http://jliconline.org/index.php/site/index/ en gellers@ou.org Copyright 2008 2008-08-13T14:16:00-05:00 http://www.jliconline.org/index.php/blog_entry/were_on_facebook/ http://www.jliconline.org/index.php/blog_entry/were_on_facebook/#When:13:16:00Z JLIC now has an online fan club through Facebook. The purpose of this group is for students, parents, alumni and friends of our program to keep in touch with JLIC, to stay updated about our successes and growth, and to show support. The fan club includes much of the information on this site as well as links to programmatic grants and Torah resources. We are excited to gather a list of people who are involved with and interested in JLIC and want to be updated about our program. Join the club, write on our wall and participate in our discussion board!JLIC now has an online fan club through Facebook.  The purpose of this group is for students, parents, alumni and friends of our program to keep in touch with JLIC, to stay updated about our successes and growth, and to show support.  The fan club includes much of the information on this site as well as links to programmatic grants and Torah resources.  We are excited to gather a list of people who are involved with and interested in JLIC and want to be updated about our program. Join the club, write on our wall and participate in our discussion board! National Blog, All Campuses 2008-08-13T13:16:00-05:00 http://www.jliconline.org/index.php/blog_entry/brandeis_alumni_shabbaton/ http://www.jliconline.org/index.php/blog_entry/brandeis_alumni_shabbaton/#When:16:34:00Z Brandeis JLIC sponsored a Senior-Alumni Shabbaton the weekend of March 28-29, 2008. The Shabbaton, which was a central part of the Brandeis JLIC’s Senior Seminar series, brought six recent Orthodox alumni back to campus as a resource for this year’s huge observant senior class as they move on to the next chapter of their lives, whether graduate or professional school or work...Brandeis JLIC sponsored a Senior-Alumni Shabbaton the weekend of March 28-29, 2008.  The Shabbaton, which was a central part of the Brandeis JLI’s Senior Seminar series, brought six recent Orthodox alumni back to campus as a resource for this year’s huge observant senior class as they move on to the next chapter of their lives, whether graduate or professional school or work.  Among the six alumni were medical, law, rabbinical, and graduate students, as well as two alums who are in the working world in education and public administration.  They included students who are currently in New York, Philadelphia, and St. Louis.  Some of the students were raised observant, while others became observant before, during, and/or after Brandeis.  The shabbaton included a Friday night oneg with an Alumni Panel Question and Answer session.  The panel was followed by a very successful Senior-Alumni shabbat lunch attended by over seventy people.  This lunch provided another opportunity for students to ask alumni questions as well as to hang out with alumni friends who are not able to return to Brandeis very often.  One senior concluded, “a lot of the seniors during lunch and afterwards (myself included) commented on what a good time they were having and how they enjoyed being united as a class.  Thank you for making that possible.  Hopefully future classes can do the same.” National Blog, Brandeis University 2008-05-05T16:34:00-05:00 http://www.jliconline.org/index.php/blog_entry/brandeis_tours_jewish_boston/ http://www.jliconline.org/index.php/blog_entry/brandeis_tours_jewish_boston/#When:16:27:00Z Rabbi Elliot Kaplowitz and Toby Goldfisher Kaplowitz of the Jewish Learning Initiative at Brandeis took over two dozen students on a tour of Jewish Boston on Sunday, March 16, 2008. The tour was led by Professor Ellen Smith (NEJS) and gave students a taste of early as well as more recent Boston Jewish history...Rabbi Elliot Kaplowitz and Toby Goldfisher Kaplowitz of the Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus at Brandeis took over two dozen students on a tour of Jewish Boston on Sunday, March 16, 2008.  The tour was led by Professor Ellen Smith (NEJS) and gave students a taste of early as well as more recent Boston Jewish history.  The tour started at New England Holocaust Memorial, characterized by six blue-tinted, internally lit glass towers representing the six main Nazi death camps.  Professor Smith then led students through a walking tour of Boston’s West End to the historic Vilna Shul on Phillips Street in Beacon Hill.  Students then visited Maimonides School in Brookline, where they were treated to a catered meal from Ruth’s Kitchen (Brookline) and heard Rabbi Joseph Shapiro speak about the famed Rav Dr. Joseph Soloveitchik’s role in the 20th century Boston Jewish community.  