Hillel-The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life — or simply Hillel, as we know it — recently presented its new president and CEO, former Ohio congressman and chancellor of that state’s higher education establishment, Eric Fingerhut. Looking at the man and the need, we feel Hillel can only benefit from this choice. His opening remarks showed an understanding of his new responsibilities and a readiness to immediately assume them.

Hillel is not a new organization. Founded in 1926, it has a presence at 550 schools with more than a total of 400,000 Jewish students enrolled. While many feel the Jewish world is over-organized, with too many groups seeking support for less than clear missions, it is increasingly accepted that Hillel, along with its partner Taglit Birthright, is a dynamic and vibrant presence on many campuses that helps create a vital link to a Jewish future.

A key point in understanding Hillel is that it is decentralized and that means a different intensity in Hillel’s efforts from campus to campus. In common, though, is the unconditional welcoming policies Hillels embrace and practice, something Fingerhut referred to in his opening remarks as an “inclusive approach to Jewish life.”  Key to this decentralized process is that each Hillel is charged with providing its own resources for its day-to-day needs. Many do this very well while others struggle. National Hillel has a talented team of dedicated consultants who actively get involved at the campus level when invited, but the ultimate responsibility for raising funds stays with the Hillel itself.

Our specific suggestions for the national organization are limited in part, mainly because there is much we can do here on our own. President Fingerhut, no doubt, will be vetting new ideas and reviewing old ones, but our Hillel focus is local. We are blessed with a number of strong and vibrant Hillels in our area, as well as some that are struggling. In one way or another they could all use our support. On page 15 we’ve put together a list of our Hillels (as well as other Jewish student organizations on campus) and we will return to this list from time to time with updated and new information.

One thing should be clear about Hillel: There are no boundaries in place that we are aware of regarding who can participate in lending Hillel a helping hand. No geographical limits nor membership requirements if you want to get involved. You can support the Hillel at your alma mater or you can support the Hillel at the school near your home. You can help even if you never set foot in a Hillel when you were in college — or if you never went to college at all. By helping Hillel, what you are doing is building a Jewish place on a campus not only for your own children, but for the Jewish students from your community and other Jewish communities as well. In the quintessential Jewish way, you are providing a Jewish environment for sons and daughters of Jewish families far away, just as they may be doing for you and yours.

Some specifics about giving to Hillel:

• Hillel is not an accomplished fundraising machine, and the Jewish world really doesn’t want to add another constant mailer and caller to its roster. Each Hillel has its own particular mix of fundraising sources geared to its own constituency.

• Hillels depend on varying forms of philanthropy for their support. The ones who have been around awhile might be well endowed and/or enjoy strong alumni help; others are on campuses that are growing fast and are finding it increasingly difficult to keep up with the needs of their burgeoning Jewish population; others still are small and don’t have the critical mass for a sustained effort on campus and can use any  help offered to build their effort.

• Who contributes to Hillel? Alumni contribute. Families who have kids in a school contribute. Community members who understand the need to help. And Federations, especially here in Connecticut, have been consistently involved as well.

It’s not just the money. There are other ways to get involved.

• A Hillel Board. As in any organization, a good, committed Board can be invaluable to making a Hillel function well and enhance its mission. The quality of our Hillel’s Boards vary from campus to campus. Where you went to school makes little difference. It is the commitment to Jewish life that counts. See if there is a way you can help a Board and maybe even join.

• Faculty support. Some faculty members take an interest in Hillel, but sad to say that much Jewish faculty is aloof from Hillel and Jewish life on campus. If you are a member of faculty, rethink that; if you know faculty or others affiliated with a campus, ask them about the role they play, if any. There’s much to be involved in for those close by. Join in Shabbat meals. Go to holiday services. Participate in Hillel’s celebrations, like visiting the Sukkah.  Faculty on a Hillel Board is also a plus.

• Programming. We tend to think of Hillel as just a facility, but it’s not. Bricks and mortar help, but the soul of every Hillel is its programming. Participating and supporting these efforts is one of the best things you can do. At the very least, visit the web site of our local Hillel and put yourself on their mailing list.

We could go on. We could talk about the excellence and longevity of Rabbi Saul Pearmutter at UMass, or the warm stewardship of Lisa Kassow at the Zachs Hillel House at Trinity. We could mention the program we are just learning about run by David Coyne at Clark, Holy Cross and the other Worcester area schools, or speak of the powerful presence built by Rabbi James Ponet at Yale (now led by Rabbi Leah Cohen). Gary Wolf, the director at UConn along with his reenergized board have recreated a dynamic effort at Storrs, as the newly refrubished facility provided by the Zachs and Trachten Families has added to what the Hoffmans, Konovers and many others provided in the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s.

There is much going on at Hillel in southern New England, and it’s happening at a Hillel House near you. Aside from this, there is one important thing you can do today to both help a Hillel organization and improve the Jewish experience for someone you know. Know someone going off to a campus for the first time this year? Tell them about Hillel where they are going and then ask them stop by when they get to campus. Keep up with their progress there.

While we send our best wishes to Washington and President Fingerhut, we must remember that we can all reach out to a Hillel nearby or one we know from another time and help build their community on campus.

We give them our children and they give us the future members of our community. Hillel is vital to ensuring the future of the Jewish people in the next generation and that is a mission for us all to be a part of.

—nrg

Coming Soon…Like Hillel, Chabad is also a positive presence on many college campuses today, offering Jewish students a home away from home and building strong Jewish identities through a host of programs and events.  We will take an in-depth look at Chabad on campus in a future issue.