college,” he quips. “That’s no investment at all. That’s consumption. Like borrowing money to eat a pizza.” —DMITRIy SHAPIRO
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LIFE AS A COLLEGE ENTREPRENEUR
Beware of college loans:
HILLEL ÄŠĹ— ,'Ä…Ĺ—1 & )'#(!Ä…Ĺ—#( &/-#0 Ĺ— )''/(#.3 ÄŠĹ— " .Ĺ— ( Ĺ—")&# 3-Ĺ—)(Ĺ— '*/ÄŠĹ— )-" ,Ĺ— . ,3Ĺ—#(Ĺ—' #(Ĺ— #(#(!Ĺ— #&#.3 ÄŠĹ— $),Ĺ— ( Ĺ—'#(),Ĺ—#(Ĺ— 1#-"Ĺ—-./ # ÄŠĹ— 2 #.#(!Ĺ—#(. ,( .#)( &Ĺ— &. ,( .#0 Ĺ— , %ÄŠĹ— ((/ &Ĺ— #,.",#!".Ĺ—.,#*Ĺ— ( Ĺ— **,)0 Ĺ—Ĺ— Ĺ—Ĺ—Ĺ—-./ 3Ĺ— ,) Ĺ—#(Ĺ— -, & ÄŠĹ— " Ĺ— "-Ĺ— #&& &Ĺ— )/- Äœ (Ĺ—#(0#.#(!Ĺ—Ĺ— Ĺ—Ĺ—Ĺ—")' Ĺ— 1 3Ĺ— ,)'Ĺ—")' ÄŠĹ— ,#(#.3Ĺ— )&& ! Äœ)( Ĺ—) Ĺ—." Ĺ—( .#)(Ä“-Ĺ—Ĺ— Ĺ—Ĺ—Ĺ—.)*Ĺ—&# , &Ĺ— ,.-Ĺ— )&& ! -
www.trincoll.edu
is an amazing place for Jewish students and it’s not just the great weather!
Alpha Epsilon Phi / Sigma Delta Tau As the nation’s leading Jewish collegiate sororities, we encourage:
• Academic Excellence • Philanthropic Commitment • Campus and Community Involvement • Dedication to Jewish Values
â?ƒ A vibrant, pluralistic community â?ƒ Kosher dining options â?ƒ Jewish Studies Major and Minor â?ƒ Fellowships for trips to Israel and more â?ƒ Graduate and young adult programs â?ƒ And much more!
Learn more at stanford.hillel.org and jewishstudies.stanford.edu
For more information please visit our websites.
Building young Jewish women. www.aephi.org / www.sigmadeltatau.com
hillel.org/guide 9
Zeta Beta Tau CREATING VIBRANT JEWISH LIFE FOR OVER 3,500 STUDENTS AT MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Contact C ontact ZBT ZBT now! now!
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www.msuhillel.org | (517) 332-1916
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735 Gatewood Road, Atlanta, GA 30322 | (404) 963-2548 | www.HillelsofGeorgia.org 10
• Jewish Life on Campus
ApplicationBootCamp2015.com 781.530.7088 Kristen@TopTierAdmissions.com
ACADEMICS
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Best Majors? That depends
˝ What are the top majors today?
e STEMmy, le-brain standbys of engineering, computer science, math and sciences, as well as business, agriculture and natural resources, are on just about
everyone’s list for finding jobs and being paid well. But what if you’re just not cut out to be a chemical engineer ($69,600 early career salary, according to Payscale) or an actuarial mathematician ($60,800)? According to Katharine Brooks, executive director for personal and career development at Wake Forest University and author of “You Majored in What? Mapping Your Path from Chaos to Career” (Viking Press, 2009), while everyone feels the pressure of picking a major, it’s a more important decision “if you’re going into a field that has a major attached to it. Like an accountant—there’s a path to it.” Poet? Shepherd? Not so much. “Majoring in Greek, Latin or philosophy will lead you to skills that you can use in the workforce, but you’d have to translate them,” she says. And yes, some majors are more lucrative
than others, “if money is the most important factor for you.” But there are strategies to help you get to where you want to be. For instance, where you do the job is important, too. “An English major who wants to go into advertising is better off in New York City,” Brooks says. at’s the kind of strategic advice that a campus career counselor can provide. While there are more kinds of jobs out there than ever, Brooks says people tend to limit their imaginations to the ones they see on TV: doctors, lawyers, crime scene investigators. To get a better sense of the possibilities, she suggests buying a couple of interesting-looking magazines and then perusing them for the jobs their pages hint at. In the end, it all comes down to who you are as a person. Says Brooks, “Asking what is the best major is like asking what’s the best dog to get.” —DAvID HOLzEL
Your home-away-from-home Hillel at Gettysburg College is a close-knit community and an integral part of campus life: • Judaic Studies is offered as an interdisciplinary minor. • Hillel House is a residential facility that also serves as the hub of Jewish life and activities on campus. • Services for High Holidays are hosted on campus; holiday celebrations and Shabbat are student-driven with the support of professional staff, empowering students to explore Jewish identity and develop leadership skills. • In keeping with the concept of Tikkun Olam, social action is central to Jewish life and campus culture. Learn more at www.gettysburg.edu/hillel
hillel.org/guide 11
Name: HILLEL AT UNIV. OF VERMONT Width: 2.25" Depth: 10" Color: Black Comment: SPRING HILLEL
Name: A E Pi Width: 2.25" Depth: 10" Color: Black DevelopingHillel Leadership for the Comment: adCommu International Community rnational Jewish Ad Number: 10011404
Alpha Epsilon Pi
Every year approximately
2,000
Jewish students are enrolled at the University of Vermont UVM Hillel connects these students to community, opportunity, and inspiration during their time at college.
UVM Hillel Develops Leaders
591
students had a highimpact experience with UVM Hillel last year
Our signature programs include kayaking tashlich on Lake Champlain, ski and snowboard Shabbatons, and alternative spring break programs to repair the world.
100s
of students have developed their own Jewish programs with our micro Shabbat initiatives
Commitment to Jewish Life of the students we impact say
being Jewish will continue to be
94
%
important
to them after graduation
Get a head start on your college experience
Jewish Future
“If Not Now, When?—Hillel (Pirkei Avot 13:4) facebook.com/uvmhillel twitter.com/uvmhillel instagram.com/uvmhillel Visit uvmhillel.org or call: 802-540-1087
12 Hillel • Jewish Life on Campus
www.iowahillel.org
Brotherhood help with: move-in campus tours freshman advice Jewish identity netwokring campus involvement
Join a Chapter:
190 Chapters & Growing
CONNECT WITH BROTHERS AROUND THE WORLD
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Hillel Delivers the
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Connect with AEPi Brothers on your future campus! For more information, VISIT
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Name: UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA Width: 2.25" Depth: 4.88" Color: Black Comment: -
COME CURIOUS When you ‘Come Curious’ to the University of Minnesota, you will experience a unique combination of benefits: • Top public research university and member of the Big 10, offering 140+ majors. • Home to University of Minnesota Hillel, whose vision is to inspire every student to make an enduring commitment to Jewish life, learning, and Israel. • Offering Bentson Family Scholarship giving preference to students of the Jewish faith. • High retention rates, low debt burden, and high graduate salaries earned us the top “rising star college” title from Forbes magazine in 2014. • Great location in the Twin Cities with a thriving economy, vibrant arts scene, and excellent quality of life. Visit h p://z.umn.edu/virtual to take a virtual campus tour and sign up for more info, or call 1-800-752-1000.
ENTERTAINMENT
Cool Schools
ISTOCk© BEnkRuT
Looking for a town as hip as its schools? Try this list on for size
Chicago The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, although home to fewer than 3,000 undergraduate students, boasts its own Hillel. The school, widely recognized as one of the top in the nation, has churned out painters, cartoonists, sculptors, digital artists and revered creators in just about every other medium. Located in the heart of Chicago, blocks from Millennium Park, its students can experience the Windy City’s rich arts scene, which dates back to World War II, as well as its lively musical offerings. Although the school is comparatively small, the SAIC Hillel offers students a place to exhibit work, create alongside established Chicago artists and explore their art in a Jewish context.
New York City
Austin, Texas
Los Angeles
If you can make it in new york… This metropolis literally has it all. for theater buffs, just head to the East Coast’s dramatic mecca on or off Broadway. While Manhattan has every genre of entertainment one could ever need, its selection of plays and musicals, off-the-beaten-track theaters and DIy productions make it any theater fanatic’s dreamland. At new york university’s Tisch School for the Arts, you can get a top-notch education in musical theatre if you’re among the roughly 25 percent of applicants accepted. The university also boasts The Edgar M. Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life.
The Texas capital is bursting at the seams with music, with a rich musical history that goes back to the German beer gardens and halls of the late 1800s. But when jazz and blues became a major part of the city’s musical landscape, Austin hosted the greats: Duke Ellington, Ray Charles and B.B. king. These days, guitars literally line the street, thanks to Gibson placing 35 of them around the city. In addition, the city hosts at least a dozen festivals and top-notch musical acts. The university of Texas at Austin, which more than 3,000 Jewish students call home, is right in the middle of all the action.
Ranked as the number one college for film by a variety of publications, including HollywoodReporter.com and USA Today, the university of Southern California is also a top destination for Jewish students, who make up about 12 percent of the school’s population. With supporters like George Lucas and alumni such as Judd Apatow and Ron Howard—as well as the editors of “Godzilla” and the creative forces behind the Marvel movies—this is the place for getting schooled in film. The proximity to Hollywood can’t be beat, as jobs and internships are just around the corner. —MARC SHAPIRO
hillel.org/guide 13
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THE
BBYO EXPERIENCE CONTINUES ON CAMPU US
Learn more about how you can connect as a Lifetime Member with your brothers and sisters wherever you go. bbyo.org/FAN
Friends and Alumni Network
Ranked in the Top 10 in the nation for percentage of Jewish students as published in Hillel’s College Guide Magazine State-of-the-art science facilities and highly ranked science/pre-medical programs; Jewish Studies among 40 total majors Renovated Hillel House is home away from home for Jewish Students Fully integrated kosher dining under the supervision of WKH 6WDU . 0($7 DQG 6WDU ' '$,5< FHUWL¿FDWLRQ www.muhlenberg.edu 2400 Chew Street, Allentown, PA 18104
MUHLENBERG C O L L E G E
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• Jewish Life on Campus
Intellectual challenge and a wealth of social experiences – when it comes to the foundation students need to succeed, no combination is more important. No liberal arts college does it better than DePauw.
Hillel at DePauw Welcoming Jewish community High Holiday and Passover services and meals Weekly Hillel meetings Monthly Shabbat service on campus Jewish Studies Interdisciplinary Program
www.depauw.edu
ADVICE
Picking your right Jewish college
˝ With its huge evangelical population, Texas A&M University is probably not the first school that comes to mind when looking for a thriving Jewish life on campus. But that didn’t deter sophomore Dan Rosenfeld of Plano, Texas, who says the small Jewish community gave him the opportunity to shine. “I wanted to be part of something that had potential; I saw that at Texas A&M,” says the communications major. Since arriving, he’s launched a Jewish Leadership Development Program and founded Aggie Students Supporting Israel, the first and only pro-Israel group on campus. “Being a Jew at A&M is so unique you really stand out,” he says. “It’s kinda fun.” Is that right for you? As you start your college search, take some time to think about what sort of Jewish life you want. ere are practical aspects of course: Some students keep kosher or want a minyan. en there is the larger question
of what you’re seeking in a community. Jewish or not, students at the University of Vermont tend to be deeply involved in social justice and the environment. UVM Hillel picks up on that theme with a studentled tashlich service conducted from kayaks in the middle of Lake Champlain, says executive director Matt Vogel. “To be able to take that Jewish content and infuse it with that UVM outdoors connection has been tremendous for us.” “If being around a lot of Jews is important, you need to go to a university that has a large Jewish population,” says Rabbi Aaron Lerner, incoming executive director of the UCLA Hillel. “I have heard several times from Jewish students who said, ‘At first, I didn’t really care about it, but once I got to college it was important to me.’ So just be honest with yourself.” Parents oen zero in on the traditional aspects of campus Jewish life, such as High Holiday services, but Hillel professionals
want students to see the bigger picture. It’s more about “how you feel you’re going to grow as a Jew while in college,” says Adena Kirstein, director of George Washington University Hillel, “and how Hillel will be a part of that growth.” e College Guide on Hillel.org is a great start to a search for Jewish life on campus. And visiting the campus Hillel is a must. “Many, many students visit,” says Jenna Citron, director of Jewish Student Life at Queens College Hillel. Citron says prospective students oen ask about kosher food, Shabbat, Jewish learning, social life and about transferring credits from gap year or Israel study programs. First and foremost, says Rosenfeld, look for passionate students. “You can tell if the school has passionate students. You can come to Texas A&M, and you’ll find students that really love Hillel and Aggie Jewish life.” —AMy LAnDSMAn
hillel.org/guide 15
VoICES
ARTFUL ACTION Being Jewish requires movement
BY NAOMI DAVIS
M
OUNTAIN LOVER. DAYDREAMER. QUESTION ASKER. Adventure seeker. Friendship maker. Passionate dancer. Curious doer. Artistic creator. Jewish thinker. Plant eater. Justice and peace believer. On an endless quest to explore and learn, while finding ways to repair the world. My newest choreography, “Do you?” is more than a simple question, rather it is part protest, challenge, inquiry and provocateur. e performance asks the audience, the performers, the listeners and even the ignorers to pause, to listen, to learn, to change and to enact change. “Do you?” is a confrontation between our passivity and the choice to think about change making and how we can turn these thoughts into actions. is choreography is another exploration and manifestation of my Jewish identity. Before becoming immersed in the NYU Hillel community, my understanding of Judaism was very separate from my artistic endeavors. I thought dance happened in the studio and Judaism happened at temple. Dance was on the stage and Torah was on the bimah. Having opportunities at Hillel to delve deeply into Jewish text, healing music and stimulating discussions has allowed me to realize that dance and Torah are one and the same. In order to practice tikkun olam, we must make movement. We must move ourselves to enact change and in the process of discovering how to come together to create, we are creating the most important dance of all, one that cannot be confined to a studio. I now realize that I can merge my drive to engage with tikkun olam with my artistic process. My choreography implants seeds
16
• Jewish Life on Campus
of thought and moves the audience to join the dancers in harvesting new understandings and perspectives. My pieces are informed and formed by the ever-changing and evolving questions, approaches and processes of nature around us. I don’t know what it is like to not fall in love with the outdoors. When I step outside, the blades of grass seem greener and the sky seems bluer. No matter where I am, there is a place in my heart that holds the trees and the flowers, the mountains and vegetables, the soil and the butterflies. Etched into my body, regardless of the hours I spend dancing inside, is a yearning to be outside and connect to my roots; the roots that my family has planted in the Rocky Mountains. e roots of appreciation of the natural world, the guidance of your thoughts when le to the noise of the rustling leaves and the love and serenity your family can find on top of a mountain together. ese roots grow even deeper; they go way back to my Jewish ancestors. As the A-minor chord is strummed during Friday night services at Hillel, the music reverberates inside of me and I suddenly feel connected to the memories of the people before me. e feeling that I get on top of a mountain of hope and serenity, the passion and energy I feel on stage, is the same feeling I receive when I am surrounded by my community at Hillel, the mountaintop of my college experience. Naomi Davis is a senior at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.