Students gave rave reviews about the tour, which may have been just the first in a series of Brandeis JLIC-sponsored tours about Boston Jewish history National Blog, Brandeis University 2008-05-05T16:27:00-05:00 http://www.jliconline.org/index.php/blog_entry/lshma_lecture_series_huge_success_at_nyu/ http://www.jliconline.org/index.php/blog_entry/lshma_lecture_series_huge_success_at_nyu/#When:12:34:02Z Since the beginning of the current spring semester, students at NYU have participated in the L’SHMA Lecture Series, an innovative lecture series that brings leading Orthodox rabbis, academicians, and thinkers to the Bronfman Center every Wednesday night to confront the opportunities and challenges that University life present to students. Funded in part by JLIC, L’SHMA students have heard topics on such wide ranging topics like “Homosexuality and Orthodoxy” delivered by Orthodox Union Executive Vice President Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Weinreb, “Can Talmud Be Studied in The University” taught be REITS Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Dr. Jeremy Weider, “What Would You Go To Jail For” delivered by Rabbi Avi Weiss, Dean and founder of YCT Rabbinical School, and “Can Mikvah Make Your Marriage Happier” taught by a Dr. Michelle Friedman who chairs the Pastoral Counseling Department at YCT Rabbinical School. Since the beginning of the current spring semester, students at NYU have participated in the L’SHMA Lecture Series, an innovative lecture series that brings leading Orthodox rabbis, academicians, and thinkers to the Bronfman Center every Wednesday night to confront the opportunities and challenges that University life present to students.  Funded in part by JLIC, L’SHMA students have heard topics on such wide ranging topics like “Homosexuality and Orthodoxy” delivered by Orthodox Union Executive Vice President Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Weinreb, “Can Talmud Be Studied in The University” taught be REITS Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Dr. Jeremy Weider, “What Would You Go To Jail For” delivered by Rabbi Avi Weiss, Dean and founder of YCT Rabbinical School, and “Can Mikvah Make Your Marriage Happier” taught by a Dr. Michelle Friedman who chairs the Pastoral Counseling Department at YCT Rabbinical School.  One of the cornerstones of the L’SHMA lecture series has been to involve the Judaic Studies faculty at NYU in the religious life of the Hillel.  David Avraham, an NYU Junior and one of the forces behind L’SHMA, recalled that “after spending two years in Israel before university, the transition was quite difficult.  In yeshiva, tens of rabbis are available to answer a wide array of questions.  In university, however, with only one or two university rabbis serving a community of over 500 students, we are fortunate to have professors who can be asked important religious questions.  My exposure to such professors through L’SHMA has allowed me to feel much more comfortable in approaching these professors and asking them to address my questions and concerns.” To accomplish this goal, L’SHMA recruited the Professor Lawrence Schiffman, Chairman of the Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies and an world expert on Jews in antiquity, to deliver a lecture on the topic “Who Was a Jew? Jewish Identity from Antiquity to the Present.” Several weeks later, Professor Micah Gottleib, who specializes in the Modern Jewish Thought spoke on the topic “Is the Torah Historically Accurate and Does it Matter?”, an issue that most Orthodox university students grapple with during their college years.  L’SHMA has been instrumental in developing a new culture of intellectual engagement and religious intensity on the NYU campus. One student described how his experiences has changed his college experience: “L’SHMA has allowed me to engage my peers in a new way; the weekly lecture often sparks dialogue and debate, whether after daily morning tefillah [prayer], in the Kosher cafeteria, on Shabbat, or even in class.” Similarly, Jordanna Birnbaum, Education Chair of Shalhevet, the Orthodox group on campus, commented that “L’SHMA lecture series has been an interesting and eye-opening experience for me.  I have met people from different religious backgrounds and I have developed a new sensitivity to controversial issues. L’SHMA has spurred conversations and debate around campus on topics that are intrinsic to our identity as the Jewish people. I feel more connected to the NYU Jewish community as we join together to explore different ideas.” Henriette Kadosh, an NYU undergraduate student from Englewood, also described how listening to speakers from a variety of viewpoints has deepened her understanding of Orthodoxy: “L’SHMA has been an eye opening series of lectures where I have had the privilege to hear a variety of Modern Orthodox issues from several unique and special speakers.  