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THE MANEATER | NEWS | N ovem ber 3, 2021 HILLEL SOCIAL
Hillel: A community that builds leadership opportunities
Hillel is a Jewish organization on campus that hosts events like Ice Cream Socials and Bagel Tuesdays with Holiday Service opportunities. BY PRAJUKTA GHOSH Reporter
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U Hillel is a student-run organization that helps Jewish students celebrate their community by putting on events throughout the year. Ben Shostak, the president of Hillel, oversees all the protocols that go into running the board, which includes programming and engagement.
Every Tuesday at University Avenue, Hillel gives out free bagels to all interested students. “We are the Hillel on campus, so we have a place for Jewish students on campus to come and gather, so we put on events like this throughout the year,” Shostak said. The organization is designed with the students on campus in mind; however, there are opportunities for commu-
nity members to participate in as well. “It’s mostly geared towards students, but we do have holiday services, and that’s open to everyone,” Shostak said. Shostak also said that due to the pandemic, Hillel organized many events last year via online meetings and members had less engagement and collaboration in-person. Jordan Kodner, a 2019 graduate and director of
Jewish Student Life, said Hillel’s main purpose is to make sure people have fun and feel comfortable being a proud member of the Jewish community. Kodner said Hillel runs their own internal programs like the Ice Cream Social, Bagel Tuesdays and free ship-out dinners that take place every Friday night. “We are on track to have over 100 programs this semester alone,” Kodner said. “But our
two biggest ones are Bagel Tuesdays from 9-11 [a.m.], which are free bagels for students who are in between classes or before classes, and the other one is free shipout dinners.” Kodner also said he loves working to create a welcoming environment for students. Jennah Klein, a programming intern at Hillel, said her job is to plan all the events and be present at them to
make sure they function smoothly. Klein said having a strong community where people can feel a sense of belonging is important, and she said Hillel was the place that made her feel at home. “Even if you’re not religious at all, you’re always encouraged to come and hang out here because we all are friends,” Klein said. Edited by Namratha Prasad, nprasad@themaneater.com
PHOTO BY LIZ TITTRINGTON A group of MU students socializes at an Ice Cream Social on Thursday, Sept. 9 at the Hillel Foundation in Columbia.
Secondhand store workers promote sustainability From THRIFT STORE on 4 “There’s a lot of ideas that secondhand clothes are gross or unsanitary,” Garcia-Rubio said. “Coming into a well-curated vintage shop shifts some of these perspectives about what quality is and what value means, and that’s what I’m trying to do here.”
Both Garcia-Rubio and Nissen’s motivations for being in the secondhand clothing industry lie in sustainability. Nissen said she thinks there is too much waste in today’s society. Garcia-Rubio feels strongly about sustainability in fashion. “Sustainability should be implemented in everything we do … but here in my
slice of the pie, I do my part through secondhand clothing,” Garcia-Rubio said. “A vintage piece is usually such a quality-made garment that it’s not going to get thrown in the trash or be ready for the trash bin any time soon.” Edited by Emmet Jamieson, ejamieson@themaneater.com
GRAPHIC BY OLIVIA GYAPONG