VoICES
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS Multi-campus Jewish life provides many opportunities for engagement BY SYDNIE ASTAR TELSON
I
love my school, a small Jesuit campus in the heart of San Francisco with a strong commitment to social justice and a diverse student population. When people ask why I chose the University of San Francisco, the answer is soccer. I’ve played since the age of 5, and it was my dream to play at the college level. As an incoming freshman from San Diego, I honestly didn’t give too much thought to what Jewish life was like on campus. I was more focused on where I could develop my skills as a player, and having the opportunity to compete in Division I soccer. USF proved to be an exciting place to play and study, but by my sophomore year I felt like something was missing. I loved being in a big new city where I could explore myself and new ideas. But with my practice and game schedule, I only practiced Judaism when I went home for breaks. It was perfect timing when a friend suggested I apply for TaglitBirthright Israel. A fellow USF student, she had gone with our local Hillel the previous year and it had changed her life. We talked about the absence of Shabbat dinners in the dorms, and how we were both looking for something that could connect us spiritually, looking for something or someone to bring Judaism back to the center of our lives. It seemed like Taglit-Birthright Israel could be that missing piece, and since I love to travel, signing up seemed like a great idea. I had no idea at the time how monumental this trip would be. Taglit-Birthright Israel didn’t just connect me to Israel and a global Jewish peoplehood, it connected me to a local Jewish community, to Hillel. I met new friends and mentors who would be with me back at home in San Francisco, friends I could do Jewish things with long beyond the trip of 10 days. e relationships I forged in Israel were deeper than any I had made at college so far. When we returned to the West Coast, I was moved by the Hillel trip leaders when they reached out and encouraged me to apply for an internship with my Hillel. I leaped at the opportunity.
SF Hillel is a multi-campus Hillel — it is based at San Francisco State University and is interested in better serving students at my campus. I became the first USF Peer Network Engagement Intern (PNEI) for my school, reaching out and connecting my peers to each other and facilitating Jewish experiences at our school. e past six months have been busy! We’ve met many Jews who are looking for friends and community like me, launched a Jewish student organization on my campus, sold hamentaschen on the quad, brought Jewish holiday celebrations to the University Ministry and hosted on-campus Shabbat dinners.
Hillel not only empowered me as a Jewish individual and leader, it’s connected me to so many exciting opportunities. My PNEI supervisor is always pushing me to think about what my next step is. I’ve applied for the Brandeis Collegiate Institute, a summer experience for Jews from around the world, and will be traveling to Berlin in August to play for the U.S. Maccabi soccer team. At SF Hillel, I’ve found an extended Jewish family who has launched me on my adult Jewish journey. I’m so lucky to have found them, and to be able to do that for others on my campus. Sydnie Astar Telson is a junior advertising major and soccer player at the University of San Francisco.
hillel.org/guide 17
STOCk vECTOR © fRAnkRAMSPOTT
VoICES
BY BRANDON SCHNEIDER
HITTING THE RIGHT NOTES The power of self-expression
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halom! It wasn’t long ago that I was in your shoes, looking at colleges and the Jewish life that they provide. Now I am a sophomore at Ithaca College studying Music, eatre Arts Management and Strategic Communications and am an active member of many student organizations. I have led the communications team for a conference held at IC, worked with Relay for Life, and served as a President’s Host Tour Guide and an intern for Hillel. All of these roles are important to who I am as a person. Specifically, my involvement with Hillel at Ithaca College has been an important part of my growth as a student, a musician and a Jew. Before attending Ithaca College, I was an active member of my temple community and attended a Jewish sleepaway camp for 10 summers. Judaism has always been a part of who I am. Music came along a little later, but it became just as integral to my life. ey are both a part of who I am and I make it a priority to fit both into my weekly schedule. Every ursday I make sure I leave time to attend Hillel’s “Coffee in the Pub” to ensure that I get my cup of coffee and some “me” time. I had the opportunity to travel to Israel this past January with Hillel through Taglit-Birthright Israel, which le me feeling more connected to the Jewish people. is is just one of the many opportunities Hillel at Ithaca College has given me to explore my Judaism. Each year Hillel hosts more than 100 different events. Some involve Judaism; others involve bonding with friends over a cup of coffee. ere are also opportunities to attend weekly Shabbat services, the annual Passover Seder or the Rosh Hashanah banquet. With the wealth of activities offered by Hillel, my friends
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and I are able to determine how active we would like to be and which events we choose to participate in. is really makes Judaism fun, allowing you to choose how Jewish you want to be. As a music student, I have been able to integrate my interest in Judaism into the classroom. In the fall of 2014 in music history class I was able to study a Jewish composer, Salamone Rossi. Some of his most famous works are some of the most wellknown prayers, such as “Adon Olam.” It was interesting to learn about how his Jewish identity affected music, which led me to my new research topic for the spring semester of music history: Froméntal Halévy and his “Grand Opera La Juive.” It has been a captivating topic as I grow as a Jewish student, musician and leader at Ithaca College. Judaism, music and leadership make up the person that I am, and the Ithaca College campus and Hillel communities allow me to thrive in these areas. Each is an integral part of my life and there are countless opportunities to get involved. You can be a musician, you can be a Jew, and you can be a leader. Most importantly, you get to be you. Brandon Schneider is a sophomore music major at Ithaca College.
VoICES
BY STEPHANIE MAHONEY
SAFE SPACES Future architect sees need for shelter in southern Israel
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s a Jewish woman, Israel has a huge place in my heart. I spent a summer traveling the country when I was 15 and since then I have been in love with it. is past summer, before entering my thesis year of architecture, Israel was all over the news showing bombings and tragedy. I read articles about people in southern Israel not being able to find shelter in time. is greatly affected me and I knew that bomb shelters were needed. As an architecture student I knew I could create a new kind of shelter to keep people safe in times like these, so designing a bomb shelter became my focus for my thesis. In Kibbutz Nahal Oz, shelter means a lot more than just a place to rest; it is the difference between life or death. is small agricultural community is located half a mile from the Gaza strip, so there are many bombings. Unfortunately, Nahal Oz doesn’t have a sufficient bomb shelter for its people, so aer significant damage and casualties the community had no option but to flee. My thesis project is to design a bomb shelter for Nahal Oz. Because of their close proximity to Gaza, Nahal Oz residents have a maximum of one minute to find shelter once the alarms sound. erefore, the shelter must have multiple entrances throughout the town to allow everyone quick and easy access. ese entrances then create an intricate system of tunnels which all lead to the central space. My goal is to create a place that is enjoyable, comfortable, and that can ease the pain of such a scary period of time. Architecturally, I made sure no room feels like a small concrete box. e ceiling is geometric but not intrusive, and the hallways
are pointellated arches, a familiar architectural element from the Middle East. rough familiarity and unique design the shelter becomes a comfortable and enjoyable space. It was critical to me to find a way to use architecture to simultaneously create both a safe space and a living space where families could come together to ensure the survival of their Jewish community. In many ways, Hillel serves the same function of bringing people together to ensure the survival of the Jewish community. Hillel at Virginia Tech has allowed me to maintain my culture and traditions throughout college and it is a factor in why I am so passionate about Israel and its people. Stephanie Mahoney is a senior architecture major at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
hillel.org/guide 19
VoICES
COMING HOME TO HILLEL
By nICOLE BLuMEnSTEIn
Finding and growing a campus family
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knew that college was going to be a place full of new experiences and opportunities, but I also found that it is easy to feel overwhelmed and even insignificant amongst the multitudes of new students and activities. For me, Hillel was a place I could “come home to” at the end of a long week, and it inspired me to take on leadership roles to help others find their home. As a vocal performance major, singing for an audience was nothing new to me, so I began song leading during Shabbat. e energy and passion put into the services from my peers made the experience more meaningful than any other performance. On Friday nights, we sing together on Shabbat to commiserate over the stresses of the week and to reflect. e music brings us together into a peaceful mindset and I love looking up to see heads bobbing and hear voices chanting as the Shabbat candles burn lower. One of my most powerful experiences leading Shabbat was in Israel while on a Taglit-Birthright Israel trip. Shabbat fell on one of the first nights of our trip while our group was still getting to know each other. Once the Shabbat songs and traditions began, our common understandings brought us closer. e second time Shabbat came around, we were undeniably connected through our experiences, and even had traditions of our own. Together we had climbed Masada and been immersed in aspects of our Jewish culture and issues of Jewish people that we may have never considered; I felt honored to lead our group in song on Shabbat and reflect on the ideas and perspectives that gave new meaning to our perceptions of Judaism, Israel and ourselves. My experiences travelled back with me to Arizona, where I felt empowered to pursue opportunities to improve the lives of others in our community. Aer an internship with a hospice facility, I saw that many hospice patients in our community suffer through their illnesses in isolation with little connection to the outside world. From my Shabbat experiences, I thought of how music can be an effective form of stress relief and emotional healing for these patients. With the full support of Hillel, I founded a student organization called Jury’s Out: Music Students for the Community, which puts on free recitals for patients within hospice facilities. e mitzvah 20
• Jewish Life on Campus
of bikur cholim, or visiting the sick, creates strong bonds within our community, which is evident in the smiles and even tears on the faces of students and patients alike. My supportive Hillel family helped alleviate my overwhelming feelings of homesickness from the college transition and instead enabled me to focus on impacting the lives of others. Having a strong home has inspired me to take leadership roles around campus, such as president of our chapter of the Phi Sigma Pi honor fraternity, so I can hopefully inspire my peers as they have inspired me. As I continue my path to becoming a doctor, I know the perspectives and empowerment gained from Hillel will be invaluable as I connect with future patients and communities. Nicole Blumenstein is a sophomore vocal performance major and pre-med student at the Herberger Institute for the Arts at Arizona State University.
VoICES
By ALExAnDRA fROL
ADVANCING FORWARD Driven athlete builds community in Salt Lake
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kiing has always been the equalizer for me. Because I am an above-the-knee amputee, I know that I’m not as fast as others. But on the ski slope, I can catch up and even ski by others. One of my goals is to go to the World Championships on the way to qualifying for the Paralympics. I’m in my first year at Westminster College in Salt Lake City in the honors program as a biology and pre-med major with Chinese and chemistry minors. My career dream is to go to medical school and become a surgeon. So, I guess you can say that I’m driven. Becoming a surgeon is important to me because I have experienced both the personal and the impersonal sides of surgery. I have developed a perspective of patient care and the importance of knowing what a patient will feel and I try and support them as best I can in coping with the emotion of surgery. As a Jew growing up in the West, I have always felt accepted and comfortable in my beliefs. I was really excited to see that there is a Hillel in Utah at Westminster College because I wanted that connection with my faith and culture. I love being with the other Hillel members — we all come from different backgrounds and areas of the country and get together to learn, eat and have fun. e sense of acceptance, regardless of your degree of observance or religion, and community is what I think makes our Hillel strong. is year, our Hillel launched an Ask Big Questions Shabbat. e conversations have been thoughtful and respectful. I love that we can voice our own opinions, but hear and understand those of others. Eating latkes and dancing to Israeli music at
Latkefest was a great time and our plague-themed Passover Seder was a great way to celebrate the holiday away from home for all of us. As an emerging leader for our Hillel, I’m thrilled that I can take an even more participative role in the direction and growth of our organization. Hillel is giving me the opportunity to refine and enhance my leadership skills, and I’m grateful. I plan to go to Israel on a Taglit-Birthright Israel trip, I am looking forward to attending leadership and engagement conferences and I want to be even more involved in my Jewish community. Service is an important part of who I am. As busy as I keep myself, I try to give back to the Westminster and larger community through academic decathlons with local youth, Students for Choice, tutoring math with students of color, and this summer, I’ll be helping at a local animal shelter at home in Ashland, Ore. Alexandra Frol attends Westminster College in Salt Lake City.