From conversion to feminism, it was interesting to learn about different approaches to these controversial issues.  Over the course of these lectures, I have gained insight into how to make a “modern orthodox” balance with what could be taken into extreme in our world today.” Another result of L’SHMA has been to attract new students to the Hillel community.  David Avraham commented that “by covering a diverse and provocative array of topics, L’SHMA has attracted a wide variety of students and community members.  I personally have met many new people through L’SHMA with whom I now have contact regarding the issues that we heard in the lecture.  For example, after a recent lecture by Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hirsch Weinreb ("Homosexuality and Orthodoxy: A Conversation"), I have had email contact with one of the community members who heard about the lecture from the Bronfman Center website; we have been back and forth about the issues that were discussed and debated in Rabbi Weinreb’s lecture.  L’SHMA has not been limited, for me, to Wednesday nights, but is an ongoing experience that will continue provoking my interests throughout and beyond the semester.” Follow-up has been important for sustaining the L’SHMA community.  All the lectures are digitally recorded and are accessible on the NYU Shalhevet website.  Additionally, and more importantly, L’SHMA lecturers make themselves accessible to students.  One student commented that “each lecturer has stayed after his or her lecture to speak one-on-one with students; many students now have relationships w/the lecturers.  I have been in contact with Elana Stein Hain who lectured on “Law, Narrative, or Mythology?  The Essential Characteristics of the Torah” on the topic ever since her lecture, and she has been more than willing to give her time to address my concerns, suggest reading materials, and continue the discussion that was sparked from her lecture.” National Blog, New York University 2008-04-09T12:34:02-05:00 http://www.jliconline.org/index.php/blog_entry/the_jlic_global_service_learning_fellowship/ http://www.jliconline.org/index.php/blog_entry/the_jlic_global_service_learning_fellowship/#When:17:15:00Z Mission: To invigorate and inspire Jewish college students to play a leadership role in active Jewish life, thereby revitalizing the religious experience of their campus communities. JOIN US!!!! The Global Service-Learning Fellowship-- Going on right now! Sponsored by The Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus – Orthodox Union Mission To invigorate and inspire Jewish college students to play a leadership role in active Jewish life, thereby revitalizing the religious experience of their campus communities. Goals: - To engage in high level textual Torah study that leads to a deeper appreciation of a Jewish lifestyle as well as improved learning skills. - To observe firsthand the impact of learning on volunteer service in order to reflect back on the texts learned. - To create a community of students committed to the ideals of chessed and Torah with the desire to continue their engagement in it. Structure: The program consists of 5 components: 1. Learning: Weekdays 9am – 1pm. Based in the Old City of Jerusalem, Fellows will participate in shiurim and collaboratively research topics such as chessed, the development of Oral Law and is relevance to our lives, and biblical topics.  All learning is text-based and will take place in a beit midrash environment. 2. Chessed (Service): Weekdays 2pm – 6pm. Fellows select from one of seven volunteer internship teams to join, in collaboration with the following organizations: Amit, One Family Fund, Yad Vashem, Best Buddies, The Kuppah, Ittim and Connections Israel 3. Evening programming: Fellows participate in workshops on various topics given by service activists and Torah educators who are experts in their fields. 4. Team-building touring: Once a week. Fellows embark on a hike or tour designed to engender a sense of teamwork while acquiring a new understanding of our Jewish connection to Eretz Yisrael. 5. Shabbat Programs: Complete Shabbat experiences in Jerusalem.  One Shabbat free.  