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Hillel to Send Largest Number to Israel
September 24, 2003Comments (0) | Add | E-mail this to a friendHillel, the world's largest Jewish campus organization, is mounting its biggest single-semester campaign to send students to Israel this fall. The organization is offering three different travel opportunities designed to appeal to unaffiliated Jewish students as well as campus activists.
"It couldn't be more important for students to visit Israel today," said Hillel's Interim President Avraham Infeld. "Students who visit Israel on our trips return with a stronger connection to the Jewish people. These trips are a key element in Hillel's pro-active, pro-Israel agenda."
In November, Hillel, with the support of the United Jewish Communities (UJC), will send a student delegation to the annual UJC General Assembly in Jerusalem. In December, student activists will take part in a new four-track student leadership mission to Israel. In addition, Hillel plans to increase participation on the free 10-day birthright israel trip which provides a unique experience for young Jewish adults ages 18-26 who have never before been on a peer group trip to Israel. More information about these trips can be found at israel.hillel.org.
Hillel has run a large student program at the annual UJC General Assembly for many years. But with the event taking place in Israel, this year's GA provides students with an opportunity not only to hone their leadership skills, but also to stand in solidarity with the Jewish state.
To meet the ever-increasing desire of students to return to Israel and learn more about the land and its culture, Hillel is offering a four-track student leadership mission in December. Students on the mission will participate in one of four tracks: Jewish learning and pluralism through Hillel's Joseph Meyerhoff Center for Jewish Learning; Political Advocacy, co-sponsored by AIPAC; tzedek or social justice; or business and technology. In addition to five days of intensive seminars and workshops, the more than 350 student participants will gather together for a Shabbaton where they will meet and share their experiences.
The student leadership mission will coincide with an international student summit in Israel sponsored by Hillel, the Government of Israel, the Jewish Agency for Israel, and the World Union of Jewish Students. Mission participants will spend two and a half days at the summit networking, learning and celebrating with peers from around the world.
Hillel is entering its fourth year as the largest North American provider of birthright israel trips. Hillel offers Jewish students and young professionals different ways to enjoy these free, 10-day trips. Students may choose to travel with others from their campus or to participate in one of four specialty trips: Peace and Politics, Outdoor Adventure, Journalism, and Arts and Culture. Graduate students and young professionals can participate in a trip designed especially for their needs or in one of the specialty trips. More information about these trips can be found at israel.hillel.org.
"Birthright israel has really introduced me to so much" said SUNY Buffalo student Aileen Greenman. "You can go anywhere in the world and never feel the same as you will here and birthright israel has brought so many people through this and it's just incredible."
The largest Jewish campus organization in the world, Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, is committed to creatively empowering and engaging Jewish students through its network of over 500 campus Foundations, Program Centers and affiliates. Its long-standing dedication to building Jewish identity, while nurturing intellectual and spiritual growth in a pluralistic community, positions Hillel as a leader in building a stronger Jewish people and stronger Jewish future.
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