Hillel is planning to begin new programs and initiatives that stemmed from suggestions offered by a committee of student leaders.

Some new programs to be instituted this year are a freshman orientation program, an ongoing Jewish text discussion group and a fundraising campaign for refugees in Darfur.

A group of students from numerous Emory organizations chaired a committee last spring to evaluate Emory Hillel, its leadership, its practices and the organization as a whole. The group made several suggestions to Hillel, including the need for improved communication, revamped election procedures, an orientation program and students as prominent leaders in the organization, said College junior Danny Berger, a member of the committee.

The committee also felt that Hillel had veered from its religious foundation, suggesting that Hillel incorporate a stronger Judaiac theme in the programming.
As a response, Hillel developed a new program called Chevruta, stemming from the Hebrew word chaver, meaning “friend.” This program will act as a forum where students can discuss present-day issues such as biomedical ethics, intimacy and sexuality and the role of spirituality in the modern world through traditional and modern Jewish perspectives. Each group will be given a discussion guide including Jewish texts as well as questions to talk about each week.

Additionally, a Beit Midrash, or “house of learning,” will be held, a forum to which inspirational teachers will be invited each month to share their insights on the texts read. Upon the completion of the Chevruta, there will be a Siyum, or celebration, at which all participants can gather to celebrate their achievements and their success in developing a relationship with their Chevruta partners.

The committee also stated that Hillel’s organization would be more effective as a predominately student-run organization, suggesting that the executive directors fulfill a less hands-on role.

Goizueta Business School Senior and president of Hillel, Robert Bernton, plans to offer students more opportunity to get involved with Hillel and Jewish life at Emory by focusing on students’ desires for the organization by placing “more power into the students’ hands.”

This year, many of the board members have taken innitiative to develop their own programs.

“Students are taking up their own initiative, and it’s the first time at Emory that I have seen this with Hillel,” Bernton said. “Students are held accountable, which is awesome.”

In addition to programming changes, Bernton was the first president to be elected through a system of online voting. In previous years, students were required to be present at the voting site to participate, while this year the entire university was able to vote online. Though Bernton ran unopposed, the online election process has set a precedent for future years.

The selection procedures for the remainder of the board included applications and interviews, which led to a “very diverse board,” making it “ten times better,” Bernton said.

Hillel is finally realizing its role in the college world with its focus on being primarily student-run as compared to the childhood world where the organization relied heavily on adults, Bernton said.

To integrate freshmen, Hillel has begun a new program called First Year Students of Hillel (FYSH).

“We’re matching upperclassmen with incoming Jewish freshmen to create that community right from the beginning,” Michael Rabkin, Emory Hillel director, said.

Hillel has also created a group to raise awareness of and money for hunger and disaster relief. Challah for Hunger will produce and sell challah bread, the proceeds of which will benefit Darfur relief efforts.

Although Hillel will be hosting fewer events this year, Hillel participants hope to create quality events instead of hosting several events that are poorly attended, Bernton said.

The committee was “definitely helpful for both the staff and students active in Hillel, and we expect a lot more student participation from the Emory community,” Bernton said.

Bernton said the committee’s suggestions were well-received by the Hillel board.

“[Hillel has] embraced many if not all of the changes that we suggested,” Berger said. “That’s really credit to them because there were some that were rather large.”

— Contact Christina White.