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Jewish Students Pursue Social Justice at 2005 Charlotte B. and Jack J. Spitzer B'nai B'rith Hillel Forum on Public Policy
March 01, 2005Comments (0) | Add | E-mail this to a friend  United by their devotion to social justice and community service, more than 370 Jewish students from 136 campuses traveled to Washington, DC, this week for the 2005 Charlotte B. and Jack J. Spitzer B'nai B'rith Hillel Forum on Public Policy. The conference, which ran from Sunday, Feb. 27 through Tuesday, March 1, was held in conjunction with the Jewish Council for Public Affairs plenum.
The annual forum gives students the opportunity to share innovative ideas, attend cutting-edge workshops and hear from leaders in politics, journalism and social justice. Participants learned how to form community partnerships, advocate, serve and educate as well as discuss, debate, lobby, learn, and act on the social issues of their concern.
"Social justice and community service are two values that have long been a part of our Jewish heritage," said Hillel President Avraham Infeld. "It is truly invigorating to see our students come together and become even more motivated and passionate about the good work they are doing on their campuses and throughout the world."
This year's Spitzer Forum featured a number of high-profile speakers, including Sens. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), MTV News' Gideon Yago, Washington Wizards and Mystics owner Abe Pollin and Democratic National Committee Deputy Chair Susan Turnbull. David Levin, the co-founder and superintendent of the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP), delivered the Henry Everett Memorial Lecture.
Representatives from Jewish and social-justice community organizations took part in numerous workshops and panel discussions on topics ranging from world hunger, coalition-building, environmentalism, international conflict and reproductive rights. Students also spent several hours lobbying their congressional representatives on Capitol Hill.
In addition, 30 students interested in journalism participated in a specialized track co-sponsored by the American Jewish Press Association and the Darmstaedter Initiative. Several journalists from Jewish and mainstream media, such as the Washington Post, Jewish Journal of Los Angeles and Inside Edition, joined the students for intimate panels and roundtable discussions on journalistic ethics, the media and the Middle East and anti-Israel activity on campus. The group also traveled to the Pentagon to tour the facility, meet with Department of Defense policymakers and press officers and visit the press briefing room.
One student and one campus were recognized for their extraordinary commitment to social justice. Elizabeth Foreman, a junior at Rutgers University, received the Weinberg Tzedek Hillel Exemplar of Excellence Student Award, and North Carolina Hillel was honored with the Weinberg Tzedek Hillel Exemplar of Excellence Campus Award.
The complete schedule of programs is available online.
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