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VoICES
SATISFYING THE SOUL Reflections on a Mask and Wig “Shabbat chicken”
By TAI BEnDIT
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riday night in my household was always BBQ chicken night. If there was one thing I could count on growing up it was that when I would get home from school on Friday aernoon, my dad would be grilling up his famous BBQ thighs and wings, or the occasional “lemon butt” chicken — an entire roast chicken with a whole lemon in the cavity. We would light the candles, say some prayers and dig in. Over the years, we stopped lighting the candles, and the prayers became minimal. But we always ate together as a family, and always chicken. Later, I remember my mom asking me to name my favorite Jewish tradition, likely out of a desire to find some meaning amidst the parts of Judaism that had lost their meaning to us. I didn’t hesitate: “Shabbat chicken.” When I first came to college, Judaism remained only a minor part of my daily life. Mostly, I immersed myself in music. I am an avid percussionist and since coming to the University of Pennsylvania, have been the drummer for the Mask and Wig Club, which is the oldest all-male collegiate musical comedy troupe in the United States. As a troupe, we perform more than 30 times a year on campus and on tour around the country. As a band, we also have the opportunity to perform at Spring Fling (an annual Penn festival before finals period) and at various private and university events. 22
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Mask and Wig has become my family here at Penn. It is an incredibly strong and supportive community, and I can say without hesitation that my friends are the funniest people at Penn. Last semester, I got involved in Hillel through the Jewish Renaissance Project (JRP) as a JRP Pincus Fellow. It is a yearlong fellowship for students traditionally less involved in the Jewish community who want to explore what it means to be Jewish through community building. rough JRP, I had the opportunity to bring my favorite Jewish tradition of Shabbat chicken to the Mask and Wig community. When I proposed the idea over the email listserv, the response was immediate and overwhelming. Twenty-five people expressed interest, so many that I had to reserve one of the rooms in the Student Union for the event. We decided to make it a feast; we got challah, kugel, quiche, salad, desserts and of course, chicken. e night of the event, my roommate and I set up a long table with candles and platters of challah. In a few minutes 31 of my brothers were crowded as one lit the Shabbat candles and another led a prayer. en we dug in, and I made sure to grab a chicken thigh before the food quickly disappeared. e event was an incredible success in that it met the three goals that I identified for my time as a JRP Fellow: Create positive community experiences, discover opportunities for sharing of traditions and spark meaningful conversations in a relaxed atmosphere. Although the formalities were few, those unfamiliar with the traditions such as lighting candles and eating challah asked questions, and those more familiar were happy to answer. At other points in the semester, I also was able to host a bagel and lox brunch in the sukkah outside Hillel and to speak to members of my community more in-depth about their Jewish experiences. But the Shabbat dinner still holds a special meaning to me as my first “Shabbat chicken” with my family at Penn. Tai Bendit is a sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business.
VoICES
DRAWN IN Engagement intern discovers the joy of giving back By MICHAEL WELLER
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hen I began college, I didn’t consider being Jewish to be a particularly significant part of my identity. Having grown up with a perception of Judaism as little more than a set of compulsory activities, I was not especially inclined to spend any meaningful amount of time or emotional energy engaging with Judaism in college. Midway through my freshman year, aer receiving an invitation to a Shabbat dinner, I finally decided to visit the University of Chicago’s Newberger Hillel Center for the first time. Almost immediately I felt a sense of comfort and familiarity wash over me. ese were my people. is was my home away from home. And I was there of my own volition. Gone were the days of my parents dragging me to Hebrew school. I had voluntarily taken it upon myself to venture into a decidedly Jewish community and I was thrilled with what awaited me. A couple of my friends, unbeknownst to me at the time, were Hillel Campus Engagement Interns. ey tactfully — yet organically — pulled me into the community through various mechanisms, including coffee meetings, movie nights and more Shabbat dinners. By the end of my freshman year, I had made dozens of close friends through Hillel and I had subconsciously begun to embrace my Jewish identity along the way. When I was presented with the opportunity to become a Hillel Campus Engagement Intern — to give back to the community for which I had grown to care so much — I was delighted to step up. e Campus Engagement Intern position at Newberger Hillel is a multifaceted position, to say the least. In addition to being contractually obligated to “engage” several prospective Jewish students every week and record all interactions in an online database, interns are required to attend a two-hour weekly meeting, in which Rabbi Anna Levin Rosen, University of Chicago Hillel’s director of Jewish student life, skillfully walks a fine line between imparting Jewish education and exploring engagement strategy. e Jewish education strengthens my affection and appreciation for a Jewish organization and gives me confidence in my ability to appropriately act as an agent for such an organization, both of which help me more effectively engage prospective members of the Hillel community. As interns, we are encouraged to tap into the campus communities to which we already belong. I consistently bring
students into Hillel with whom I am already acquainted through my social fraternity, tennis team and wind ensemble. Both formal and informal events in these communities contribute to the engagement process; whether I am leading a Seder on my dorm floor or watching football and discussing Taglit-Birthright Israel with several Jewish fraternity brothers, I am cultivating an environment that advances Jewish culture on the University of Chicago campus. In doing so, I am making it that much more likely that the recruited students will attend the next Hillel event to which I invite them. As I gradually build and expand my network of Jewish engagees, I oen find it effective to introduce them to one another, which further strengthens the Jewish community on my campus. My ultimate motivation for the work I do as a Hillel Campus Engagement Intern lies in my desire to provide the same incredible Jewish experience Hillel has offered me to as many students as possible. In just over a year, I’ve gone from uneasiness about my Jewish identity to counting down the days until my Taglit-Birthright Israel trip. e least I can do is to serve as a guiding force to help other students on their own journeys. Michael Weller is a sophomore economics major at the University of Chicago. hillel.org/guide 23
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www.princeton.edu/hillel The Center for Jewish Life Hillel at Princeton University 24
• Jewish Life on Campus
FOOD
Where’s (and What’s) the Grub? from kosher to late-night, campuses offer a smorgasbord of options
under the weather. In addition, almost every Hillel across the country sponsors free Shabbat dinners for students each week.
ISTOCk©SkynESHER
WHAT’S TO EAT?
KEEPING KOSHER At Harvard Hillel, students can enjoy dinner nightly as well as a special Shabbat dinner and Saturday lunch. A kosher lunch is also provided during Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Shemini Atzeret, Simchat Torah, Sukkot and Passover. e kosher meal plan at Hillel’s Kitchen at Tulane University in New Orleans offers 15 meals per week featuring organic, seasonal and local options. Students at University of Colorado, Boulder as well as at Washington University in St. Louis can go to their Hillels, which work in tandem with university food services to provide kosher meals. University of California Los Angeles Hillel boasts two separate food services; one offers meat options and the other dairy on a daily basis, as well as Shabbat dinners and kosher-for-Passover meal programs. A special service at the University of Southern California, meanwhile, is the Chicken Soup Express, where parents can order a cup of homemade matzah ball soup to be delivered to a student feeling
Going away to school is oen the first time you have to fend for yourself food-wise. It can be tough trying to stock up on snacks to get you through a week, especially with minimal space in a dorm. Danny Kahn, a freshman at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor says, “Usually I keep small snacks, things like chips” nearby, and “everyone usually has drinks.” “I can go a couple of days without using a refrigerator,” claims Jacob Schaperow, a junior at the University of Maryland, College Park, who is happy dining on peanut butter sandwiches and sliced apples. But when he’s feeling more adventurous, he also keeps a decent supply of milk, eggs, fruit and vegetables on hand. Jared Bloomfield, a senior at the University of Denver, says, “e first couple years I carried a ton of Nature Valley granola bars with me,” which provided a quick energy jolt while being gone all day between work and school.
LATE-NIGHT NOSH A long night of studying (or socializing) can certainly work up an appetite. It’s important to know where to go when you have the munchies. Students at the University of Denver visit Jerusalem’s Mediterranean restaurant, which “is packed at 2 a.m.,” says Bloomfield. ere’s also Voodoo Donuts Mile High (from the original in Portland, Ore.), which offers Cap’n Crunch, Froot Loops or Oreo-coated donuts and even one with Tang-flavored icing. At the University of Michigan, Kahn says, “e one thing people will always
go to is a restaurant called Pizza House to get the cheesy bread,” which is pizza cut in strips, covered with melted cheese and served with dips. Danny’s brother Ben, now a senior at Michigan, says he’s outgrown the cheesy bread and instead visits a nearby burrito place. He also orders from Insomnia, a cookie delivery service open until 4 a.m. where his favorites are the classic chocolate chip and the M&M cookies.
ANIMAL FRIENDLY Approximately 16 million people, or 5 percent of the U.S. population, eat a vegan or vegetarian diet, according to a Gallup poll from 2012. San Francisco, Portland, Ore., Burlington, Vt., and Austin, Texas, are some of the most vegan- and vegetarianfriendly cities, claims College Xpress, a popular online resource for students. So choosing a school in one of those areas will likely offer the widest variety of options for meat-free dining. At the University of California, Berkeley, students can visit the Saturn Café, the socially responsible diner that offers everything from meatless burgers to soy ice cream. What you don’t finish, they’ll pack up in a biodegradable to-go container. e Greater Portland Hillel serves the campuses of Portland State University, Lewis and Clark College, University of Portland and Reed College, all of which are a matzah ball’s toss away from upwards of 80 great vegan and vegetarian restaurants. Amy Lieber, who attends Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., says the school food plan always offers “a salad bar and a stir fry station, and usually a vegetarian entrée option,” but other than that, there aren’t many choices, save for Baccio’s Pizza on campus. —MELISSA GERR
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Coast to Coast Hillels keep the Israel connection strong. BY AMY LANDSMAN
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ACH WINTER and spring, dozens of students from Tulane University board buses for TaglitBirthright Israel trips. The winter trip generally fills up, with about 60 students. And for the first time this year, some 30 students signed up for the summer trip, a record number for Tulane. What’s true at Tulane is true nationwide, as students across the country register for Israel experiences. Birthright Israel is likely the best known trip, but it’s not the only one. Onward Israel provides six- to 10-week internships and resumé building experiences. Another program, Masa Israel Journey, offers more than 200 study, internship and volunteer opportunities ranging from five months to a year. While Birthright Israel is for first time visitors, Onward Israel and Masa Israel reach out
to students who’ve made that first trip and now want a longer, more immersive experience. When students return to campus, Hillels have intensified their outreach and follow-up to foster a continuing connection with the Jewish state. On any given Friday night, up to 200 people crowd UCLA Hillel for Shabbat. Shabbat, however, is only one of numerous programs the Los Angeles school does to connect students to Israel and their Jewish lives. “You can do everything from intramural football to kosher cooking,” says Rabbi Aaron Lerner, incoming executive director of UCLA Hillel. While goings-on at the school have earned headlines recently, the real story is one of active and engaged Jewish life. After all, notes Lerner, Birthright Israel is a powerful experience, but without great follow-up the impact is muted. At UCLA, two Israel engagement interns assist with planning for meals and activities. Los Angeles has about a million Jews and a big Israeli population,
taglit-Birthright Israel trips, by far the most common Israel travel experience for Jewish students, build personal connections, as well as offer gorgeous Dead Sea views.
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so Hillel students engage with the wider community through a Jewish film festival and other outings. “I have a full time shaliach (emissary) from Israel. I have two Israel engagement interns who are focused on everything from advocacy to cultural programs, a chapter of the Israeli-American group Mishelanu, which speaks only in Hebrew. There are discussions about Israel politics, Hebrew tutoring, and there’s TAMID,
WHILE GoINGS-oN At UCLA HAVE EARNED HEADLINES RECENtLy, tHE REAL StoRy IS oNE oF ACtIVE AND ENGAGED JEWISH LIFE.
the bustling city of tel Aviv is the economic heart of Israel.
