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Hillel Board of Governors Meets in Washington, D.C.
June 22, 2001Comments (0) | Add | E-mail this to a friend International Leaders Meet Sen. Lieberman;
Discuss Israel, Student Affairs
The International Board of Governors of Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life discussed the impact of Middle East unrest on campuses and met with Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) during its spring meeting in Washington, D.C. The Board, comprising 49 business and philanthropic leaders from around the world, is Hillel's highest consultative body.
At a reception for the Board at the home of George Washington University President Stephen Trachtenberg, Sen. Lieberman praised Hillel for engaging thousands of Jewish students each year. "The Talmud says that if you save a single person it is as if you save the entire world," said the former U.S. vice presidential candidate. "In the same way, Hillel preserves a world of wonderful possibilities in every Jewish student it touches because each student has the ability to make a difference."
Hillel President and International Director Richard M. Joel said that Sen. Lieberman's vice-presidential candidacy had reverberations on college campuses. "As a serious Jew who takes his Jewishness seriously, you became an important role model for Jewish college students," Joel said. "Jewish students took tremendous pride in public acceptance of your candidacy and of your commitment to Jewishness."
GW President Trachtenberg described his long-standing personal and professional relationship with Hillel, adding "if Hillel didn't exist it would have to be invented."
Meeting earlier in the day at Hillel's Ben and Esther Rosenbloom Center for Jewish Student Life at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Board discussed Hillel's effort to combat anti-Israel propaganda at the University of California, Berkeley and other campuses. Board members agreed that Hillel's participation in the birthright israel program, which brings students to Israel for a 10-day trip, helps give young people the first-hand experience they need to feel pride in Israel. Hillel has brought 10,000 students to Israel through the birthright israel program in the last two years.
 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 regional centers, campus Foundations 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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