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Lubavitch House at Penn
Perelman Center for Jewish Life
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College age students are at a crucial stage in their lives, forging their paths for the future and determining how Judaism will play a role in their future lives. Lubavitch House at Penn opens its doors to all Jewish students and provides a warm Jewish environment conducive to open exploration of our rich heritage.
3The Perelman Center for Jewish Life
Lubavitch House at Penn
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innovation 33 YEARS leadership community
Lubavitch House at Penn is more than just a great center serving Jewish students on campus. It is recognized as a cradle of innovation where groundbreaking programs are born, perfected, and then replicated all over the world. 1980 R. Menachem and Chava Schmidt begin working on campus 1982 Guideline is launched – first crisis-intervention hotline at Penn 1990 R. Ephraim and Flora Levin join Lubavitch House 1993 Michael Steinhardt seeds first peer to peer networking through Jewish Heritage Programs 1994 First JHP Israel Trips serve as a model for Birthright 4
1998 R. Schmidt plays an instrumental role in the formation of the Chabad on Campus International Foundation
2006 JHP interns start Healthy Living Programs 2008 Ground-breaking for Perelman Center for Jewish Life
2000 Rabbi Levi and Nechama Haskelevitch join the Lubavitch House at Penn team
2010 Women’s Resource Center is dedicated by the Kalander family
2004 Sinai Scholars Society learning program is launched
2013 Jewish Entrepreneurial Center is dedicated by the Mageman Family
2006 Building expansion begins with property purchase
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Dear Friends, Amazing things are happening for Jewish life at U of Penn. Lubavitch House is in the final stages of completing its new center, the Perelman Center for Jewish Life, which will build upon our previous achievements and usher in a new era for students on campus and beyond. The new center is both beautiful and functional, and will directly impact all of our programs, both qualitatively and quantitatively, as you will see in the pages ahead. Our activities include some of the most innovative projects in the country, and have revolutionized student programming around the world. Their growth means more goodness will be brought to the students who grace our campus. The center will also enable us to launch several new programs to meet the needs of our students, including the Women’s Resource Center and the Jewish Entrepreneurial Center, which will change even more lives in new and exciting ways. Behind the new home we’ve been building, there is a network of friends and alumni dedicated to helping our students connect to their heritage and each other. Thank you for being part of this robust group and helping us train and develop leaders who embrace Jewish identity and are highly attuned to community giving.Your support and personal example of this are major reasons we can leave lasting impressions on so many young Jews. We have accomplished an incredible amount so far. With our new home, we will be able to accomplish much more, but not without your help. Please continue to support our community in every way you can.Visit us and stay in touch — we and our students would love to see you. Become a mentor or volunteer so our students will see that Jewish identity, career success, and giving are entirely compatible. Contribute your talents and resources so together we can lay even stronger foundations for a Jewish future. Sincerely,
Rabbi Menachem Schmidt Executive Director
Rabbi Ephraim Levin Director
Rabbi Levi Haskelevich Campus Rabbi
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impact of the center
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on Jewish life at Penn
Shabbat & Holiday Hospitality
Center for Jewish Learning
Students enjoy the warmth of fresh-cooked meals, friends, and a welcoming environment that feeds their appetite for Jewish identity and community.
Unique Jewish study programs and one-on-one learning enmesh students in the richness of Judaism at their own levels. Sinai Scholars (created with Lubavitch House input) helps students discover their heritage, connects them at international symposiums, and helps them become Jewish leaders. The Rabbis will be more available for learning and able to hold more classes at the new building.
+100%
+250%
Weekly attendance will grow from 40-50 each week to 100
30 students participated in weekly Sinai Scholars sessions this year and 11 in individual learning. Our new home will raise participation to over 100 students.
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The new center will give Lubavitch House more time and space for students, which will increase both the quality and the number of participants in its programs.
Jewish Heritage Programs JHP is the first peer-to-peer programming model in the Jewish campus world. JHP provides resources for student leaders to develop their own Jewish programming, recruit friends, and build their own communities. Flagship programs: Shabbos for 2000, PB&J-a-thon to feed homeless, Shabbos dinners. The new center will serve as a vibrant new home for intern meetings and national HQ’s as JHP expands to more campuses.
+10%
Jewish Entrepreneurial Center Penn and Wharton are world famous for commerce and the entrepreneurial spirit, thousands of the best and brightest. We offer mentoring with legends including Michael Steinhardt, Marc Rowan, Apollo Global Management co-Founder and Wharton alumnus, as well as Senators, Congressmen, and influential women. Mentoring helps build personal network, job/life balance, and clear and strong message of Jewish identity. Students join the Mentoring effort after they graduate.
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JHP’s doubled New center meeting space will double will help increase student interns the students from 65 to 72 involved in Each new intern Mentoring can reach tens annually from to hundreds of more students, 115 students to raising students more than 200. engaged from 3,000 to 3,500. 7
Women’s Resource Center The Jewish Women’s Resource Center aims to connect and support Jewish Women at the University of Pennsylvania. Our goal is to provide women with the resources that will help them to learn how to integrate Jewish values and traditions into their pursuit of a career.
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Healthy Living Task Force
Counseling Services
Students are trained and organize a friend-tofriend network that supports and increases sensitivity toward peers struggling with mental health issues. The Task Force recently brought actress Brittany Snow to present her struggle with bullying and eating disorders.
Whatever their need, students know they have a place to turn to at Chabad for friendship, perspective and advice.
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200 trained students over 5 years. New building should increase students trained by 100%/year.
The new center will increase office hours and privacy, which will increase counseling hours from 75/year to 100/year
Graduate Student Programming At Penn, there are approximately the same number of graduate students as there are undergraduates, and Lubavitch House serves this population with specific program catering to their needs, interests, and social circles. “Grad students realize that Lubavitch House caters to them,” says Josh Luger, a Grad Student, “As a result they come out to additional events and participate in more Jewish activities.”
+15% 575 participants annually. With the new center, over 650 students should benefit.
Birthright Israel
Student Leadership
BRI selected us as an original trip provider based on our experience bringing uninitiated college students on unique Israel trips. We’ve continued as a trip provider, sending more than 1,200 students on a life-changing trip.
Lubavitch House builds student leadership on 2 tracks. Students develop leadership while working with our Rabbis to promote Birthright Israel, Sinai Scholars, Matzah distribution and all our flagship programs. Students also develop, recruit, and own their unique Jewish programs through JHP.
+10% 90 students join trips in 2012. Over 100 expected in 2013.
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The new center will provide many more opportunities for students to get involved as leaders at Chabad.
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Legacy The Legacy Ark at Penn is the Aron Kodesh (Holy Ark) in the Beit Yaakov Synagogue at Penn.
A magnificently carved wooden masterpiece centrally displayed in the sanctuary, the Ark will serve as a spiritual and aesthetic focal point, and the central component of all major synagogue services.
The plaques on the Ark will honor the Penn community’s past, present, and future — connecting generations of the Penn community to our eternal heritage, the Torah, and to each other. As our community grows, more names are added, so that students studying at Penn will experience Jewish life in the same room where their parents and grandparents are honored. 10
Lubavitch House at Penn
Perelman Center for Jewish Life
Rabbi Menachem Schmidt, Executive Director | Rabbi Ephraim Levin, Director | Rabbi Levi Haskelevich, Campus Rabbi 12
215.222.3130
info@lubavitchhouse.com www.LubavitchHouse.com