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My First Pesach
My first seder remains one of my most horrible childhood memories. I was a 10-year old Christian living on Long Island and had only recently learned that not everyone celebrates Christmas. One day after school, my mother decided to bring me along to an Interfaith Seder in Great Neck. In the car, she explained we were going to eat “a Jewish meal for a Jewish holiday.”
At Temple Beth El, my mom and I sat down with a table full of strangers. I surveyed the table spread - an egg, a bone, a cup of water and no bread. It did not look promising. The man in the center of the room, whom my mother informed me was the Jewish equivalent of our Pastor, spent the next four hours (ok, it was probably only an hour) giving long-winded explanations as to why we were all gathered to eat. He talked about slavery and boils and locust and slaying the first born (that's me!) It was all rather unappetizing dinner conversation as far as I was concerned. The significance of it all was lost on me. All I felt was hunger.
It would be more than a decade before I attended another seder. As an adult, the experience was entirely different. My attention span had increased and at 22, I was considering converting to Judaism. Now, Passover is my favorite Jewish holiday. The significance of the seder, the symbolism of the food and the traditions I've shared at many different tables reinforce my Jewish identity. I am also always reminded, that it was my Christian mother who introduced me to Passover in the first place.
Chag Pesach Sameach,
Danielle Freni
Editor, Hillel Campus Report
dfreni@hillel.org
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 Jennifer Weiner: "In Her Shoes" Author Debuts Fifth Novel
In 2001, readers fell in love with Cannie Shapiro, the witty and full-figured Jewish heroine of Good In Bed. Now, after four novels and a compilation of short stories spent a combined 145 weeks on The New York Times bestsellers list, the sequel, Certain Girls, has arrived. Author Jennifer Weiner says writing Jewishly is about "writing what you know." The Philadelphia mother of two grew up in a Reform Jewish family in Connecticut, where her house was among the only on the block without Christmas lights.
"My characters are trying to find their place in the world and being Jewish encompasses that," she says. "Making sense of the world you are never going to fit into perfectly."
Clive Davis: The Last Record Man
Legendary record producer Clive Davis discovered Janis Joplin, Carlos Santana and Whitney Houston. By age 35, he was president of Columbia Records. But a bar mitzvah scandal nearly cost him his career. Now, nearly 80 years old, Davis is still making hits. More recently, out of American Idol starlets and rapper Hurricane Chris.
As Rolling Stone reporter Rich Cohen writes, "There is nothing sadder than a room full of music men grooving to a rap song. Clive closes his eyes and drifts on the beat...Does Clive love a tune as a fifteen-year-old loves a tune, or is the love of the record man different?"
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Hillels Around the Globe Celebrate 60 Years of Israel
The year-long celebration of Israel’s 60th birthday is reaching a crescendo on campuses around the world in the days leading up to Israel Independence Day (Yom Ha’Atzmaut) on May 8. Sign Israel's Birthday card!
New Hillel Buildings at Stanford and Franklin & Marshall
Students at Stanford go "gaga" over the newly unveiled Ziff Center while construction of the new Klehr Center gets underway on Franklin & Marshall's campus.
Hillel Receives Largest Grant Ever During 2008 Summit
Hillel has received a $10.7 million grant, payable over five years, from The Jim Joseph Foundation to expand the Experiential Educator Exemplar (E³) Program and to support the Campus Entrepreneurs Initiative. The announcement was made public during the 2008 Summit on the University and the Jewish Community in March.
mtvU and Hillel Partner to Air Holocaust Movie
“I’m Still Here: Real Diaries of Young People Who Lived During the Holocaust” is scored by Moby with narraration by Elijah Wood, Ryan Gosling, Kate Hudson, Brittany Murphy, Joaquin Phoenix and other Hollywood stars with personal ties to the tragedy.
Hillel Students to Attend AIPAC Policy Conference
In June, hundreds of Hillel students and a delegation of Hillel's Israel Fellows will descend on Washington, D.C. for AIPAC’s annual Policy Conference.
NewsBytes
George Washington University students celebrate Israel's 60th Birthday / University of California gets Jewish president / University of Rhode Island Hillel receives $1 million gift / SNL's Andy Samberg visits Northwestern University / University of Florida Hillel students paint tent for Sudanese refugees / Lehigh University Hillel to welcome new director / Emory University appoints rabbi as associate dean of religious life / Inside Higher Ed covers Hillel's 2008 Summit
Learn Something Jewish: Employee Relations and Jewish Law
Long before labor laws, employee unions and minimum wage were established, the Torah made clear employers' obligations to their employees.
College 101: Keeping Kosher for Passover on Campus
No beer, no pizza, no pasta. What else is there to consume on campus? Daily Collegian Staff Writer Suzanne Schulner went to the local source, Penn State Hillel Director Aaron Kaufman, for answers.
Sponsor a Student's Seder
This weekend, Hillel will provide tens of thousands of seders to students who can't make it home for the holiday. Each seder costs about $18, and we need your help to host as many students as possible. Please support your local Hillel with a gift to fund these meals, and enable us to welcome these students with a home away from home for the holiday.
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