Campus Confidential

Alt Break New Orleans: Not So Big, Not So Easy.

James Besser — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 17:50:26 +0000

Campus Confidential

Alex Rubin

Special to the Jewish Week

When one mentions New Orleans to anyone who has been there, they generally respond with stupor-induced memories of the French Quarter and vague recollections of jazz.

Hillel Jewish campus life Jewish Funds for Justice New Orleans

Finding Meaning in Miami

James Besser — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 03:30:08 +0000

Campus Confidential

Mara Markinson

Special to the Jewish Week

About three months ago, a close friend who attends the University of Delaware asked if I would like to accompany her school’s Hillel on an eight day trip to Miami, Florida. I could earn community service hours, and have an inexpensive vacation. I thought, “eight days in the Miami sun? I’m there!” and I signed up for the trip. What I thought would be a week of tanning on the beach was actually the most influential learning experience of my life.

Hillel Jewish campus life volunteerism

Queens College Hillel Social Justice Group Takes on Labor Violations

James Besser — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 19:40:34 +0000

Campus Confidential

Dasi Fruchter

Special to the Jewish Week

Two years ago, during my freshman year at Queens College, I found my passion for Jewish social justice when I started a Challah for Hunger chapter on campus, an organization that raises money and awareness for hunger and disaster relief through the production and sale of challah bread.

Weekly, a group of students gather to knead and braid dough and discuss social justice issues. The next day, the fresh bread is sold to Jews and non-Jews alike to benefit both Darfur relief efforts and local hunger initiatives.

campus activism Jewish life social justice Uri L’Tzedek

Fighting Fires at Home and Abroad

James Besser — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 19:00:41 +0000

Campus Confidential

David Meyer

Special to the Jewish Week

As the lights of the Chanukah candles burned, students took time from studying for finals to help deal with fires of a different sort on campus and in Israel. Anti-Semitism, anti-Israel activities, and the devastating impact of fires in Israel all intruded on pre-exam schedules.

Jewish activism Jewish campus life

A Generation 'Up for Grabs' at the GA

James Besser — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 14:24:41 +0000

Campus Confidential

Rachel Racoosin

Special to the Jewish Week

When protesters heckled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) General Assembly in New Orleans, the adults in the audience may have been surprised or even shocked. Many of the students in the 600-strong Hillel presence had a different reaction.

BD movement Hillel Jewish campus life JFNA pro-Israel activism

Speaking Out at Rutgers, Celebrating at USC and Syracuse

James Besser — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 15:10:49 +0000

Campus Confidential

David Meyer

Special to the Jewish Week

Hundreds of Jewish students will be in attendance at this week's General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America in New Orleans. And these future community leaders are getting real-world training in Jewish activism on campuses across the country.

BDS movement Hillel Jewish campus life Jewish Education Judaism

Disappearing Hillels, Invading Students and Killer Videos

James Besser — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 20:52:08 +0000

Campus Confidential

Meira Kirschbaum

Special to the Jewish Week

History is being made! The first woman-written Torah scroll made its worldwide debut on campus last week. The Big Easy is getting ready for the biggest onslaught of Jewish college students in its history. Two Hillels have disappeared from the map and students want to know why. And students at two Israeli universities produced must-watch videos from Israeli universities that feature air-guitaring professors, Albert Einstein, underwater camera work, roller ballet and, yes, more. They’ll make you go Gaga.

History is Written Into Parchment

Hillel Jewish Jewish campus life

Building Buildings, Creating Safe Environments

James Besser — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 13:42:58 +0000

Campus Confidential

Meira Kirschbaum

Special to the Jewish Week

The Jewish campus community continues to address the emotional and spiritual needs of students on campus in the wake of the suicide of Tyler Clementi at Rutgers. Hillels are taking the lead in creating accepting environments for students of all sexual preferences.

Gay rights Hillel holidays Jewish campus life

Campus Confidential: Fighting Gay Bashing, Football Scheduling Protests and More

James Besser — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 15:34:42 +0000

Campus Confidential

Meira Kirschbaum

Special to the Jewish Week

The future is happening now. In Manhattan’s Union Square, typical Sukkahs get a cool, modern makeover. Shabbat in a box is being handed out at the University of Southern California. Traditions are taking on a new twist as Jewish students incorporate interesting ideas to make the holidays more exciting. Jews and Muslims are taking on a modern and mature approach by sharing the holidays with each other.

Gay rights Hillel Jewish campus life Michael Oren Tyler Clementi

Ten Days of Awesomeness!

James Besser — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 20:08:03 +0000

Campus Confidential

Meira Kirschbaum

Special to the Jewish Week

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are holidays for deep reflection, confession and apology. This year, with the High Holy Days coinciding with major college football games, the beginning of the school year and other season-opening activities, students are contemplating what to do when conflicts arise – while university officials, from New York to Tennessee, are making this a season for saying they’re sorry.

education holidays Jewish life on campus Judaism

Back to School Campus Roundup

James Besser — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:37:45 +0000

Campus Confidential

David Meyer

Special to the Jewish Week

Young Jews across the country are leaving the careful watch of their parents this month and returning to their various campuses. For this year’s freshmen, Oreos have always been kosher, McDonald’s has always served bagels, and the Soviet Union is just another chapter in history textbooks.

education Hillel Jewish Jewish campus life Jewish students

An Uneasy Visit to Germany

James Besser — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:51:52 +0000

Campus Confidential

Daniella Bondar

Special to the Jewish Week

I stepped out of the airport onto the cobblestone road and gazed out onto the traffic crowding around me. People with their luggage running to get a taxi, tourists asking for directions, businessmen on the phone and lots of noise. I closed my eyes and opened them again. Why was I, the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, standing in front of Tegel Airport in Berlin, Germany?

Germany Jewish Judaism

Fish Balls for Breakfast: A Summer of Self-Discovery in China

James Besser — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 18:33:11 +0000

Campus Confidential

Riana Sarna

Special to the Jewish Week

I had a pretty typical summer for a recently graduated high school senior: working, going to the beach and catching up with friends and family. Perhaps more unusual was that I recently returned from a two-week program in China and I am preparing to leave on August 29th to spend the year on Young Judea Year Course in Israel.

china education Israel Jewish

CLIP: Leading Young Jews Into the Professional World

James Besser — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 15:09:06 +0000

Campus Confidential

Robyn Spector

Special to the Jewish Week

As an incoming sophomore at Brandeis University, an editor for a campus newspaper, a prospective business, psychology, undecided major and an active Jewish student on campus, my professional, extracurricular and Jewish worlds rarely overlap. But this summer, as one of 41 Jewish college students in the Collegiate Leadership Internship Program (CLIP), I am challenging myself to ask, “Why not?”

Collegiate Leadership Internship Program FEGS Jewish Jewish students New York New York University

Summer Interns in Chicago: Building a Community and Jewish Identity

James Besser — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 11:55:55 +0000

Campus Confidential

Spencer Parsons

Special to the Jewish Week

The 2010-2011 school year is likely to be a busy one for pro-Israel advocates on college campuses across North America. Jessica Ost, a rising junior at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, is spending her summer vacation preparing for the battles ahead.

Jessica is working with the Chicago Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), where she is learning Israel advocacy as well as other issues related to the Jewish community as part of the Harriet and Maurice Lewis Family Summer Intern Program, a project of Hillels of Illinois.

interns Jewish life on campus