COuRTESy Of unIvERSITy Of OREGOn HILLEL
which is an investment group,” says Lerner. At the University of Texas at Austin, the Hillel this year received a grant for a full-time staffer completely dedicated to Taglit-Birthright Israel follow-up and engagement. “She meets personally with each of the students after the trip,” says Rabbi Daniel Septimus, executive director of the Texas Hillel. “The best way to do the follow-up is through the one-on-one engagement.” Along with the full-time professional, Hillel interns help with Birthright Israel recruitment and cultivation. Septimus says the relationship building works, with Texas students immersed in all aspects of Jewish life: “They get involved with Shabbat. They get involved with other Jewish learning opportunities. They also participate in social justice and community service options that we have through Texas Hillel and some of them begin to take leadership positions in that as well, planning their own programs or experiences.” In addition, Texas Hillel hosts an annual Israel Block Party, where more than 200 volunteers pull together to showcase all aspects of Israel life. “We are very happy with their Israel engagement,” says Septimus. “We have a very strong umbrella cohort organization called ‘Texans for Israel.’ It’s mostly members of the Jewish community along with non-Jewish members. They do
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political advocacy and educate people about Israel. We have an Israel Fellow on staff to help facilitate these discussions. “What really brings this all together is that we have 13 student engagement interns,” he adds. So whether it’s social justice, Israel, or religious observance, Texas Hillel finds a way to involve Jewish students through a wide variety of entry points. However they arrive, it’s the personal connection that helps keep
the primary thrust of everything we do is centered around engaging the Jewish demographic that typically is not involved with institutional life. That demographic tends to be the vast majority of students on campus.” As it turns out, Tulane Hillel is a tremendously active place, with some 300 students visiting the building every day. Sometimes, you just have to run with it. That might be one way of looking at Israel engagement at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where Lior Diklshpan, the Jewish Agency for Israel Fellow to Hillel, also happens to be a personal trainer. This spring, Diklshpan brought nine students to run the Jerusalem marathon with him. GW Hillel took 120 students on Birthright Israel trips this year, and it is among the five Hillels participating in the Jewish Agency for Israel and Hillel International’s Israel Engaged Campus (IEC) pilot program, aiming to ensure that every Jewish college student develops a vibrant and enduring relationship with Israel and Israelis, and that there is a campus environment that is supportive of Israel. At GW, the strategy and educational resources from the program allow for the new Birthright Forward Fellowship, focused on digging deeper into Israel’s society and culture after students return from their trips. The goal is to go beyond the conflict. In March, GW Hillel hosted an innovation and tech fair through the IEC pilot, showcasing a
“WE HAVE FoUND PEER-to-PEER ENGAGEMENt IS CRItICAL IN ADDItIoN to StAFF DoING tHEIR oWN ENGAGEMENt.” them engaged. “The best way of engaging others is not just offering programs, it’s actually through relationship building. We have found peer-to-peer engagement is critical in addition to staff doing their own engagement.” New Orleans is a city that likes to march to its own drum. You might say the same about Tulane University Hillel. According to Executive Director Rabbi Yonah Schiller, there’s no specific Israel strategy for their work. Instead, the connection to Israel is woven into every aspect of campus Hillel life. “Anything and everything we do, Israel included, is an outgrowth of the model we put in place,” he says. “The backbone,
number of Israeli companies fronting new technologies. GW also offers several Israel-focused student organizations: the GW-Israel Business Club; the Alliance for Israel, which does cultural programming; politically-focused GW for Israel; and J Street U, a progressive political group. Several GW students also choose to study abroad in Israel. “Tel Aviv is a very hot choice. Haifa is also a hot choice because they get to practice their Arabic,” says GW Hillel Director Adena Kirstein. “The idea is how we can make sure students relate to Israel in new, fresh, innovative ways. “I’m really, really proud of the work we’re doing.”
Explore the vibrant academic community at UC Santa Barbara within a picturesque seaside location.
www.admissions.ucsb.edu
PURSUE YOUR PASSIONS IN ISRAEL Live it like a local in Israel for 5 to 10 months on a Masa Israel Journey program. Gain international experience sure to impress employers.
STUDY ABROAD
www.MasaIsrael.org
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STUDY ABROAD
TEACH
VOLUNTEER hillel.org/guide 29
Hillel International in the 21st century
COuRTESy Of ITHACA COLLEGE HILLEL
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• Jewish Life on Campus
early 100 years aer the first Hillel opened at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the organization has become easily the most widely recognized name in Jewish campus life. But while much of its purpose and message have stayed the same, the methods by which Hillel integrates itself in college life are ever evolving. At Indiana University, Hillel is working to combat some of college life’s most pervasive issues from a Jewish perspective. A year ago, Indiana University Hillel joined in partnership with the university’s Jewish fraternities and sororities to help students at the school with both exploring their Jewish identity and combatting incidents of sexual assault that have been in the spotlight over the past several months. Next year will mark the first year that the Hillel will employ a full-time staff member to work exclusively with Jewish Greek life. In the past, said Indiana Hillel’s executive director, Rabbi Sue Laikin Silberberg, while there has been programming with the Jewish fraternities and sororities, “this is really a step up.” We thought “let’s have the programs,” said Silberberg. “But let’s also attack some of these really serious issues that are happening across the country.”
is year’s projects have included community service endeavors, and Silberberg plans to bring the movie “Brave Miss World,” which documents the work of an Israeli beauty queen, rape survivor and advocate, to campus to spark a dialogue about sexual assault. “It gives students the opportunity to come together and to talk to each other,” she said. “Plus, they see the Jewish value in what they’re doing as well.” Like many Hillels across the country, Indiana University Hillel sometimes struggles to keep students engaged in its programing. With countless other campus groups, recreation sports, classes and assignments all competing for students’ attention, it can be hard to keep students coming back for more. e question, said Silberberg, is “how do we help them to integrate Judaism into what they’re doing?” Her Hillel, which she estimates sees about three-quarters of IU’s Jewish population, has no specific goal for students to meet, she said; the aim is simply to encourage students to engage with their own Judaism in a way that is meaningful to that student. Silberberg is especially excited to see what kind of results a new university-sponsored trip brings to Hillel. A program at the school allows for new students to arrive on campus a week early to get acclimated to their new home before school begins. As part of the program, students this year can travel to Chicago with Hillel to visit the Holocaust museum, a Jewish-run organic farm and meet with alumni working at Chicago’s City Hall and e Second City, the worldrenowned improv comedy club. Some of the more successful initiatives Hillel has overseen in recent years are student-launched projects, a nod to the organization’s commitment to empowering students to take charge of their own Jewish identity. “The challenge [we face] is how to keep them engaged,” Silberberg said. “We always have to be open to new ideas.” At Pennsylvania State University, the campus Hillel is one of three nationwide participating in Hillel International’s Comprehensive Excellence pilot initiative. e initiative adds staff to each Hillel and sets a series of benchmarks that Hillel must meet over a three year period. “It’s been transformative,” Aaron Kaufman, executive director of Penn State Hillel, said of the initiative. is year alone, the Hillel far exceeded its engagement goal. Kaufman estimates he and his staff have been in touch
with about 1,300 of Penn State’s 5,000-strong Jewish student body. Taglit-Birthright Israel trips have steadily grown in popularity over Kaufman’s eight years at Penn State, he said. Internship and entrepreneurial-minded missions have seen a surge in popularity among students as well. “Our students work really hard, but also do good for the world,” Kaufman said. e advance of technology has also presented Penn State Hillel with some unique and exciting benefits. Eighty-four percent of all university students reported using social media in 2010, according to Pew Research Center Statistics. Ninety-eight percent of those students own cell phones, and 91 percent
e rapid growth of Hillel at Penn State has been the most pressing problem, he said. e organization has been operating out of the campus interfaith center, but the space has grown too small. “It’s a really good problem to have,” said Kaufman, laughing. Soon, the organization will open its own designated facility. At 20,000 square feet, Kaufman expects the space to both raise Hillel’s profile on the large Penn State campus and enhance the experience for those students involved in Hillel. And Penn State is far from the only Hillel focusing on improving or expanding its facilities. Within the past five years, Hillels from the University of Miami to the
the rise of a digital culture has impacted every aspect of campus life, but “we’ve leveraged that to better understand who’s getting engaged and why.” own a laptop computer. In terms of accessibility, the climate for reaching students and getting them engaged, some could argue, has never been better. e rise of a digital culture has impacted every aspect of campus life, said Kaufman, but “we’ve leveraged that to better understand who’s getting engaged and why.” For example, he noted, when students check-in or RSVP for an event, they must first log in to Penn State Hillel’s website. When they create a login, they are asked if they’d like to fill out a questionnaire about their needs and interests in campus and Jewish life. Students don’t have to take the survey, but the feedback Hillel professionals get from the forms helps it plan programs, events and concepts around what students really want.
University of Arizona to the University of Connecticut have all launched multimillion-dollar renovation plans. Connecticut College, San Diego State University and Texas A&M University have all built new Hillel facilities. Aer two years of operating out of temporary facilities, staff at Rutgers University Hillel are excited about the opening next spring of their own dedicated space. e new building will be 35,000 square feet, contain a 400-seat kosher dining hall, a kosher café, a Holocaust memorial garden and house an Israel engagement center, where students can learn about the Jewish Rutgers University’s Hillel will open in a new 35,000-square-foot facility next spring. the school has the highest number of Jewish students among American public universities.
hillel.org/guide 31
“the more the word spread, the more that students wanted to participate. ” “We really are a student-run organization,” said Rabbi Esther Reed, senior associate director at Rutgers Hillel. Programming “depends on what the students are interested in.” And with a new crop of students coming to campus every year, the only sure bet is that will change year aer year. Students this year have been highly interested in service projects. In addition to alternative break opportunities that enable students to both travel and volunteer their time and services, students have also found ways to help in their own communities. Aer it was discovered that there were families at the local children’s hospital that were struggling to both be there as support 32
• Jewish Life on Campus
COuRTESy Of PORTLAnD HILLEL
state and explore ways to better connect. It will be the first time Hillel at Rutgers will have built a building designated just for its sole use. “It will transform Jewish student life at the State University of New Jersey,” said Andrew Getraer, Rutgers Hillel’s executive director. With a huge Jewish population — the highest number of Jewish students at any American public university — it has been a challenge to accommodate any large number of students at a given time due to major space constraints, said Getraer. Not only will the new building include amenities vital to Jewish campus life, such as kosher dining spaces, but it will also allow services to be held for every major Jewish denomination simultaneously, with each having their own designated worship space. e opening of the new center is also expected to bring an increase of about 30 percent in student attendance, said Getraer. e anticipated increase stems from research he and his staff have conducted by talking with other Hillels that have recently opened similar facilities. Both the Hillel itself and its content have changed notably over the 14 years Getraer has been at the helm at Rutgers, he said. For one, the number of staff have increased from four people to 12. Additionally, the content and programming the organization has offered over the past decade have changed many times as well.
Students enjoy a Passover Seder arranged by Greater Portland Hillel.
for their sick child and take the time away from the hospital to raise their healthy children, Hillel students decided to set up a shi system where students would sit with the sick children so that parents could go home for periods of time. “e more the word spread, the more that students wanted to participate,” said Reed. At the University of Central Florida Hillel, Aaron Weil and his staff have extended Hillel’s hand even farther than the traditional 18-to24-year-old set to grow their engagement. A couple decades ago, said Weil, “Jews were going fewer places.” But today, with many people growing up in one area, attending school in another and finding employment in yet a different locale, UCF’s Hillel decided to take the initiative to prevent those Jews in the gap years before and aer college from slipping through the cracks. “We’re not waiting for them to come to us,” he said. Today, when high school juniors and seniors come to campus for visits and tours, Central Florida Hillel wastes no time in making contact with them and inviting them into Hillel life. “It’s really just employing Hillel’s methodology,” said Weil, who himself has a background in marketing. e Hillel recently opened a new space at the luxury resort-style Northview off-campus community. Designed in the footprint of Google’s modern office space, Weil and his staff are building the Jewish leaders of tomorrow. By encouraging students to launch their own groups within Hillel and host their own
programs, he said, staff is guiding the students, “but we’re also allowing them to fail.” Central Florida Hillel has also ramped up its efforts to partner with the local Jewish communities by working closely with federations to create a mutually beneficial relationship in central Florida. Students are offered chances to run programs used by the federations to raise money, employing skills and tools that relate to real-world careers students may wish to pursue aer graduation. “Students aren’t looking to come to Hillel in the 21st century for the same reasons they were looking in the 20th century,” said Weil. In addition to proving Hillel’s value as a legitimate partner, students advance professionally through opportunities Hillel provides. “We want to build a network,” he said. “We want to create opportunities for them to get jobs.” Opportunities to explore working with and within the Jewish community also help to combat one of the Jewish community’s most urgent threats — assimilation. “is is where you’re losing the numbers,” he said. “e challenge we’re facing is the number of students who just don’t care.” ough the threat is both real and massive, Weil said, it is not hopeless. Building relationships within the Jewish community has proven results, and Hillel is unique in its ability to reach those at what Weil calls the gap age — those in their late teens and 20s. Said Weil: “Right now we’re in a very exciting time.”
