• Fiedler & Newberger Hillels Recognized for Pioneering Initiatives
• A New Discussion: Jewish LGBT Students & Hillel
• Exciting Events at UIUC: Cohen Hillel Center Grand Opening and More!
• Congratulations & Farewell to Adam Simon
• Keeping the Soul Warm, University of Chicago Style
• Leave Your Legacy to the Hillels of Illinois
• The Lewis Summer Intern Program: Still Accepting Applications!
• In Case You Missed It: The Green Menorah Contest
• Save the Date: The 2008 Hilles of Illinois Annual Benefit

We are proud to announce that two of our Hillel Foundations have received Covenant Grants for 2007. Both the Newberger Hillel at the University of Chicago and the Fiedler Hillel at Northwestern University were honored with the prestigious national award that helps fund innovative programs in Jewish education. Under the leadership of executive directors Dan Libenson and Adam Simon, both Hillels are establishing pioneering initiatives that seek to engage Jewish students in original and meaningful ways.

The Covenant Foundation was founded in 1990 with the express purpose of discovering and fostering creativity and excellence in Jewish education, and annually awards the Covenant Grants to organizations that exemplify this mission. The competition for these grants is intense & widespread, and in the seventeen-year history of the Covenant Foundation, only two Hillels have previously received Covenant Grants. The three-year grants will provide both Hillels with $150,000 each over the next three years to help develop and build their unique initiatives. The Covenant Foundation's interest in funding both programs demonstrates the breadth of creativity at the different foundations within the Hillels of Illinois.

At Newberger Hillel, Dan Libenson is establishing an innovative approach that seeks to instill a lasting commitment to the Jewish community among this generation of Jewish college students. The program, called Jewish Adulthood Education on Campus, will engage students by combining them in small groups of 10 to 15 students who share a similar interest - such as film-making, women's issues, Jewish agnosticism, etc. These groups will work with a mentor who exemplifies how a dedication to this small interest can become a part of rich and meaningful involvement with the Jewish community as an adult.

Adam Simon's approach to engaging students follows a different path, as it seeks to harness the central role that social networking sites such as Facebook play in the lives of young adults. Howdoyoujew? is an Internet platform that will be based within the Facebook.com website. It will expand the ways in which both current Northwestern students and alumni can interact with one another, allowing for easier social networking and planning of events amongst students and alumni.

The two initiatives are very exciting, and we are thrilled that the Covenant Foundation recognized the creativity of both Hillels. Please check the upcoming edition of the JUF News for an even more detailed account of both programs and how they plan to utilize their support from the Covenant Foundation.

On Tuesday, February 5th, the Hillels of Illinois will be hosting "Jewish LGBT Students & Hillel", a dessert reception and discussion about the issues facing Jewish LGBT students on campus and the ways in which Hillel is offering a welcoming environment for students to engage with these issues and the Jewish community as a whole. The Hillels of Illinois seeks to provide an open, safe and supportive environment for Jewish LGBT students at all of our campuses, and this event will examine how various Hillels have cultivated welcoming and tolerant cultures for LGBT students, along with giving some of these students a forum to discuss their own experiences.

In addition to this discussion, copies of the new Hillel LGBTQ Resource Guide from Hillel International will be distributed. The Resource Guide is a compilation of stories, anecdotes, and instructions on effective ways that Hillels can embrace LGBT issues. It provides information about LGBT Jewish history, a glossary of LGBT terms and a variety of articles and personal anecdotes that lay out a useful road map for welcoming LGBT students into the Hillel community.

The reception, beginning at 7:00 P.M., will be held at a private residence in Chicago. If you are interested in learning more about this event please contact Sylvia Berman-Peck at 312-673-2354 or sylviaberman-peck@juf.org.

Grand Opening Ceremony
Don't miss the Grand Opening of the newly completed Margie K. & Louis N. Cohen Center for Jewish Life at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign - Sunday, March 30 - 12:30 p.m., 503 E. John St. Those needing transportation should contact the Hillels of Illinois at 312-444-2868.

A Nostalgic Night in Black & White
In anticipation of the official Grand Opening, students, alumni and members of the local Jewish community will be joining together on February 16th to celebrate the opening of the new Cohen Hillel Center. The evening's theme is a "Nostalgic Night in Black and White", and partygoers are asked to bring items to be placed in a time capsule on the day of the new center's dedication. If you are interested in joining in the celebration in Champaign, please contact Melissa Cohen at Melissa@illinihillel.org or 217-344-1328.

4th Annual Future Illini Shabbaton
In addition to all the excitement surrounding the opening of the new Cohen Hillel Center, there are other exciting events coming up on the UIUC Hillel's calendar. This April, the UIUC Hillel will hold its 4th annual Future Illini Shabbaton. Students will have the opportunity to experience what Jewish life is like at the U of I. Activities include Shabbat dinner and services, a look at Israel on campus, a visit with an admissions officer, tour of campus, late night broomball tournament and much more!! Please contact Joel Schwitzer at joel@illinihillel.org to receive e-mail notification when applications are available. Transportation will be provided from the Chicago area.