Options to be set up with home hospitality with Israeli families (English or Hebrew speaking) in various communities throughout the country. Dates, Travel, and Accommodations June 30th – July 29th. Group flight available at a reduced rate. Cost: The Fellowship provides free residence in the Old City of Jerusalem, free group tours and Shabbat programs. The Fellowship does not cover the cost of food or flights, though scholarships are available. Staff: Michelle Sarna, M.S. Ed., is the Senior JLIC Educator at NYU. She is concurrently writing her dissertation at Fordham Graduate School of Education on emerging adulthood, religion, and emotional well-being. Michelle was featured in the New York Jewish Week as an exemplar of combining advanced education, motherhood, and the pastoral and educational responsibilities of her work. Michelle oversees the volunteer/internship element of the Fellowship. Rabbi Yehuda Sarna is the University Chaplain and JLIC Educator at New York University. Over the past few years, Rabbi Sarna guided the founding of Students Take Action Against Darfur Now at NYU, spear-headed a Muslim-Jewish service trip to New Orleans, and led an emergency delegation to Virginia Tech in the wake of the massacre. Rabbi Sarna oversees the educational component of the Fellowship. Rabbi Yisroel Porath is the director if JLIC at Rutgers university.  He served in the Nachal infantry unit of the Israeli Defense Forces and holds a B Ed in educational counseling.  Rabbi Porath has taught in various institutions in both the United States and Israel. Rabbi Porath oversees the touring and Shabbat experience of the Fellowship. Shoshana Porath is the Senior JLIC Educator at Rutgers University.  She holds degrees in Bible, Jewish History and Education.  Shoshana has taught in advanced learning programs for young women and adults in both the United States and Israel.  Shoshana oversees the women’s educational component of the Fellowship. National Blog, All Campuses 2008-04-02T17:15:00-05:00 http://www.jliconline.org/index.php/blog_entry/orthodox_campus_coalition_uniting_orthodox_jews_on_campuses_everywhere/ http://www.jliconline.org/index.php/blog_entry/orthodox_campus_coalition_uniting_orthodox_jews_on_campuses_everywhere/#When:12:49:00Z By Yoni Levinson, president of the Orthodox Community at Penn On a cold February Shabbat in 2005, Orthodox community leaders from six university campuses gathered together at NYU. They had a vision: an organization through with Orthodox students across the country could meet, interact and unite. And thus, the Orthodox Campus Coalition was born.By Yoni Levinson, president of the Orthodox Community at Penn On a cold February Shabbat in 2005, Orthodox community leaders from six university campuses gathered together at NYU.  They had a vision: an organization through with Orthodox students across the country could meet, interact and unite.  And thus, the Orthodox Campus Coalition was born. I attended the OCC’s kickoff shabbaton at Columbia University in the fall of 2006.  The stated purpose of the shabbaton was to tackle the Issues.  We had discussion groups about working in nondenominational Hillel communities, developing friendships with non-Jews, and approaches to academic Torah study.  We also reviewed the results of a Brandeis survey which asked Orthodox students questions relating to their experiences in college.  I left that shabbaton thinking that it was a good start, but needed a follow up. College communities, unfortunately, have two characteristics which made it especially difficult to get the OCC off the ground.  Firstly, they are transient.  Each semester, and certainly each new year, brings new members and new leadership.  There is often little communal memory, and an initiative that is championed by one board or president might easily be dropped or forgotten by the next.  Secondly, presidents, gabbais, and board members are generally busy enough keeping their own communities running; inter-communal programming is low on the agenda. And so, save an attempt to launch a website, the OCC remained on the back burner for about a year or so.  Some of its founding members graduated.  But the vision was still alive for many people, and I was one of them. Gabe Marans - president of Shalhevet, the Orthodox community at NYU - was another.  This past fall, he sent out an email to as many community leaders as possible calling to organize a second OCC shabbaton, this time at NYU.  He and I quickly began talking about our ideas for the shabbaton and for the OCC in general.  We wanted it to be a little different – more focused on how to build and strengthen communities and less focused on the academic/religious challenges that face the individual.  We wanted small groups from as many places as possible.  To that effect, Gabe and I both started calling up presidents and board members from other schools to ask them what they thought about the OCC. Hours of phone conversations later, it became clear that although each community had its own distinct personality, the community leaders generally had similar goals: create cultures of Torah learning and religious growth, provide social outlets and activities, and encourage unity instead of hashkafic fragmentation.  