The school year is coming to a close and colleges across the country — including mine — are letting out for the summer. Many students will be spending their vacation at summer camps (I will be working at this one), while others will be taking up “real-world” jobs and internships.
But before I ride off to the land of tents, bunks and bonfires, here’s a run-down of the final few weeks in Jewish campus life, 2009-2010.
And while I am away, Campus Confidential will be focus on how Jewish college students are spending their vacation. Know Jewish students doing something ordinary or extraordinary this summer? Send their names to rubinink@gmail.com and we’ll make them stars!
New Engagement Strategy Works
A study by the Jim Joseph Foundation of Hillel’s Campus Entrepreneurs and Senior Jewish Educator initiatives finds that Hillel’s innovative approach to engaging emerging adults is “effective in reaching large numbers of previously less-connected Jewish students and facilitating their personal Jewish growth.” Read more here.
Getting in Engaged with (and in) Israel
Taglit-Birthright Israel is all about connecting: with Israel, with the Jewish community, with fellow Jewish students. On their recent Taglit-Birthright Israel trip with the University of Florida Hillel, students Jeremy Dictor and Andrea James made a profound connection while at Masada: They became engaged. Watch the moment unfold on video.
Brooklyn, Maryland Russian Students Meet
Last month, Russian Jewish students from the University of Maryland, College Park and Brooklyn College met for a Russian Shabbaton in New York City. For some of the students, it was their first time observing Shabbat. Read more about their weekend here.
Beach Party Rally
In response to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s recent meeting in Tehran with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Jewish students organized a protest on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro this month calling attention to human rights in Iran. Read more at JTA.
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Two Hillel buildings in Wisconsin have been recognized for their outstanding architecture. The Hillel building at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee was honored by the city’s mayor for “architectural excellence” and the University of Wisconsin, Madison’s Barbara Hochberg Center was named in “Project of the Year” by a local business publication.
Fighting Malaria
With the help of The Tony Blair Faith Foundation, students at DePaul Hillel held an event called "DePaul vs. Mosquito: An Event to Help End Malaria" and raised money and awareness about malaria in Africa. Read more here.
Farm School: Students Learn Sustainable Agriculture
Spaces are still available for the June 15-22 Organic Farm Alternative Break with The Jewish Farm School. Participants learn a wide range of skills in sustainable and organic agriculture such as planting, harvesting, natural building and composting as they gain exposure to the growing food justice movement within the Jewish and secular worlds. Click here for additional information and how to register.
In and Around New York
On May 23, students all over New York participated in the annual Israel Parade along Fifth Avenue from 54th to 74th Street.
David Meyer a first-year student at the University of Maryland
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