 |
|
 |
2002 Forum on Public Policy Brings 400 Students to D.C.
February 26, 2002Comments (0) | Add | E-mail this to a friendRecording Industry Association of America president and chief executive officer Hilary Rosen, ice cream mogul and social activist Ben Cohen, documentary film maker Judith Helfand, and child rights advocate Craig Kielburger were among the speakers addressing more than 400 Jewish college activists at the Charlotte and Jack J. Spitzer B'nai B'rith Hillel Forum on Public Policy, February 17-19. Sponsored by Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life and held in conjunction with the Jewish Council on Public Affairs Plenum, the Spitzer Forum brought together Jewish college students from around the world for three days of intense discussion, workshops and training on a variety of social justice issues -- everything from poverty, to children's rights, to the environment.
"I get the sense that people are here so they can make a difference," said Herschel Aberson of Muhlenberg College of the Forum. "Being with the JCPA gave us an opportunity to feel a part of the 'real world.'"
A highlight for many students was hearing from Ben Cohen, founder of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, discuss the business ethics of a growing company. He used an Oreo cookie chart to demonstrate government spending. The session also debuted Hillel's Joseph Meyerhoff Center for Jewish Learning's First Amendment text study.
"The way the text study flowed into Ben Cohen's speech was amazing," said Eric Bukstein, a student at the University of Michigan. "The way he related everything to Oreos was a sure-fire way to reach our hearts through our stomachs. This was a great session."
This year, for the first time, the Spitzer Forum offered students with an interest in the environment, grassroots organizing, Israel or journalism specialized tracks with international leaders in these fields.
A grant from the Estate of the Frank and Claire K. Darmstaedter, through the United Jewish Appeal-Federation of New York, enabled Hillel/AJPA Journalism Track students to visit the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and to speak with New York Times Reporter Joseph Berger, the author of Displaced Persons: Growing Up American After the Holocaust. The students met with journalists from the Washington Post, New York Times, New Yorker, New Republic and National Public Radio. They received a special briefing from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
"The Holocaust Museum was very powerful and relevant to journalism issues. It was very interesting to see how media influence, related to the Holocaust," said UCLA student Lisa Bonos. "Hearing personal survivors stories is always moving. The survivor's story was uplifting and interesting."
It was announced at the Spitzer Forum that the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation will provide Hillel with $2 million to expand the organization's work in social justice and in Latin America. "This grant is an extension of the Weinberg Foundation's longstanding commitment to those in need, whether in North America or abroad," explained Hillel President and International Director Richard M. Joel. "By partnering with Hillel, the Weinberg Foundation will help educate a generation in Jewishness and in social justice."
The Weinberg Foundation will provide $1 million for Hillel's social justice program which will be renamed the Weinberg Tzedek Hillel Initiative. The Weinberg Foundation will provide an additional $1 million to help create communities for Jewish young adults throughout Latin America. Hillel recently inaugurated its first Foundation in the region in Montevideo, Uruguay. Additional Foundations are planned for Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
The Spitzer Forum is organized by Hillel's social justice initiative, Tzedek Hillel. Supported by the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, the Nathan Cummings Foundation and MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, Tzedek Hillel is dedicated to pursuing justice and transforming communities through meaningful public service and social justice work. In addition to ongoing activities on college campuses, Tzedek Hillel fosters alternative spring break trips in which students provide critical service in communities in the United States and abroad.
"Spitzer Forum was so terrific! I have so many ideas and programs and projects and internships to look into," said Benjamin Davis of Purdue University. "I am so motivated and empowered!"
|
 |
|
 |