We therefore set aside Friday night to let people “compare notes” on issues and possibly suggest solutions to each others’ problems. The second aspect of the shabbaton was to think about ways in which we could promote events and activities between communities.  Some felt that intercampus initiatives should be a crucial part of the OCC, while others felt that they were somewhat unrealistic.  We scheduled a Shabbat afternoon brainstorming session to see what kind of ideas we could come up with. Gabe and I also enlisted the advice and support of Rabbi Dave Falsenthal of the OU, someone who has had extensive experience with campus leadership.  I met Rabbi Dave when he came to visit the University of Pennsylvania in the fall, and I could tell that he really understood the potential which lay in bringing these communities together.  Rabbi Dave attended the shabbaton, as did Rabbi Ilan Haber – the head of the OU’s JLIC program – as well as NYU’s Rabbi Yehuda Sarna, who agreed to lead a discussion after davening on Shabbat morning. The shabbaton was a success.  More than anything else, we opened our eyes to our brothers and sisters whose college experiences were so similar to our own.  The conversations that began over dinner stretched late into the night.  By the end of Shabbat, we may not have solved all our problems, but we had bonded together, and we had a direction. Since that Shabbat, we have been doing a lot of thinking about how to perpetuate that feeling of camaraderie and asking ourselves where to go next.  The new and improved OCC website is nearly ready for action.  In the month of February, the Orthodox Community at Penn (OCP) and Yavneh, the Orthodox community at Columbia University, organized a joint ski trip between the two communities.  Other ideas that have been suggested include an intercampus Sephardic shabbaton and an intercampus fundraiser to purchase a motorcycle for Magen David Adom.  I think that building up and developing the OCC is important for a number of reasons.  One is to show the Orthodox community at large that college campuses do not have to be places of isolation and distance from Torah and Judaism.  Rather, they can be places of learning and teaching – places where young committed Jews can grow in ways they might not elsewhere.  Just as a parent sending a child to a yeshiva in Israel knows that the child will be part of a whole culture of yeshivas, so too a university parent will know that his or her child is part of a very exciting and enriching network. However, the OCC excites me, personally, for another reason.  Campus communities exhibit many of the same characteristics as their “real,” permanent counterparts.  I see them as preludes to the Jewish communities that will shape the future, and their members as the Jewish leaders of tomorrow.  But campus communities are unique in that their melting pot nature forces their members to think critically about their identities as observant Jews.  Personal decisions have to be made by individuals, and collective decisions have to be made by leaders.  Sometimes, there are no clear cut answers – and it is those decisions can become the most empowering. I believe the OCC will continue to grow and prosper.  I hope that college communities can evolve from organizations of necessity into a powerful unified force within American Orthodoxy. National Blog, All Campuses 2008-03-27T12:49:00-05:00 http://www.jliconline.org/index.php/blog_entry/pizza_and_parsha_maryland_style/ http://www.jliconline.org/index.php/blog_entry/pizza_and_parsha_maryland_style/#When:12:55:00Z When one walks into the Maryland Hillel on Tuesday nights, one cannot help but notice the large mass of people gathered into the multipurpose room. Hundreds of chumashim are spread out on dozens of tables, along with many slices of pizza, bags of chips, and cans of Coke... When one walks into the Maryland Hillel on Tuesday nights, one cannot help but notice the large mass of people gathered into the multipurpose room. Hundreds of chumashim are spread out on dozens of tables, along with many slices of pizza, bags of chips, and cans of Coke. Indeed, this semester has seen a huge increase in the number of people attending and the excitement surrounding Pizza and Parsha. Pizza and Parsha, a program in which students learn the weekly parsha while enjoying free pizza, was started in the fall of 2006.  In past semesters, there were about 30 or 40 students attending the event each week, which took place in the cramped beit midrash in Hillel. This semester, Pizza and Parsha has been attracting between 115 and 130 students a week. This increase is partly due to more active recruiting by the current participants.  Racheli Rosen, a freshman, has been attending Pizza and Parsha since the beginning of last semester and has done much of the recruiting for the event.  