Hillel wraped up an amazing Fall 2018 semester with a Chanukah Shabbat complete with Latkas and gifts!
At our recent Israeli Shabbat, Hillel members voted for our 2019-20 Executive Board. Our new board is:
Izzy Wellman – President
Matthew Lever – co-Vice President
Alex Rossen – co-Vice President
Max Lewin – Treasurer
Greggory Nekrasovas – Senator
Rachel Levy – Secretary
Our new board will officially take office after a transition period in the Spring semester.
On Friday, November 30th Hillel held our annual Israeli Shabbat. In addition to playing an Israeli version on Headbandz, our Hillel Chefs made classic Israeli food Falafel with Pita and all the classic fillings (Hummus!!), classic Cheese and Potato Bourekas, and of course Rugelach for dessert!
Hillel hosted game night last Friday. While eating hoagies and popcorn, Hillel members played “YeahNope” which allowed the members to really get to know each other.
On October 29th, Hillel, in conjunction with Rowan Chabad and the Rowan Center for Holocaust and Genocide center held a candlelight vigil to remember the victims of the horrific incident in Pittsburgh. Approximately 200 people attended the event. Several students and staff spoke about their experiences with Anti-Semetism. Kaddish and the victims names were also read.
Prior to the vigil a group discussion was held for those who wanted to speak.
Dear Rowan Hillel family,
In light of the recent event in Pittsburgh Hillel will be hosting an open discussion tomorrow from 5:00-6:00pm in Memorial Hall room 169 to talk about the tragedy. This open discussion is a safe place for everyone to talk about the tragedy. Following the open discussion Hillel invites you to attend a candle lighting vigil co-hosted by Chabad and AEPi. The vigil will be from 6:15-6:45pm on the Student Center Patio.
Whether you were directly or indirectly affected by this tragedy Rowan Hillel is here for you. If you would like someone to talk to about this tragedy please email us and one of our eboard members will call you.
Best,
Rowan Hillel
Last night Rowan Hillel held our second annual Mental Health night. Several speakers from the Rowan University Counselling Center and Jewish Children and Family Services discussed resources available to students to assist with issues of Mental Health. A speaker from Beautiful Minds, a student Mental Health advocacy club, talked about their organization and events being held on campus to help end the stigma of mental illness, a cause shared by all of us at Rowan Hillel.
The featured speakers of the evening were Hillel President Ally Wasdick and Vice President Izzy Wellman who both talked about their struggles with mental illness.
“Having an event centered around mental health is necessary because mental illnesses affect so many people, including myself. I know first hand how difficult it can be to ask for help or know where to get help, so we at Rowan University Hillel made sure to provide a safe space to engage in a dialogue about mental health as well as access to mental health resources. From our second annual Mental Health Awarenss Night, I hope that students remember three important things: You are not alone. You are strong. And you are worth everything.” – Ally Wasdick, Hillel President
Last night, in conjunction with the Rowan Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Rowan Hillel held Holocaust Rembrance night. After a short service held to commemorate those we lost, we were honored to hear the story of Selma Rossen, who survived the Holocaust while growing up in Poland. A crowd of around 100 people listened to the story of Selma’s family and their survival while escaping the Nazi’s.
Selma is the proud Grandmother of Hillel Treasurer Alex Rossen.
Photos from Holocaust Remembrance Night
On September 20, Vice President Izzy Wellman and mysel met with members of the Student Government Association’s executive board: President Rbrey Singleton, Vice President Michael Webster, and Student Affairs representative Michael Viola. At this meeting we discussed the rescheduling of the Organization Fair to Yom Kippur, the holiest Jewish holiday, and the conflict that this rescheduling posed to the Jewish organizations on campus. Concerns were communicated and resolutions were offered by the SGA representatives. These resolutions included the introduction of an amendment to the SGA bylaws to make it so no SGA sponsored events can be held on major religious holidays as well as a promise to be more mindful about the days chosen for events to be held on.
We will continue to work with SGA on making sure there is follow through to this bylaws change, as well as how they can further assist us in the future.
Sincerely,
Ally Wasdick, ’18
Rowan Hillel President
Participating in our first service project of the semester, members of Rowan Hillel made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for Cathedral Kitchen. So much more than a “soup kitchen,” a member of the Cathedral Kitchen team spoke to our students about all of the services provided by their organization. In addition to serving over 100,000 meals annually, Cathedral Kitchen has a culinary arts program that give training to residents in the Camden area. For more information about Cathedral Kitchen, please visit their website at http://www.cathedralkitchen.org/