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College is all about finding
t’s cliché, but college really is a time of exploration, of spreading your wings. Campuses are a melting pot, bringing together students from all over the globe, and with them different cultures, traditions and faiths. With so many clubs, activities and classes to explore, students have different ways of negotiating their own Jewish identities amidst such diversity. American University in the heart of the nation’s capital exemplifies the multicultural experience today’s college students expect. According to statistics released by the school for fall 2014, the student body includes representatives from all 50 states and 137 countries, a true melting pot of cultures, traditions and religions. The university’s diversity and location in Washington, D.C. attracted rising sophomore math and economics major Jeremy Duchin, senior political science major Tamara Stein and senior women’s 34
• Jewish Life on Campus
COuRT
I
IvERSI ESy Of un
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ILLEL
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gender and sexuality studies major Becca Goldstein. Duchin, who hails from Dallas, Texas, describes a robust campus community with an interfaith council that meets weekly to discuss such topics as interfaith acts in times of crisis—like the Muslim grocer who saved Jewish customers at a kosher supermarket in France in January—and fostering interactions between different religious groups. Non-Jews, says Duchin, are always welcome to explore Hillel events and services held around campus and at the Kay Spiritual Life Center. Likewise, Jewish students are welcome to explore other faiths and cultures. Duchin describes attending a Jumu’ah service, the Friday afternoon prayer service sacred to Muslims, and checking out a Presbyterian service with a friend that furthered “indepth conversations about our religions.” His friends in turn have learned from Duchin what it means to be a Sabbath-
observant student living in a modern dorm. The first challenge came during move-in, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. To avoid traveling and working on Shabbat, Duchin was able to arrange with Jason Benkendorf, the AU Hillel’s executive director, to fly in early and store his belongings at Hillel. AU dorms, like many college campuses, require students to swipe an ID at multiple points to gain access. Since the action is forbidden to observant Jews during Shabbat, his friends on the floor help Duchin out, making a game of “stealing” his ID from his pocket to swipe him into the building. Though he may not be able to attend Saturday basketball games, Duchin views himself “as a full student, just like everyone else,” and is perfectly happy playing soccer, football and other Shabbat-friendly games with his diverse group of floor mates. Duchin, who spent a gap year in Israel
through the Nativ College Leadership Program, regularly participates in the Conservative Shabbat service, participated in First Year Students of Hillel, does outreach for AU Students for Israel and is a brother of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity. A proud Texan, Duchin founded the AU Texans Club and he hopes to bring authentic Texan barbeque and two-step dancing to campus at future events. Stein, a Sacramento, Calif. native, likewise is highly active in campus life. She served as an engagement intern her sophomore year, has been involved with the Jewish Student Association and served as a student representative to the Hillel board. Through her involvement with women’s initiatives and gender equality advocacy, she and other student activists have been able to bring meaningful discussions and programming to AU’s Hillel on topics of feminism, LGBTQ issues and social justice. For instance, Goldstein, from Newtown, Mass., facilitates a Rosh Chodesh group, restarted the local Active Minds chapter and facilitates an LGBTQ discussion group. “Judaism is so special and unique,” she says. “You can use Jewish values and be in a Jewish space without feeling religious.” For future freshmen, the trio offered some words of wisdom. “Be open-minded and don’t feel pressure that you have to do Jewish things, that you have to be involved, but at the same time, finding your community, be it the Jewish community or another community is important,” says Duchin. “The Jewish community can be a very rewarding and very close community.” “You can be Jewish on campus and be involved with Hillel and be involved with other things too,” echoes Stein. “Our Hillel is so pluralistic and tries to reach students where they’re at. … Look for a community that has a lot of options and different ways to be Jewish, because the way you want to be Jewish now may not be the way you want to be Jewish later.” Goldstein couldn’t agree more. “There’s no such thing as a bad Jew,” she says. “Judaism is really about negotiating your own identity and what feels good to you and where you are in your life.” Rachel Garrity, a rising senior at Elon University, a liberal arts college in North Carolina, became involved with the Jewish community the second semester of her freshman year when an engagement intern reached out to her. She eventually became
involved with with her campus chapter of Challah for Hunger, a non-profit that brings people together to bake and sell challah in an effort to raise money and awareness for social justice causes. Garrity also served as community development chair and was elected Hillel student board president. Her campus Jewish community has grown tremendously, according to Garrity, who estimates 10 percent of the student body identifies as Jewish. The Hillel, in turn, strives to serve the religious and cultural needs of the students it serves. Students there have hosted fun social events like a matzah pizza day, as well as serious lunchand-learn sessions on topics like modernday slavery and sex trafficking. Along the way, Garrity, a native of Kent, Conn., picked up a Jewish studies minor in addition to her sport and event management major. “When I got to school, I had no idea what I wanted to do,” she relates. “I decided sophomore year to take a Jewish traditions class, [because I] wanted to know more about the formal side of Judaism … to try to do as much as possible to supplement my own background.” Of her involvement Jewishly on campus, Garrity says, “It’s made a very big impact on my college life in a positive way and given me resources and connections and friends that I wouldn’t have had if I hadn’t gotten involved.”
ExPANDING ACCESS Students finding themselves in environments less culturally robust than their home communities can find connection through Jewish organizations. Hannah Davidoff, a rising sophomore from New York City, Julia Kaplan, a rising junior from Westwood, Mass., and Julie Hartman, a senior from East Williston, N.Y., have found themselves in the role of student manager or co-student manager of their Kenyon College Hillel in Ohio during their college careers. Says Hartman, “The Jewish community at Kenyon is very small, and I never considered myself to be particularly religious in any way, but from the moment I got to Kenyon, I sought out Hillel in order to fulfill a sort of cultural affinity I have for Judaism.” All three describe their Hillel as small but mighty. They’ve co-hosted a Shabbat gathering with the Middle Eastern Students Association in which Hebrew and Arabic poetry was shared alongside
discussions on cultural similarities. They’ve also hosted a Liberation Feminist Seder with a social justice bent using a Haggadah that was LGBTQ-inclusive and gender neutral. “All of our events are open to students of all faiths. On a campus like Kenyon’s, it is important to make events accessible to all,” says Hartman.
“IT’S REALLy IMPORTAnT TO STAy JEWISH In A COMMunITy THAT IS MuLTICuLTuRAL AnD TO REPRESEnT My CuLTuRE AMOnGST ALL THE OTHER OnES.” Adds Kaplan, “College is a time of finding oneself, expressing oneself, learning about others, learning about who you are, what makes you an individual. You’ll explore all these different avenues. No matter where you go, the Jewish community, the Hillel community will be there for you with support.” Rising University of Kansas sophomores Brittany Multer, a civil engineering major from Overland Park, and business major Micah Stiel of Topeka became involved with Hillel right away. Both were on the planning committee for Bagels and Basketball, an event that brought 250 people to a rented-out bar downtown for March Madness and noshing. “KU is pretty good at embracing diversity,” reports Stiel. “The biggest multicultural thing would be the different clubs for religions, ethnicities, people of different cultures.” Multer agrees, saying, “At KU, it’s really easy no matter what religion you are, the school is really accommodating. There are classes you can take to expand your knowledge. … If you want to be involved all you have to do is look for opportunities and they’re there.” Stiel also participated in the freshman leadership series, which brought together new students for whom being Jewish is one aspect of their identity; both learned how to be leaders on campus for Jewish and non-Jewish organizations. Striking a balance, Stiel says, comes down to personal priorities. (continued on page 49) hillel.org/guide 35
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36
• Jewish Life on Campus
HEALTH
Ë? Starting college comes with many
plusses, including the chance to make decisions on your own, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important not to let that new freedom end in the dreaded weight gain commonly known as the Freshman 15. Eating in a cafeteria crammed with a virtual limitless supply of food will increase your waistline. Many experts concede that while most new students wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t gain a great deal of weight, they are likely to put on a few pounds. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think the Freshman 15 is exaggerated, but it is real. Kids change their habits, because they are out of their usual environment,â&#x20AC;? says Jo Zimmerman, instructor at the University of Marylandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Department of Kinesiology in the School of Public Health. â&#x20AC;&#x153;î ˘ereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more food, diďŹ&#x20AC;erent choices and alcohol,â&#x20AC;? she says. Also, young adults who were on sports teams in high school and had physical education during their
school day all of a sudden ďŹ nd themselves sitting in classrooms and then sitting at a desk to do homework. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You get lots of exercise walking to and from classes,â&#x20AC;? but it may not be enough to counter the additional caloric lures that come with that all-inclusive dining pass and the frequent partying. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best to think of the whole process in terms of intake and outtake, Zimmerman advises. Being aware of your food intake doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mean starving yourself. It does mean not having dessert every day or piling your plate with seconds and thirds. It does mean snacking on popcorn and carrots rather than candy. Learn to pay attention to what you eat, but donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t obsess about it. Remember, â&#x20AC;&#x153;you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to snack when you are studying,â&#x20AC;? she says. Let the knowledge stick with you, not the weight gain. As for exercise, frequent the campus
ISTOCkŠBELCHOnOCk
The Freshman 15
recreation center. Usually tuition includes a free membership, enabling you to exercise, swim, join classes, liî&#x201A;? weights and join a sports league. Exercising here has the advantage of keeping you ďŹ t while also broadening your social life. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;SuzAnnE POLLAk
Doug â&#x20AC;&#x2122;14, New Jersey, Middle East Studies major; Sarah â&#x20AC;&#x2122;15, California, Policy Management major; Greg â&#x20AC;&#x2122;15, Connecticut, Economics major; Hannah â&#x20AC;&#x2122;15, Maryland, American Studies major
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TRAVEL
there’s plenty of fun to be had off campus
38
• Jewish Life on Campus
With its cultural offerings, food carts and bars, Ann Arbor is the quintessential college town.
visitors can take advantage of Ann Arbor’s breweries, pubs and restaurants. Mark’s Carts, not far from the child-friendly Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum, is a popular destination, says Rosen. From April through the fall, residents file into the courtyard behind Downtown Home & Garden to grab a bite of diverse offerings sold from food trucks. Indian, Mexican and Spanish are among the flavor-packed options Mark Hodesh, proprietor of Mark’s Carts, has lined up for this season. Zingerman’s Delicatessen, which celebrity chef Mario Batali dubbed a “temple of deliciousness,” on Detroit Street has all the hallmarks of a classic New York style deli: corned beef sandwiches piled high, tuna melts served on hand-sliced Jewish rye bread and a pickle with every sandwich order. Strictly kosher food is available for purchase six days a week at Michigan’s Hillel Café. Students can partake in kosher meal plans and purchase meals a la carte. “We have parents and family weekends, parents and family Shabbat dinners,” says Rosen. “Parents and families are always welcome to come.”
ISTOCk©AIMInTAnG
Ann Arbor, home to the University of Michigan, consistently cracks the Top 10 lists of best college towns. Davey Rosen, associate director of Michigan’s Hillel, gives insights into what delights residents, students and visiting families alike. e university and the city are “right on top of each other,” says Rosen, which means there’s plenty of overlap in the use of outdoor spaces, like the 108-year-old Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum, known by locals as simply the “Arb,” which features more than 700 acres of gardens, natural preserves and research areas. In the winter, its hills are oen dotted with students sledding. e “Diag,” so nicknamed for the sidewalks crisscrossing the large open space in the heart of campus, is home to a brass block M, an iconic symbol of the university—just don’t step on it for fear of bad luck. A walk through the Law Quad, with its stunning architecture, is a must. “e law quad is an amazing group of buildings,” says Rosen. “When it first snows it’s beautiful. A lot of people compare it to Hogwarts for its gothic architecture.” Another magical element that adds to Ann Arbor’s charm? Fairy doors. Miniature whimsical portals began popping up around town in 2005 and is largely thought to be the work of children’s book author Jonathan B. Wright. One such door resides in the children’s section of the Ann Arbor public library, but keep your eyes peeled for other unique fairy doors around town. Just a short walk from Main Street, says Rosen, is the university’s famed “Big House,” where the Wolverine’s take on football opponents each fall to the thunderous voices of the crowd screaming, “Go Blue!” e stadium is the largest in the U.S. and second largest in the world with a seating capacity of nearly 110,000. Rosen also recommends a visit to the Yost Ice Arena where the Michigan varsity hockey team plays. “It’s an old school hockey arena. It’s a really fun and intense experience,” he says. Aer running around downtown,
ISTOCk©DAvEL5957
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Morgantown is home to West Virginia University.
Morgantown, West Virginia To dispel any lingering doubts: Yes, there are Jews in West Virginia. e West Virginia University Hillel has been “keepin’ it kosher (style)” in scenic Morgantown since 1928. “We’re this hip urban university town, but we’re still that small community-
TIKKUN OLAM based town,” says Cynthia D. Coffindaffer, director of marketing for Greater Morgantown. ough the population doubles when school is in session, she attributes much of that small-town feel to the 30,000 welcoming residents. “e residents here have a lot of school pride,” says Coffindaffer, a sentiment that anyone who has traveled to a Big 12 football game and seen the number of Mountaineer fans in the stands can attest to. “West Virginians as a whole are very warm, hospitable people.” Alongside college sports, Morgantown’s ample outdoor opportunities draw in tourists from all over the region. For something you can’t find anywhere else, WVU boasts the first university ownedand-operated canopy tour. e Adventure WV, near Coopers Rock State Forest, canopy tour has four zip lines, an aerial bridge and a tandem rappel station. Biking — including more than 55 miles of clay and crushed limestone trails — hiking, rock climbing and Class 3 to Class 5 whitewater raing are easily accessible. Morgantown is home to multiple music festivals, and in the summer months traveling Broadway shows play alongside local theater productions. For family-friendly fun, take a trip over to the university’s planetarium for weekly shows that bring the universe to life. Or paint pottery, see glass fusion and mosaics at the Wow Factory. For a slice of history, take a short trip away from campus to Arthurdale where “Eleanor’s Little Village” features 160 of the 165 original homesteads in what was the first New Deal Homestead Community. Of course, a ride along WVU’s Personal Rapid Transit monorail system, which links WVU’s multiple campuses, is a thrill for little ones and an easy way to get around WVU’s facilities. e PRT is free for students and 50 cents each way for guests, says Coffindaffer. “Our location, geographically you feel [close to the mountains], but you can be in Pittsburgh in an hour, Baltimore, Cleveland and D.C. within three hours. But by far, I think people fall in love with Morgantown because of our people and our scenic beauty.” —MELISSA APTER
Come to a place committed to helping you develop the skills to make a difference in the world, and to providing a community that embraces your ideals. Our campus is renowned for community involvement, and for alumni who contribute to the common good after graduation.
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A PROUD TRADITION. A VIBRANT COMMUNITY.