Adam Simon, the executive director of the Fiedler Hillel at Northwestern University, was honored at the annual Hillel International staff conference with the Richard M. Joel Exemplar of Excellence Award. Adam was one of six Hillel directors to receive the award, which honors professionals who demonstrate a solid commitment to Jewish campus life with proven success of their dedication to Hillel's mission.

While we are thrilled that Adam's dedication to enriching Jewish life at Northwestern was honored by Hillel International, it is with somewhat bittersweet recognition that we pass on that Adam's talents have been recognized by another organization. The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation recently offered Adam the position of Director of Jewish Programs at their Washington D.C. office, and it was an opportunity that was too good for him to pass up. In his new role, Adam will have oversight and responsibility for the Foundation's involvement with Hillel, the Charles Schusterman Student Assembly, BBYO, other engagement strategies, immersive service experiences, Hillels in the Former Soviet Union, technology, Jewish studies, diversity, and more.

We would also like to take the time to praise him for the immense contribution he has made to Jewish life at Northwestern. Adam's hard work and dedication to creating a welcoming, pluralistic atmosphere at Fiedler Hillel is a prime example of the extensive influence that a Hillel director can have on campus and in the lives of students. While we will certainly miss the enthusiasm and energy which Adam has brought to Fiedler Hillel, we are confident that his successor will pick up where Adam has left off. This is a fantastic opportunity for Adam and we wish him and his family all the best in their future endeavors.

During the cold and dreary early months of the second semester, the staff at the Newberger Hillel is providing a welcome alternative to the bitter cold outside with a series of thought-provoking seminars to keep the soul warm. A wide array of topics will be explored during these seminars, ranging from Lunch 'N Learn sessions addressing the historical differences and origins of the religion's various denominations, to seminars examining the evolution of Jewish law over the generations and a special "Philosophy Book Club" which focuses on classic examples of Jewish thought. In addition to leading many of these seminars themselves, the Newberger Hillel staff will also bring in outside instructors, such as Rabbi Yitzhak Falk of Kollel Torah MiTzion to lead some of the discussion groups. To learn more about the classes being offered at Newberger Hillel, please visit their website.

• Endowment Gifts: By making a current gift of cash or marketable securities, you're able to enjoy seeing your gift realized in your lifetime! Gifts can be designated for a particular program, project or campus, or as an unrestricted gift to help support changing needs. There are also naming opportunities available, to memorialize or honor a loved one.
• Charitable Bequests: Bequests enable you to direct in your will that certain money or property be transferred to The Hillels of Illinois Endowment Foundation.
• Charitable Gift Annuities: A charitable gift annuity is a combination of an annuity and a charitable gift. Establish a charitable gift annuity to receive guaranteed income for life, based on prescribed industry tables, and a charitable tax deduction. Upon your death, the remaining assets become a gift to the Hillels of Illinois in your name or that of a loved one.

Your charitable gift can be funded with any combination of the following: cash, securities, life insurance, real estate, retirement plan assets and other assets.

For more information about these and other planned giving opportunities, please contact Deborah Samuels, Director, Agency Endowment Program at 312-357-4853 or legacy@juf.org.

The Hillels of Illinois Endowment Foundation was created in partnership with the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago to ensure the future of the agency. All commitments to the Hillels of Illinois Endowment Foundation are recognized as part of the Jewish Federation's Centennial Campaign.

*This is for information purposes only and is not meant to be a substitute for legal or financial advice. Please consult with your professional advisors regarding your individual situation.

There is still time to submit an application and schedule an interview for the 2008 Lewis Summer Intern Program, but it is running out quickly. The deadline to submit applications is March 3, 2008, and the deadline for interviews is March 14, 2008.

The Lewis Summer Intern Program offers a wide array of summer internship opportunities across the spectrum of Jewish communal services in the Chicagoland area. Any student who is from Illinois or currently enrolled at a college in the state is eligible to apply, and applications are available online here. To learn more about the internship opportunities with the Lewis Summer Intern Program please click here. To catch a glimpse of all the fun that was had last year, please click here to see a video made by a student from last years program.

Fiedler Center at Northwestern University

Newberger Center at the University of Chicago

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Levine Center at University of Illinois, Chicago

Southern Illinois University

Northern Illinois University

Illinois State University

Bradley University

Hillels Around Chicago (HAC) Multi-Campus Center

JCRC/Hillel's Israel Initiative

Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life

The Hillels of Illinois is committed to building open, inclusive and pluralistic Jewish life on Illinois college and university campuses. It does this through promoting the widest array of opportunities for students and others to explore and express their Jewish identity in meaningful ways. To learn how you can support vibrant Jewish life at all of our campuses throughout the state, please contact Sylvia Berman-Peck, Senior Director of Development, at 312-673-2354 or sylviaberman-peck@juf.org.