She claims that most people will go if their friends are going, and so the key is for people who enjoy the event to tell their friends to come along. The chavruta/chabura style of the shiur works well.  Because students study in groups of two to six, they are able to bounce ideas off one another while still maintaining the personal, friendly feeling. For students who don’t want independent learning, a different speaker comes to lecture each week as well. Pizza and Parsha has been rejuvenated this semester, in large part due to the efforts of the students involved.  The high attendance itself has even added to the appeal of the event.  Daniel Perel, Maryland ‘10, sums it up.  “There is an energy in the room which we haven’t really seen before. You just sort of draw off everyone else in the room.” National Blog, University of Maryland 2008-03-26T12:55:00-05:00 http://www.jliconline.org/index.php/blog_entry/12_students_from_ca7_days_in_mississippi30_degree_temperatures_10_paintbrus/ http://www.jliconline.org/index.php/blog_entry/12_students_from_ca7_days_in_mississippi30_degree_temperatures_10_paintbrus/#When:11:35:00Z .... What better way to spend winter break?!? This past December a delegation of students from UCLA participated in the first JLIC Alternative Winter Break Trip through Hillel International. These students spent one week in Kilm, Mississippi helping the community rebuild in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina...12 students from California…7 days in Mississippi….30 degree temperatures …10 paintbrushes… 4 ladders… …What better way to spend winter break?!? This past December a delegation of students from UCLA participated in the first JLIC Alternative Winter Break Trip through Hillel International.  These students spent one week in Kilm, Mississippi helping the community rebuild in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Hillel International has offered many such “alternative break” trips to students during their winter and spring vacations from University.  These trips are designed to enable students to participate in Tzedek work firsthand while helping communities in need. Historically, students have embraced these unique opportunities and have had very positive experiences. This year JLIC at UCLA decided to mobilize the Orthodox student community to participate by arranging a trip that would would be staffed by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, the JLIC rabbi at UCLA, and specifically cater to the needs and sensitivities of Orthodox students. UCLA’s JLIC intern, Jacob Leven, spearheaded the organizational efforts for the JLIC group and was instrumental in streamlining the planning and recruitment efforts, as well as handling a myriad of technical arrangements. Ten men and two women from UCLA and USC, ranging in age from college sophomores to graduate students, joined fifty other volunteers from across the country for this adventure. Each JLIC participant raised money to pay for a portion of his/her trip, which was also generously subsidized by the Orthodox Union, the Los Angeles Hillel Council and the Jewish Student Union on Campus. For an entire week these student volunteers slept in bunks outdoors and participated in minyanim in a large tent.  They built their own Eruv for Shabbat and enjoyed meals that were prepared under the supervision of a UCLA student Mashgiach who was hired, by Hillel, for the trip. A typical day for the JLIC students began before many of the other volunteers even woke up, as Minyan took place in the early hours of the morning.  After a quick breakfast the volunteers traveled by bus to work sites in damaged areas of Mississippi.  There, they finished hammering in external nails that supported the edifice of newly built homes and painted the exterior of these homes.  Over the course of the week, the JLIC team completed painting two entire homes for Mississippi residents to enjoy. Upon returning to the base at the end of the work day the students had dinner and participated in learning Chaburas with Rabbi Kaplan that were specifically designed for trip participants, focusing on the Mitzvah of Tzedaka and helping others. They then had the opportunity to relax, forge new relationships and enjoy the company of other students. Some highlights of the trip included special trips that were arranged for the volunteers to add more depth and context to the work that was being done.  On one memorable evening the students visited Tulane University where they had a chance to meet with the managing editor of a local newspaper and learn about the area’s history.  On a different occasion the group was treated to a visit to the shul in New Orleans where they met with the newly hired rabbi who is working to rebuild the community there. Shabbat in Mississippi was another very special experience.  