Hillel of Broward and Palm Beach rallied two teams of mitzvah-minded students from Florida Atlantic and Lynn universities to participate in "Relay for Life," a major fundraising effort for the American Cancer Society. The 18-hour walkathon took place on the track at Florida Atlantic University, starting at 2 p.m. on Friday, April 1 and finishing at 8 a.m. the next day. At least one member of each team had to be walking throughout the walkathon.

The two Hillel teams, "So Hot in Eilat" and "Jerusalem," raised $6,000 for the cause. Overall, the Relay for Life event raised more than $35,000.

Rebekah Smith, the Lampert program associate at Hillel of Broward and Palm Beach, and Joel Marcovitch, the director of student leadership and Israel programs, headed up the teams with student captains Melanie Juli and Shanna Vinig, both students at Florida Atlantic University.

"Hillel of Broward and Palm Beach advocates community service, and 'Relay for Life' is a way for students to work together to help the wider community," Smith said. "This was an amazing opportunity for all our students to come together and raise money for a worthy cause. Our students are demonstrating the Jewish values of tzedakah (righteousness) and tikkun olam (repairing the world)."

Other Hillels organizing Relay for Life teams include Dartmouth Hillel, Hillel at Florida State University, Hillel at Binghamton, University of North Carolina, Charlotte Hillel and Johns Hopkins University Hillel.