RANKED #11 AMONG “TOP 60 SCHOOLS JEWS CHOOSE” BY REFORM JUDAISM MAGAZINE Jewish students at USC find: • Spiritual and educational support through Hillel and elsewhere, including holiday celebrations, special events and networking opportunities.
• The Casden Institute, supporting research that advances an understanding of Jewish culture and history in American life. • Scholarships, including the prestigious Jewish Leadership Scholarship, worth $12,500 per year. • The USC Shoah Foundation Institute, founded by USC Trustee Steven Spielberg and devoted to collecting and preserving the testimonies of Holocaust survivors. • A joint bachelor’s degree program and specialized courses offered through USC and Hebrew Union College. DISCOVER WHY YOU SHOULD CHOOSE USC.
USC Office of Admission www.usc.edu/uga (213) 740-1111
USC Hillel www.uschillel.org (213) 747-9135
Jewish Leadership Scholarship www.usc.edu/jewishleadership
hillel.org/guide 39
TECH
Gearing Up four gadgets to make life easier for the college freshman in the digital age
ottERBox RESURGENCE PoWER CASE FoR IPHoNE 6 no college freshman wants to run out of battery life on her smart phone in the middle of Econ 101. That’s where the OtterBox phone charging case comes in handy. not only will the drop-proof case protect your phone exterior and screen from damage, but a built-in battery will double the iPhone’s battery life. Another handy feature is auto-stop charge, which stops charging when the battery is fully charged, saving power for later. It also sports the ability to sync data wirelessly or via a cord without taking off the case. And an included micro uSB cable provides high-speed charging.
MR. CoFFEE® SMARt oPtIMAL BREW™ CoFFEE MAKER WItH WEMo® Get used to coffee, freshmen — lots and lots of brewing in
that dorm room before a full day of classes. With Mr. Coffee’s stateof-the-art Bluetooth-enabled coffee maker, you can control the machine remotely with the WeMo app that you can download for free from the Google Play Store, the Apple App store or the Amazon App store to any smart device. functions include setting daily brew schedules for up to one week, checking the status of the coffee maker or turning it off, adjusting the settings to fit your schedule and getting helpful reminders.
SEAGAtE BACKUP PLUS SLIM 2tB PoRtABLE ExtERNAL HARD DRIVE WItH MoBILE DEVICE BACKUP USB 3.0 All those party
(I mean academic) pictures and videos start taking up a lot of megabytes quickly, not to mention all the documents and multimedia presentations you are going to need to save on your hard drive. With an external portable hard drive like Seagate and its two terabytes of storage, you won’t have to worry about space issues. you can snap thousands of photos and take as many videos as you like. Other versions are available with storage ranging from 500 GB to 4 TB. Seagate can also be used with mobile devices and no reformatting is needed switching between PC and Mac.
40 Hillel • Jewish Life on Campus
tyLt ENERGI BACKPACK + BAttERy Running around campus can take up a lot of juice on your smart devices. Luckily the Tylt Energi backpack can charge your phone or tablet while you try to get to your favorite astronomy class on the other side of campus. The backpack includes a battery with three uSB ports. There are also six separate storage areas that are easily routable. The backpack includes two 1Amp uSB ports for charging phones and one 2.1Amp uSB port for charging tablets. The laptop compartment will accommodate laptops up to 15.5in x 10.5in x 1.5in. —JOSH MARkS
Name: HOUSE AD Width: 2.25" MORE10" THAN 100,000 JEWISH Depth: FRESHMEN WILL ATTEND Color:COLLEGE Black NEXT YEAR. Comment: REACH THEM AND THEIR Ad PARENTS Number:WITH - YOUR AD IN
GET WITH IT!
LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR JEWISH MEN
THE HILLEL COLLEGE GUIDE.
NFTY Scholarships ◆ USY Scholarships Hillel Grants ◆ Shabbaton Grants ◆ Jewish Endeavors Grants The Official Hille
l Guide to Jewish
Life on Campus
COLLEGE GUIDE
Scholarships and Grants:
FINDING THE RIGH T ISRAEL TRIP A WORLD OF OPT IONS: EXPLORATION OFF-CAMPUS THE TOP 60 SCH JEWS CHOOSE OOLS
Our Mission Sigma Alpha Mu’s mission is to foster the development of collegiate men and our alumni by instilling strong fraternal values, offering social and service opportunities, and teaching leadership skills. We continue to attract members of all beliefs who appreciate our great heritage as a fraternity of Jewish men. Call: 317-789-8338 ◆ E-Mail: SAMHQ@sam.org ◆ Visit: www.sam.org ◆ Follow: SAMHQ
UE ISS AL R U UG INA SPRING 2015
The Hillel College Guide reaches a readership collectively untouched by other publications, touching on the intersection of religion, identity and academics and how such concerns inform what has become one of the most important questions answered in a young man or woman’s life: Where should I go to college? Published biannually to future Jewish college students and their families coast to coast, the publication will help burgeoning men and women choose a school based upon reliable information. From the best place to live a Jewish life to the college most noted for its social activism to where you’re most likely to find your future match, the Hillel College Guide will encapsulate what it means to be a Jewish student in the 21st century.
DON’T MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY!
At the University of Richmond, our campus rabbi is fostering a dynamic community through holiday and Shabbat observances, social and cultural events, and international travel, all embedded in a top-ranked liberal arts education. C H A P L A I N C Y. R I C H M O N D . E D U / J E W I S H - L I F E
Advertise in the Fall/Winter 2015 issue of the Hillel College Guide Space deadline: Oct. 14 Publication date: Nov. 20, 2015 Contact Stephanie Shapiro at 410-902-2309 or email sshapiro@midatlanticmedia.com today to reserve your space.
COLLEGE GUIDE
Integrating a vibrant Jewish life with a distinctive liberal arts experience
The Official Hillel Guide to Jewish Life on Campus
hillel.org/guide 41
BY THE NUMBERS
Top 60 Public Schools Jews Choose RANK UNIVERSITY, CITY, STATE
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ Dw University of Central Florida, Oviedo, FL w University of Maryland, College Park, MD Dw Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA Dw University of Florida, Gainesville, FL D University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI D Indiana University, Bloomington, IN University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI Dw CUNY, Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY D Queens College, Flushing, NYw Arizona State University, Tempe, AZw Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY California State University, Northridge, CA D Florida International University, North Miami Beach, FL D McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI Dw University at Albany, Albany, NY D University of Texas, Austin, TX D University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL Dw Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL Ohio State University, Columbus, OH Dw University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ D University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada D York University, Toronto, ON, Canada University of California, Santa Barbara, Isla Vista, CA w McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada Dw University of California, Berkeley, CA D University of California, Davis, Davis, CA D University of California, Los Angeles, CA D University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA D Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL Dw Santa Fe College, Gainesville, FL D Los Angeles Pierce College, Woodland Hills, Northridge, CA D Towson University, Towson, MD Dw Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY University at Buffalo, Amherst, NY D University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT D University of Delaware, Newark, DE University of Georgia, Athens, GA University of Vermont, Burlington, VT University of Washington, Seattle, WA w Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA Dw Los Angeles Valley College, Van Nuys, Northridge, CA D Temple University, Main and Ambler, Philadelphia, PA D Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY D University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA Dw CUNY, Baruch College, New York, NY Dw University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA D University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS University of Oregon, Eugene, OR CUNY, Hunter College, New York, NY Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada w San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA D University of Houston, Houston, TX University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN D University of Toronto, St. George, Toronto, ON, Canada University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA w San Diego State University, San Diego, CA D James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA
HILLEL NAME
UNDERGRADUATE POPULATION
JEWISH UNDERGRADUATES
JEWISH UNDERGRADUATE %
GRADUATE POPULATION
rutgers university hillel foundation central florida hillel university of maryland hillel penn state hillel university of florida hillel university of michigan hillel indiana university hillel hillel at the university of wisconsin the tanger hillel at brooklyn college Queens college hillel arizona state university hillel hillel at binghamton hillel 818 - csun yaD - hillel of north miami beach mcmaster hillel lester and Jewell morris hillel university at albany hillel texas hillel foundation cohen hillel hillel at florida state university found. ohio state university hillel university of arizona hillel foundation western hillel hillel at york university santa barbara hillel hillel montreal u.c. berkeley hillel hillel at Davis and sacramento ucla hillel amherst hillel hillel of broward and palm beach university of florida hillel hillel 818 - csun hillel of towson university Queensborough community college hillel hillel of buffalo c u boulder hillel hillel at the university of connecticut university of Delaware hillel university of georgia hillel hillel at the university of vermont university of washington hillel hillel at virginia tech hillel 818 - csun hillel at temple university stony brook hillel hillel Jewish university center of pitts. baruch college hillel santa cruz hillel university of Kansas hillel the oregon hillel foundation hunter college hillel hillel at ryerson san francisco hillel houston hillel university of minnesota hillel hillel at the university of toronto hillel Jewish center hillel of san Diego at sDsu James madison university hillel
33900 51269 26658 40085 33168 28283 36862 31319 13596 15351 67507 12997 33398 39045 25000 38786 12822 39979 32695 32528 44201 31565 30000 47000 19362 26725 25951 26663 29663 22134 24246 24000 21254 22449 14000 19500 25981 18032 17000 26278 10912 29754 24034 19227 28068 16159 18615 14082 15695 18762 20797 16689 22200 25000 31587 34469 67926 16087 27809 17000
6400 6000 5800 5000 5000 4500 4200 4200 4000 4000 3500 3500 3500 3500 3500 3500 3500 3500 3250 3220 3200 3000 3000 3000 2750 2500 2500 2500 2500 2500 2424 2400 2300 2300 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 1800 1750 1700 1700 1600 1600 1600 1600 1500 1500 1500 1500 1500 1500 1400 1215 1200
19 12 22 12 15 16 11 13 29 26 5 27 10 9 14 9 27 9 10 10 7 10 10 6 14 9 10 9 8 11 10 10 11 10 14 10 8 11 12 8 18 7 8 9 6 11 9 11 10 9 8 9 7 6 5 4 2 9 4 7
14136 8471 10614 6530 16710 15427 9955 11956 3408 3623 15594 3080 4912 8691
D Denotes campuses that have Jewish agency for israel fellows to hillel. w Denotes campuses recognizeD for achievement by other hillels.
42
• Jewish Life on Campus
11299 4516 12080 12247 8381 13265 7162 3500 6100 2863 9510 6644 13516 6384 4605
3720 9500 5721 7879 3700 8258 1811 14008 7171 9202 8202 10034 3423 1508 5673 3676 6330 2100 4762 7953 17384 15884 7377 4950 1136
JEWISH GRADUATE STUDENTS
JEWISH GRADUATE STUDENTS BY %
JEWISH COURSES
JEWISH STUDIES OFFERINGS
JEWISH EDUCATORS
ISRAEL ABROAD
KOSHER OPTIONS
% MALE
% FEMALE
1000 800 800 500 1500 2000 900 1000 500 331 340 250 650 160 200 500 1800 500 1000 888 350 300 500 500 450 1050 500 1050 600 500 460
7 9 8 8 9 13 9 8 15 9 2 8 13 2
50 15 40 80 77 120 60 75 43 46 40 30 25 15
yes
sponsored program
yes
sponsored & approved programs, study abroad credits sponsored programs, study abroad credits sponsored & approved programs, study abroad credits accepts credit for study abroad in israel
50 55 47 46 55 49 50 51 59 56 44 47 55 55
16 4 8 10
25 20 30 61 30 100 48 25 62 40 100 12 23 50 75 7
50 52 48 56 45 53 48 43 41 48 41 47 44 45 51 43
50 48 52 44 55 47 52 57 59 52 59 53 56 55 49 57
400
11
32
47 40
53 60
800 350 450 100 200 400 1000 200
8 6 6 3 2 22 7 3
1750 1200 500 300 151 100 250
19 15 5 9 10 2 7
10 15 5 20 20 8 15 10 14 35 6 30 14 32 10 15 30
54 55 51 43 43 44 48 59 40 49 54 50 52 47 51 48 35
46 45 49 57 57 56 52 41 60 51 46 50 48 53 49 52 65
150 450 300 400 1500 600 300 40
7 9 4 2 9 8 6 4
yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes unknown yes yes yes yes no yes yes unknown yes yes yes yes yes yes yes no no yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes unknown no yes yes no no unknown no yes yes
50 45 53 54 45 51 50 49 41 44 56 53 45 45
4 40 4 8 11 3 4 14 8 16 11
minor, major minor minor, major minor, major minor, major minor, major minor, major, certificate minor, major, certificate minor, major minor, major major minor, major minor, major minor minor certificate minor minor, major minor, major certificate, other minor, major minor, major minor, major minor, major, certificate minor minor, major, certificate certificate minor, major minor, major minor, major minor, major none none minor, other none minor, major major minor, major minor other minor minor, major minor, major minor, major certificate minor certificate, other minor major minor major minor, major none minor, major minor minor, major minor, major minor, major minor, major none
43 50 49 44 45 45
57 50 51 56 55 55
40 12 10 60 40 15 8
yes yes yes yes yes yes
yes yes yes yes
sponsored & approved programs approved programs approved programs, study abroad credits sponsored program sponsored & approved programs, study abroad credits sponsored & approved programs, study abroad credits
sponsored & approved programs, study abroad credits accepts credit for study abroad in israel sponsored & approved programs, study abroad credits sponsored program
yes sponsored programs, study abroad credits yes yes yes yes
sponsored & approved programs, study abroad credits sponsored & approved programs, study abroad credits
yes yes yes
sponsored program
yes
sponsored & approved programs, study abroad credits unknown accepts credit for study abroad in israel
sponsored program yes
yes
yes yes yes yes yes yes yes
sponsored & approved programs, study abroad credits accepts credit for study abroad in israel
approved programs sponsored program approved programs, study abroad credits approved programs, study abroad credits sponsored program
yes
yes
approved programs sponsored & approved programs, study abroad credits approved programs sponsored program
yes
*Estimated population figures and other campus information are self-reported by local campus Hillels. for more information on Jewish life at colleges and universities around the world, visit hillel.org/guide.
