Meet Jane.

Hometown: Buffalo Grove, IL
Current school: Harper College
Graduation date: 2010
Hillel involvement: Russian Hillel

“Throughout the whole Hillel experience, you see that there’s so many other people your own age involved in the Jewish community.  It’s good.  It unites us.”

Jane came to Chicago when she was six years-old from Kazakhstan.  Her involvement with Jewish life was minimal, though she grew up with a number of Russian-speaking friends who were also Jewish and she always identified as being Jewish.  In high school, instead of taking Spanish or another language subject, she took Hebrew, where she learned about a JUF Birthright Israel trip and, from there, became deeply involved with Hillels Around Chicago’s Russian Hillel program.
Jane’s Shorashim Russian Reunion Birthright trip was a great experience, one that connected her to new friends from America, Russia and Israel.  Both through Facebook and in person, Jane had been invited to many Russian Hillel events, including Shabbat dinners.  And, back from her Israel trip and feeling more connected Jewishly, she decided to try out Russian Hillel.  Quickly finding her place in Hillel, Jane soon joined the student board and, just two years after her Birthright Israel trip, Jane completed Russian Hillel’s School of Madrichim leadership program.  With what Jane described as hands-on experience, the Madrichim program provides real Jewish leadership opportunities, ways to grow and learn to be an effective community leader.  For Russian Hillel’s annual Shabbaton, Jane and other Madrichim participants led a program and discussion for nearly one hundred Russian-speaking students on Jewish identity.  Her own Jewish identity and involvement in the Chicago Jewish community is now so important to her, she is sure she’ll be active Jewishly in her post-college life.

“I’ll definitely continue being involved in the Jewish community… It’s a big part of my life and if I could help impact someone else’s life as much as being a part of Hillel has impacted me, then definitely. ”

Benefit 2009 a success!

The Hillels of Illinois Benefit 2009 was a fun evening of great food and drinks, mingling with Hillel supporters and students, a silent auction, hilarious entertainment from ComedySportz, and a decadent dessert reception.  Thanks to all our guests and to all supporters of Jewish campus life for making the evening such a great success!

Campus shots

As the school year comes to a close, we have a chance to look back on a great year filled with exciting opportunities for Jewish students to connect with each other, community, and our heritage. Planning is already underway on campuses throughout Illinois for another great year. Students interested in learning more about all the great opportunities available to them through Hillel can go to the campuses page and find their campus, or make sure to check out their campus Hillel when school starts in the fall. Here are just a few end-of-the-year photos from campuses. 

The Hillels of Illinois supporters come together on Facebook

Join supporters of Jewish campus life and The Hillels of Illinois on our new Facebook group.  Visit the group. 

DePaul vigil showcases cooperation as strategy for dealing with all forms of hate

For DePaul freshman Kevin Altman the May 26 “We Are DePaul” Solidarity Vigil was especially meaningful. Altman said he has been the subject of anti-Semitic taunts on campus and was encouraged by students and faculty who joined the vigil to stand up against hate and bigotry.

Campuses experiencing flurry of anti-Israel activity

When Israel-supporting faculty and students returned from winter break last January, they found an escalation of hostility toward Israel and its supporters that occasionally crossed boundaries from civil exchange to verbal abuse and physical intimidation. This new intensity of anti-Israel activity followed upon the kind of behavior seen in Chicago and throughout the world during Israel’s most recent war with the terrorist group Hamas, said JUF Executive Vice President Michael C. Kotzin, who has been working with campus activists and Hillel to address anti-Israel and anti-Jewish sentiments and activities.

Students motivated to showcase different sides of Israel

As a reaction to growing anti-Israel sentiment on many Chicago-area campuses, Jewish students and faculty are re-asserting their support for Israel. With the support of Hillel and Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) professionals, students are initiating Israel-related programming that is not just responsive, but proactive. Initiatives on and off campus are also providing students, both Jewish and non-Jewish, with opportunities to learn more about Israel.

In its sixth year, Russian Shabbaton continues to engage Jewish students

What happens when 96 Russian-speaking college students and young professionals gather for a weekend of Jewish learning? “A sense of instant community,” is Steve Bogdanov’s answer.

Bogdanov, who was born in Minsk and came to the United States in 1995, was among the participants at the sixth annual Russian Shabbaton and Birthright Israel Reunion, the flagship event of Russian Hillel, which is a program of Hillels Around Chicago. The Shabbaton, which was held Feb. 20-22 at Indian Lakes Resort in Bloomingdale, began in 2004 with the goal of offering Russian-speaking Jewish young adults in Chicago a venue to meet each other and learn together. This year’s Shabbaton attracted participants from Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Tampa, Fla.

ASB: Connecting Jewishly through social justice

Throughout The Hillels of Illinois system, students are participating in a variety of Alternative Spring Breaks (ASB) designed to give students powerful experiences relating to Jewish values of tzedakah, helping others and building community.

Tranforming life on campus

When Daniel Libenson describes his vision to a group, detailing an intricate plan to transform Jewish life on campus, he gets excited. Happily making his pitch with diagrams and figures, explaining how Hillel can more effectively connect students to Jewish life in a lasting, meaningful way, Libenson himself inspires as he illustrates Hillel’s potential to impact Jewish lives.

This year, under Libenson, the Newberger Hillel at the University of Chicago has implemented the first phase of the Jethro Initiative, a four-year model for engaging students in Jewish life as well as facilitating their growth and connection to Jewish life in adulthood. The program and the thought behind it are gaining much attention in the Hillel world and the Jewish community at large.

In a one-on-one conversation, Libenson talked about Newberger’s work with the Jethro Initiative.

Students meet their matches at Hillel

Jewish mothers and fathers typically want their college-aged Jewish son to meet a nice Jewish girl; for their daughter, a nice Jewish boy. They might often express this sentiment to their college age son or daughter by the ever so delicate nudging to visit his or her campus Hillel.

While this might seem like a slightly worn joke, Hillel is still often viewed as—or even expected to be—a place where young Jewish singles can meet, get married and then together carry on the legacy of the entire Jewish people. The reality is that many young couples do in fact meet in their student Jewish communities and, through Hillel, establish lasting partnerships.

Fiedler Hillel at Northwestern named Indispensable Campus Partner

Fielder Hillel at Northwestern University--and its staff (pictured)--was named an Indispensable Campus Partner at Hillel’s Professional Staff Conference in Baltimore and awarded the Vision & Values Award for enriching the quality of Jewish student life and the entire campus community. Fiedler was honored for its establishment of valued and integrated relationships on campus and for its initiatives, like AskBigQuestions.com, bringing together students and faculty of various backgrounds.

Jewish students network between remote campuses

Jewish student life is reaching even the state’s more remote college campuses.

On campuses distant from Chicago’s large Jewish community, Jewish students are showing a commitment to their student communities’ development. At a meeting in Peoria, Ill., a number of Jewish students from various schools and their advisers recently connected and shared ideas.

Newberger Hillel's Daniel Libenson wins Exemplar Award at Hillel's Professional Staff Conference

Daniel Libenson, executive director at Newberger Hillel, was awarded the Richard M. Joel Exemplar of Excellence Award for his very innovative work at the University of Chicago.

As Hillel programs expland, so do opportunities to do Shabbat

A tasty Shabbat dinner—especially one at no charge—has often proven to be one of the most effective entry points to involvement with the campus Jewish community. For students coming from more Jewishly observant homes, the Shabbat dinner at their campus Hillel is a familiar place meeting their religious needs. And for so many other Jewish students, the Shabbat dinner at their campus Hillel is often their first Shabbat dinner ever.