It's 8:30 a.m. on a day in June at the Jewish Federation building when, dressed in their finest business casual attire, four students bustle into the lobby elevator.

"Hold the doors, please!" cry out two ladies as they hurry into the lift. On the way up, after a quick glance back at the students, one of the ladies smiles and chirps, "You can tell it's summer when the Lewis interns arrive."

This summer, 30 multitalented, carefully selected students, including two from Israel and two from Ukraine, came to participate in the 34th Lewis Summer Intern Program (LSIP). The Chicago-based work-study program offered by The Hillels of Illinois includes a two-month-long field placement in an agency or department of the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago (JUF/JF). From working full-time at supervised job placements and learning about JUF/JF's many agencies, to planning a weekend retreat and attending seminars led by local Jewish leaders, the diverse group of interns experienced a summer to remember for a lifetime.

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