hillel.org/guide 43
BY THE NUMBERS
Top 60 Private Schools Jews Choose RANK UNIVERSITY, CITY, STATE
HILLEL NAME
UNDERGRADUATE POPULATION
JEWISH UNDERGRADUATES
JEWISH UNDERGRADUATE %
GRADUATE POPULATION
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
nyu hillel, bronfman center boston university hillel foundation yeshiva university (yu) cornell hillel hillel at the george washington university syracuse university hillel university of pennsylvania hillel columbia/barnard hillel tulane hillel emory hillel hillel at the university of miami university of southern california hillel found. hillel at brandeis university harvard hillel american university hillel university of hartford hillel st. louis hillel at washington university yale university hillel fiedler hillel at northwestern university hofstra university hillel tufts university hillel foundation hillel of long island university vanderbilt hillel columbia/barnard hillel brown risD hillel northeastern university hillel hillel at Drexel university hillel at the university of rochester oberlin college hillel lehigh university hillel society university of chicago hillel muhlenberg college hillel hillel at the claremont colleges Jewish life at Duke hillel at stanford wesleyan Jewish community metro chicago hillel central florida hillel princeton hillel, center for Jewish life elon university hillel hillel at ithaca college Johns hopkins university hillel hillel of broward and palm beach georgetown hillel hillel Jewish university center of pittsburgh pace university hillel skidmore hillel hillels of the florida suncoast vassar Jewish union Dartmouth hillel goucher college hillel bentley university hillel clark university hillel franklin & marshall hillel hillel foundation of orange county emerson college hillel m.i.t. hillel middlebury college hillel Quinnipiac hillel houston hillel
22615 16512 3076 14393 10357 15097 9712 8800 8352 7836 11380 18445 3614 6722 7083 4700 7336 5430 9400 6826 5232 5006 6835 2500 6455 17107 16616 6117 2894 4766 5659 2448 6000 6471 7065 2906 16917 13000 5323 5782 6234 5185 5739 7636 6306 4763 2600 5600 2400 4276 1449 4253 2380 2400 6000 2900 4528 2400 4750 3965
6000 3500 3076 3000 3000 2500 2500 2400 2250 2100 2000 2000 1750 1675 1600 1500 1500 1500 1400 1350 1250 1200 1050 1000 1000 1000 900 900 850 800 800 750 700 700 700 680 677 650 650 600 600 600 574 550 500 500 500 500 500 450 450 400 400 370 350 350 350 350 350 350
27 21 100 21 29 17 26 27 27 27 18 11 48 25 23 32 20 28 15 20 24 24 15 40 15 6 5 15 29 17 14 31 12 11 10 23 4 5 12 10 10 12 10 7 8 10 19 9 21 11 31 9 17 15 6 12 8 15 7 9
21984 14032 3859 7200 14907 6170 11646 17100 5110 6677 5555 22923 2211 3971 5082 1633 6696 6679 11839 4102 5651 3477 5922
30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
New York University, New York, NY Boston University, Boston, MA Yeshiva University, New York, NY Cornell University, Ithaca, NY Dw George Washington University, Washington, DC D Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA D Columbia University, New York, NY D Tulane University, New Orleans, LA Dw Emory University, Atlanta, GA University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL D University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA Dw Brandeis University, Waltham, MA Harvard University, Cambridge, MA American University, Washington, DC D University of Hartford, West Hartford, CT Washington University, St. Louis, MO Yale University, New Haven, CT Northwestern University, Evanston, IL w Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY Tufts University, Medford, MA Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus, Brooklyn, NY Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN Barnard College, New York, NY D Brown University, Providence, RI w Northeastern University, Boston, MA Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA University of Rochester, Rochester, NY Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA University of Chicago, Chicago, IL w Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA Claremont Colleges, Claremont, CA Duke University, Durham, NC D Stanford University, Stanford, CA D Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT DePaul University, Chicago, IL Dw Full Sail University, Oviedo, FL w Princeton University, Princeton, NJ Dw Elon University, Elon, NC Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY Dw Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD Dw Nova Southeastern University, Boca Raton, FL Dw Georgetown University, Washington, DC Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA Dw Pace University, New York, NY Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY University of Tampa, Tampa, FL Dw Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH Goucher College, Baltimore, MD Dw Bentley University, Waltham, MA Clark University, Worcester, MA Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, PA Chapman University, Irvine, CA D Emerson College, Boston, MA Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA w Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT Quinnipiac University, Hamden, CT Rice University, Houston, TX
D Denotes campuses that have Jewish agency for israel fellows to hillel. w Denotes campuses recognizeD for achievement by other hillels.
44
â&#x20AC;˘ Jewish Life on Campus
2488 7638 9516 4843 17 2100 6880 1000 8379 11075 299 6882 2691 701 489 20031 21069 10213 6685 3000 700 2066 662 1304 1171 1000 900 6773 1500 2663
JEWISH GRADUATE STUDENTS
JEWISH GRADUATE JEWISH STUDENTS % COURSES
JEWISH STUDIES OFFERINGS
JEWISH EDUCATORS
ISRAEL ABROAD
KOSHER OPTIONS
% MALE
% FEMALE
5000 500 780 500 1500 500 3000 5000 500 600 1500 1500 445 2500 1100 350 800 1500 1200 1500 500 300 200
23 4 20 7 10 8 26 29 10 9 27 7 20 63 22 21 12 22 10 37 9 9 3
yes
sponsored program sponsored & approved programs, study abroad credits
8 4
150
3
100 1500
5 22
100 700 1100 10 412
10 8 10 3 6
yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes unknown yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes
40 40 53 50 45 45 50 53 42 43 49 49 43 52 39 50 50 51 49 46 49 30 50
200 300
49 50 53 49 46 57 53 41 52 50 53 48 46
60 60 47 50 55 55 50 47 58 57 51 51 57 48 61 50 50 49 51 54 51 70 50 100 51 50 47 52 54 43 47 59 48 50 47 52 54
250 40 25 2000 2106 1000 300
9 6 5 10 10 10 4
major minor, major minor, major minor, major minor, major minor, major minor, major minor, major, other minor, major minor, major minor, major minor minor, major major minor, major major minor, major minor, major minor, major minor, major minor, major none minor, major minor, major major minor, major minor minor minor, major minor minor, major minor, major minor, major certificate minor, major major minor none minor, certificate minor minor minor, major none minor, certificate none
51 41 44 51
49 59 56 49
55 57
43
51 34
49 66
42 48
58 52
55 50
45 50
51
49
100 200 20 50
5 30 2 4
50
5
600
9
50 200
3 8
70 65 138 46 30 20 50 25 50 61 15 14 60 40 25 20 60 50 35 14 25 35 25 30 38 5 8 23 29 30 25 20 16 50 15 10 20 30 12 17 20 4 8 8 5 20 10 28 4 19 15 3 1 1 12 1 23
yes yes yes yes yes yes
approved programs, study abroad credits yes yes
yes yes yes yes yes
yes yes
study abroad credits sponsored program sponsored program sponsored program sponsored program
approved programs, study abroad credits
yes yes
sponsored & approved programs, study abroad credits
yes
sponsored program sponsored program approved programs approved programs study abroad credits approved programs
yes yes yes yes
unknown yes yes yes yes yes yes
other yes minor, major minor minor none minor, major major minor, other none none minor certificate minor
approved programs, study abroad credits sponsored program
yes yes yes
sponsored program study abroad credits approved programs unknown
unknown unknown
approved programs sponsored program approved programs
yes yes yes yes
yes yes yes yes no 45 yes yes
sponsored program
yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes unknown yes yes
*Estimated population figures and other campus information are self-reported by local campus Hillels. for more information on Jewish life at colleges and universities around the world, visit hillel.org/guide.
hillel.org/guide 45
BY THE NUMBERS
Top 60 Schools Jews Choose (A breakdown by percentage) RANK UNIVERSITY, CITY, STATE
HILLEL NAME
PUBLIC OR PRIVATE?
UNDERGRADUATE POPULATION
JEWISH UNDERGRADUATES
JEWISH UNDERGRADUATE %
GRADUATE POPULATION
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
yeshiva university (yu) Jewish theological seminary of america (Jts) american Jewish university (aJu) hillel at brandeis university columbia/barnard hillel university of hartford hillel muhlenberg college hillel goucher college hillel hillel at the george washington university oberlin college hillel the tanger hillel at brooklyn college yale university hillel nyu hillel, bronfman center columbia/barnard hillel tulane hillel emory hillel hillels of westchester hillel at binghamton university at albany hillel university of pennsylvania hillel Queens college hillel harvard hillel haverford hillel tufts university hillel foundation hillel of long island university hampshire college hillel american university hillel wesleyan Jewish community university of maryland hillel boston university hillel foundation cornell hillel vassar Jewish union st. louis hillel at washington university hofstra university hillel skidmore hillel rutgers university hillel foundation hillel at the university of miami hillel at the university of vermont syracuse university hillel lehigh university hillel society clark university hillel Kenyon college hillel bryn mawr college hillel union college hillel university of michigan hillel hillel at oswego Jsu fiedler hillel at northwestern university vanderbilt hillel brown risD hillel hillel at the university of rochester franklin & marshall hillel middlebury college hillel university of florida hillel university of chicago hillel mcmaster hillel santa barbara hillel Queensborough community college hillel trinity college hillel amherst hillel hillel at the university of wisconsin
private private private private private private private private private private public private private private private private private public public private public private private private private private private private public private private private private private private public private public private private private private private private public public private private private private private private public private public public public private private public
3076 200 110 3614 2500 4700 2448 1449 10357 2894 13596 5430 22615 8800 8352 7836 1300 12997 12822 9712 15351 6722 1187 5232 5006 1350 7083 2906 26658 16512 14393 2400 7336 6826 2600 33900 11380 10912 15097 4766 2380 1650 1328 2168 28283 6400 9400 6835 6455 6117 2400 2400 33168 5659 25000 19362 14000 2331 1700 31319
3076 200 110 1750 1000 1500 750 450 3000 850 4000 1500 6000 2400 2250 2100 350 3500 3500 2500 4000 1675 300 1250 1200 325 1600 680 5800 3500 3000 500 1500 1350 500 6400 2000 2000 2500 800 400 275 200 350 4500 1050 1400 1050 1000 900 370 350 5000 800 3500 2750 2000 300 225 4200
100 100 100 48 40 32 31 31 29 29 29 28 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 26 26 25 25 24 24 24 23 23 22 21 21 21 20 20 19 19 18 18 17 17 17 17 17 16 16 16 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 14 14 14 14 13 13 13
3859 295 125 2211
Yeshiva University, New York, NY Jewish Theological Seminary of America, New York, NY American Jewish University, Bel Air, CA Brandeis University, Waltham, MA Barnard College, New York, NY D University of Hartford, West Hartford, CT Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA Goucher College, Baltimore, MD Dw George Washington University, Washington, DC D Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH CUNY, Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY D Yale University, New Haven, CT New York University, New York, NY Columbia University, New York, NY D Tulane University, New Orleans, LA Dw Emory University, Atlanta, GA Sarah Lawrence College, Purchase, NY Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY University at Albany, Albany, NY D University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA D Queens College, Flushing, NY w Harvard University, Cambridge, MA Haverford College, Haverford, PA Tufts University, Medford, MA Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus, NY Hampshire College, Amherst, MA American University, Washington, DC D Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT University of Maryland, College Park, MD Dw Boston University, Boston, MA Cornell University, Ithaca, NY Dw Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY Washington University, St. Louis, MO Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ Dw University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL D University of Vermont, Burlington, VT Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA Clark University, Worcester, MA Kenyon College, Gambier, OH Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, PA Union College, Schenectady, NY University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI D SUNY College at Oswego, Oswego, NY Northwestern University, Evanston, IL w Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN Brown University, Providence, RI w University of Rochester, Rochester, NY Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, PA Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT University of Florida, Gainesville, FL D University of Chicago, Chicago, IL w McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada University of California, Santa Barbara, Isla Vista, CA w Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY Trinity College, Hartford, CT Amherst College, Amherst, MA University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI Dw
D Denotes campuses that have Jewish agency for israel fellows to hillel. w Denotes campuses recognizeD for achievement by other hillels.