After a week of intense physical labor the students really appreciated the reprieve Shabbat offered and embraced the 24 hour period of rest and rejuvenation.  Students gathered for Kabbalat Shababt, dinner and a beautiful Tisch that were punctuated with memorable singing and warm camaraderie between students from the different campuses.  Shabbat day was filled with rest and socialization…giving the students one last chance to connect before returning to their respective campuses the next morning. Three powerful accomplishments linger in the aftermath of the trip: First and foremost is the work that was accomplished on behalf of the residents of Mississippi.  Two homes were completed by UCLA students.  Due to the labor of volunteers, it is possible to reconstruct a home in Mississippi for as little as $30,000 and it was very meaningful to be a part of that effort.  It was the important nature of the work that initially inspired many students to join the trip (and brave the near freezing temperatures) and it was the deep feeling of satisfaction and fulfillment of work accomplished that made the trip worthwhile. A second, beautiful byproduct of the trip was the tremendous Kiddish Hashem that was created by the student volunteers.  The residents of the newly completed homes were very touched that Jews throughout the country opted to spend their vacation in a remote place helping strangers rebuild their homes.  One of the grateful residents even joined the Hillel group for dinner on Friday night and was overwhelmed by the passion of Shabbat that he witnessed and the warmth that he sensed within our Jewish community. A final, significant milestone of the trip was the presence of a 3x daily minyan throughout the week.  Purposefully recruiting 10 ‘minyan-going men’ from UCLA ensured the presence of an active daily minyan and changed the nature of the trip for many participants. Volunteers were inspired by the community’s ongoing commitment to the rebuilding efforts and are grateful to Hillel and the Orthodox Union for enabling them to leave their fingerprints on this very valuable project. National Blog, UCLA 2008-03-20T11:35:00-05:00 http://www.jliconline.org/index.php/blog_entry/jelo_bringing_students_together_in_learning/ http://www.jliconline.org/index.php/blog_entry/jelo_bringing_students_together_in_learning/#When:13:04:00Z JELO, Jewish Enrichment Learning Opportunity, is a weekly learning program at New York University started this year through a partial grant from JLIC. At least sixty NYU students show up every Tuesday evening to learn Torah, have a fabulous (free!) dinner, and socialize with friends...Jewish Enrichment Learning Opportunity, JELO, is a weekly learning program provided by the students, for the students. Each week, over sixty students come to the Bronfman Center for Jewish life and participate in this wonderful program. Whether to socialize and eat dinner with the larger Jewish community or learn from one of the many sources provided, students have been afforded the opportunity to enrich their week and learn a Jewish theme or text.  Aryeh Pelcovits, NYU ‘10 and an active participant in the NYU Jewish community, says, “Because of JELO, I know I will be learning on Tuesday nights. I wasn’t able to say that before.” Jessi Klein, NYU ‘09 and one of the founders of JELO, says, “JELO allows many Jewish students to come together in a learning atmosphere; it has built a strong NYU learning community which will surely continue to grow.” National Blog 2008-03-11T13:04:00-05:00 http://www.jliconline.org/index.php/blog_entry/brooklyn_college_building_community_literally/ http://www.jliconline.org/index.php/blog_entry/brooklyn_college_building_community_literally/#When:18:20:00Z This past winter break, Shira Boshnack, the JLIC rebbetzin at Brooklyn College, was privileged to lead a group of Brooklyn college students to New Orleans...One of Hillel’s core Jewish values is creating an environment where students have ample opportunities to do chesed or community service. This past winter break, Shira Boshnack, the JLIC rebbetzin at Brooklyn College, was privileged to lead a group of Brooklyn students to New Orleans.  “We witnessed the poverty and other challenges that the people of New Orleans faced on a daily basis and helped to alleviate these problems by physically rebuilding the homes that were destroyed and by talking to the victims,” says Shira.  “Team work, empathy, and the sense of responsibility towards others developed by working together.  It was an inspirational experience that left an indelible mark on all who went.” As one student commented, “It changed my life and how I look at the world… forever.” National Blog, Brooklyn College 2008-03-05T18:20:00-05:00