46
â&#x20AC;˘ Jewish Life on Campus
1633 662 14907 17 3408 6679 21984 17100 5110 6677 340 3080 4516 11646 3623 3971 5651 3477 5082 299 10614 14032 7200 6696 4102 14136 5555 1811 6170 2100 1171 410 15427 1440 11839 5922 2488 4843
16710 6880 2863 91 20 11956
JEWISH GRADUATE JEWISH GRADUATE STUDENTS STUDENTS %
JEWISH COURSES
JEWISH STUDIES OFFERINGS
780 295 125 445
20 100 100 20
350
21
200 1500
30 10
500 1500 5000 5000 500 600 100 250 1800 3000 331 2500
15 22 23 29 10 9 29 8 40 26 9 63
minor, major minor, major minor, major minor, major minor, major major minor, major minor minor, major minor, major minor, major minor, major major minor, major, other minor, major minor, major minor, major minor, major minor minor, major minor, major major
500 300
9 9
138 150 50 60 25 20 25 28 30 23 43 50 70 25 50 61 20 30 20 50 46 40 5 25
1100 10 800 500 500
22 3 8 4 7
800 1500
12 37
1000 1500 400 500 100 50
7 27 22 8 5 4
2000
13
1200 200 200 150
10 3 8 3
1500 1500 200 450
1000
4 25 15 40 65 46 20 60 14 8 50 15 8 20 29 19 5 3 20 120
9 22
35 35 30 8 15 12 77 30
16
40
8
10 4 75
minor, major none minor, major minor, major major minor, major minor, major minor, major minor, major minor, major minor, major other minor, major minor, major minor minor, major minor minor, major other minor minor, major none minor, major minor, major major minor major minor minor, major minor, major minor minor none minor, major other minor, major, cert.
JEWISH ISRAEL EDUCATORS ABROAD
yes yes
yes yes yes yes yes yes yes
accepts credit sponsored program sponsored program approved programs
approved programs sponsored program
sponsored & approved programs, study abroad credits yes yes yes yes yes yes
yes yes
sponsored program approved programs, study abroad credits
sponsored program approved programs sponsored & approved programs, study abroad credits sponsored & approved programs, study abroad credits
yes yes yes
approved programs
yes
sponsored program approved programs, study abroad credits sponsored & approved programs, study abroad credits approved programs, study abroad credits
yes
sponsored program
yes
study abroad credits
yes
sponsored program
yes yes
approved programs, study abroad credits study abroad credits
yes yes
sponsored & approved programs, study abroad credits sponsored program
yes
sponsored & approved programs, study abroad credits university approved programs
yes
sponsored & approved programs
KOSHER OPTIONS
% MALE
% FEMALE
yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes unknown yes unknown yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes unknown yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes unknown yes yes unknown yes yes yes yes yes
53 46 41 43 50 41 34 45 46 41 51 40 53 42 43 28 53 52 50 44 52 47 49 30
47 54 59 57 100 50 59 66 55 54 59 49 60 47 58 57 72 47 48 50 56 48 53 51 70
39 48 53 40 50
61 52 47 60 50
50 46
50 54
50 49 44 45 57 42 47 54 51
50 51 56 55 43 58 53 100 46 49
49 50 49 49 48 50 45 53
51 50 51 52 52 50 55 47
48
52
52
48
49
51
*Estimated population ďŹ gures and other campus information are self-reported by local campus Hillels. for more information on Jewish life at colleges and universities around the world, visit hillel.org/guide.
hillel.org/guide 47
MARKETPLACE Arizona State University and Hillel at ASU offer students: • a Center for Jewish Studies • an undergraduate Jewish Studies degree, minor and certificate • hundreds of social, cultural, educational, political and religious opportunities each school year • study abroad and travel scholarships • partnership with Ben Gurion University
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hillelasu.org
Jewish students at Miami University are…
• Building Relationships • Creating Partnerships • Exploring New Opportunities • Networking • Supporting Israel • Becoming Tomorrow’s Leaders • Impacting the World • Celebrating Jewish Life
We are a community of 1000 Jewish students and a vital partner with the University. We are the central hub for Jewish life at Miami, a place where all Students feel at home. We are…
AT MIAMI UNIVERSITY
Phone: 513.523.5190 E-mail: admin@muhillel.org Website: www.muhillel.org Facebook: Hillel: Miami University Smartphone App: Hillel Miami University
to live in theTau light of Epsilon Phi Fraternity, Inc Name: FRIENDSHIP Width: to walk in the3.438" path of CHIVALRY Depth: 2.37" to serve for the love of Color: Black SERVICE Brotherhood Comment: 1/8 PageBuilding Color; Hillel Since Int'l1910 Ad Number: 10010847 ARE YOU:
Florida State University Is Home to Nearly 4000 FSJews
Undergraduate & Graduate Programs In Faculties of Liberal Arts, Fine Arts, & Education
A TEΦ Alumnus? Please visit www.tep.org/alumnus-information
Israel and Golda Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Studies
Interested in joining a current TEΦ Chapter? Please visit www.tep.org/future-brothers
www.tep.org
Interested in starting a TEΦ Chapter on your campus? Please visit www.tep.org/start-a-new-chapter
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(YOU, continued from page 35) “You have to prioritize,” he explains. “Decide for yourself if Shabbat is more important to you than a basketball or football game. People at KU are very accepting of decisions [around faith].” He’s had time to witness that firsthand by exploring some of his friends’ backgrounds and sharing his Judaism in return. “I attended a Bible study with some Christians; I’m going to a Catholic service with friends; I’ve been to a Society of Black Engineers meeting,” he says. “I’m taking advantage of opportunities to get to know other cultures.” Over on the West Coast, the University of California system is known for its academic rigor and attracts students from all over the globe. Ari Goldstein, a rising sophomore at UC Santa Cruz, which has significant Latino and Asian populations, says for him, “it’s really important to stay Jewish in a community that is multicultural and to represent my culture amongst all the other ones.” For Goldstein, that means being a brother of Alpha Epsilon Pi, participating
in a Hillel alternative break service trip to Guatemala and participating in crosscultural events, like a Persian New Year celebration in which the host prepared traditional foods and spoke of the significance of how a New Year’s table is laid out, and the students shared their Shabbat customs. Juggling his Jewish identity with his student life hasn’t been too difficult, he says, because he has experience balancing the secular and Jewish parts of his life. A former member of NFTY and Jewish summer camper, he now divides his time between school, fraternity functions and the competitive Ultimate Frisbee circuit. Goldstein advises future collegians to “get involved with something on campus just to meet people, even if you only do something for a quarter, do something socially to meet people. Whatever your passion is, go and try it.” At the University of Hartford in Connecticut, rising senior Jacob Greenberg of Baltimore studies vocal performance with a pre-cantorial
emphasis. When pledges of his fraternity, Alpha Epsilon Pi, ask him why he chose his major he replies, “It combines my two passions in life, which are music and Judaism.” Greenberg, who served as a Peer Network Engagement Intern and organized an event open to the whole campus called Taste of Israel, has an interesting take on negotiating Jewish identity on campus. “I think one of the issues with maintaining Jewish identity in college is you get involved with so many things, and college is really a time when you find yourself,” he explains. “Sometimes there are days where you want to be Jewish and some days you want to have a strong identity as a bioengineering major or a student leader on campus. “College is about figuring out who you are, because all of your life you have your parents, your siblings, your teachers, but in college, it’s about you independently finding you,” he adds. “Do things that allow you to find you.” hillel.org/guide 49
REPAIRING THE WORLD Hillels for the socially minded student College students are saving lives through bone marrow donations. They are planting trees, volunteering in soup kitchens, and raising money for charity. And on Alternative Break experiences, they are immersing themselves in domestic and global communities in order to learn about and actively combat social justice issues. But students can’t do all of this amazing work alone. That’s where Hillel comes in. On these campuses across north America, students have access to a myriad of social action opportunities. If giving back to your community and the world is important to you, one of these schools could be your perfect match.
on the area around them through community service initiatives, fellowships and classes on social change.
beach cleanups to fixing up the homes of the elderly to serving meals at soup kitchens, everyone loves helping the local community.
MIZZOU HILLEL
TEXAS HILLEL
Since 2005, Hillel at the university of Missouri, Columbia (Mizzou), in partnership with the university’s Women’s Center and other campus groups, has hosted a Social Justice Seder combining the traditional Passover Seder meal with discussions about societal issues and messages of action and hope. Mizzou Hillel’s growing social action programming includes a weekly Hillel Sandwich lunch group and a new Alternative Break program with the Institute for Southern Jewish Life in Jackson, Miss.
The White Rose Society is Texas Hillel’s genocide awareness and Holocaust remembrance organization, focused on learning about and taking action against global injustice and human rights violations. It volunteers with local refugee rights organizations, educates about and acts for human rights campaigns and hosts domestic and international activists and genocide survivors to share their stories. During its annual “10,000 Roses” event, it distributes 10,000 roses across campus to represent the number of Jews murdered in one day in Auschwitz.
ISTOCk©RICHCAREy
HILLEL AT OHIO UNIVERSITY
ECKERD COLLEGE HILLEL
Scubi Jew is Eckerd College Hillel’s Scuba Club, working to inspire the next generation of young Jewish marine environmental activists. from diving with sharks in the Bahamas to restoring coral in key Largo, Scubi Jew is raising awareness of the threats to the world’s oceans through a Jewish prism. This summer, Scubi Jew is hosting a Jewish Scuba Camp for middle and high school students, and is running the first ever Taglit-Birthright “Israel underwater” trip. MARYLAND HILLEL
Maryland Hillel views social justice as one of its defining pillars. Through its extensive Alternative Break program, students have the opportunity to immerse themselves in new local and global communities in order to learn about and actively combat social justice issues, hear from experts and explore Jewish thoughts on social justice. In conjunction with the Break program, Maryland Hillel offers a plethora of local volunteer opportunities for students to make an immediate and on-going impact 50
• Jewish Life on Campus
Since 2009, Hillel at Ohio university has hosted hundreds of “Got Swabbed” bone marrow drives and entered more than 15,000 students, staff, faculty and community members into the national bone marrow registry through the Gift of Life Bone Marrow foundation (giftoflife.org/dc/hillelintl). Of those now in the registry, more than 25 members of the Ohio university family have donated their bone marrow and saved the lives of infants, teens, adults and elderly recipients. PENN STATE HILLEL
Penn State Hillel is an active partner in the Penn State IfC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon (THOn), the largest student-run philanthropy in the world. Raising funds and awareness for the fight against pediatric cancer, Hillel students are able to experience the value of charitable giving known as tzedakah. funds raised by Hillel students have paid for everything from birthday gifts to cancer treatments not covered by insurance. Since 1977, THOn has raised more than $127 million for the four Diamonds fund at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital. HILLEL OF SAN DIEGO
Through Mitzvah Day, now in its 18th year, Hillel of SD annually organizes 10 to 12 projects for upwards of 100 people. Participants include alumni and members of a variety of campus organizations. from
TUFTS HILLEL
“Read by the River” is Tufts Hillel’s campuswide initiative that celebrates the love of books and reading. Each spring, more than 200 students volunteer at a literacy carnival featuring fun reading-related activities in collaboration with local libraries and schools. The event welcomes 1,200 children kindergarten through fifth grade, and their families. UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT HILLEL
uvM Hillel students spend time serving their adopted community through a locally-based Alternative Break, exploring issues of food justice and food security through the Jewish lens of tzedek (justice). The student-designed trip works through a ladder of food justice, starting with emergency need and, as the week progresses, talking about the role of advocacy and policy making in influencing poverty and hunger. BRODY JEWISH CENTER, HILLEL AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
Since 2011, Challah for Hunger (challahforhunger.org) at uva has baked and sold more than 10,500 loaves of challah and raised $35,968 for hunger relief. Half of this money has been donated to the Blue Ridge Area food Bank, providing 61,932 meals for local residents, with the rest going to MAzOn: A Jewish Response to Hunger.
Name: HILLEL INTERNATIONAL Width: 7.001" Depth: 10" Color: Black Comment: Ad Number: -
hillel.org/guide 51
OU-JLIC:
Leading the way in Jewish Education & Communal Leadership
We are pleased to welcome
Boston University & Santa Monica College to our growing list of campuses.
THE ORTHODOX UNION is one of the largest investors in Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life. Through the OU-JLIC program more than ten thousand Jewish students have regularly engaged in substantive Jewish learning and growth while on campus. OU-JLIC provides avenues for spiritual development and exploration for Jewish Students from all backgrounds on our 23 campuses. We salute Hillel for our rich and critical partnership. %,1*+$0721 81,9(56,7< ǖǖ %26721 81,9(56,7< ǖǖ %5$1'(,6 81,9(56,7< %522./<1 &2//(*( ǖǖ &2/80%,$ 81,9(56,7< %$51$5' &2//(*( &251(// 81,9(56,7< ǖǖ '5(;(/ 81,9(56,7< ǖǖ 28Ǖ-/,& 2) *5($7(5 02175($/ 28Ǖ-/,& 2) *5($7(5 7252172 ǖǖ -2+16 +23.,16 81,9(56,7< ǖǖ 1<8 35,1&(721 81,9(56,7< ǖǖ 48((16 &2//(*( ǖǖ 587*(56 81,9(56,7< 6$17$ 021,&$ &2//(*( ǖǖ 8&/$ ǖǖ 81,9(56,7< 2) *8(/3+ ǖǖ 81,9(56,7< 2) ,//,12,6 81,9(56,7< 2) 0$5</$1' ǖǖ 81,9(56,7< 2) 0$66$&+86(776 81,9(56,7< 2) 3(116</9$1,$ ǖǖ 81,9(56,7< 2) :,6&216,1 ǖǖ <$/( 81,9(56,7<
HESHE AND HARRIET SEIF JEWISH
We can’t wait to see you on campus!
LEARNING INITIATIVE ON CAMPUS ______ IS A PROGRAM OF ______ THE ORTHODOX UNION IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HILLEL
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