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Campuses Under Fire
A week ago today, as our office was closing down and colleagues were rushing off for dinner plans, frightened students were trampling each other inside a lecture hall at Northern Illinois University. Frantic to escape the classroom as a 27-year old alumnus opened fire, students who had been focusing on a lesson plan were under sudden attack. In all, 23 students were shot, five of them died. The gunman then killed himself.
Just a few days earlier, I was sitting in a Washington, D.C., conference room with Drs. Uri Bibi and Ruthie Eitan of Sapir College in Israel. They brought with them video clips of recent rocket attacks on the campus. Sapir College is in S'derot, an area under constant missle attack from Gaza. When a rocket approaches, students and faculty hear a tzeva adom (red alert) warning. They only have 15 seconds to find cover. As the sound of the tzeva adom was played in the video clip, Dr. Eitan shuddered.
Higher education is supposed to be a refuge from violence. But more commonly, the two worlds are colliding. In Hillel's corner office blog, Associate VP for Communications Jeff Rubin shares his thoughts on violence and civility on campus. And Rabbi Yossi Goldman, president of Hillel Israel, details the choices Sapir students are making when it comes to education and safety. Hillel will also be hosting the 2008 Summit on the University and the Jewish Community, March 24-26 at which academics, journalists and students will discuss civil society on campus.
Our thoughts and prayers are with both campuses,
Danielle Freni
Editor, Hillel Campus Report
dfreni@hillel.org
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 Emmy Rossum: Rising Star
When an 18-year-old Emmy Rossum dazzled audiences as the leading lady in Joel Schumacher's adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera, she was bombarded by record labels seeking to make her a "popera" star similar to soprano Sarah Brightman. But, as Rossum recently told Ellis Nassour of Lifestyles Magazine, she had plans of her own.
The now 21-year old Jewish singing sensation's debut album "Inside/Out" is available in stores and on iTunes. "I wanted to attempt to create a new sound that's unique to me," says Rossum. "It's something new. You can't categorize it."
Rep. Tom Lantos z"l: The American Dream
Rep. Tom Lanots, a Holocaust survivor who credited Hillel with bringing him to America on scholarship in 1947, passed away earlier this month at age 80. Friends, family and admirers gathered in Washington, D.C. last week for a memorial service to remember him as a champion for human rights.
Speaking to a packed house, his friend, Rabbi Arthur Schneier of New York, recalled singing Hebrew psalms with Lantos days before he died.
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Jewish Student Injured in NIU Shooting
Hillel has learned that one of the male students injured in the Valentine's Day shooting at Northern Illinois University is Jewish. Hillel's International Center and the local Jewish community have been monitoring the situation there and will continue to provide any support needed to the campus when it reopens on Monday, February 25.
My Bubbe Made Me Do It!
GW Hillel students took a few minutes out of their busy schedules to go speed dating with their single Jewish peers. The popular social event has already been recreated by Hillels at the University of Denver and George Mason University.
News Bytes
Columbia-Barnard Hillel hosts national LGBTQ conference / Israeli hip-hop group HaDag Nachash performs at University of Oregon Hillel / Connecticut college students share their Birthright experience with local paper / Hillel directors speak out against "Israeli Apartheid Week" in Canada / New kosher cafe at the George Washington University mentioned in the Washington Post
College 101: Study Tips
Smart advice on how to get the most out of your study hours
Learn Something Jewish: The Ethics of Genetic Testing
All the denominations agree, genetic testing is important for college students. But the issue raises questions about life and death, science and spirituality, and fuels the debate over who is ultimately in control of it all.
Help Finance a Student's Spring Break...to the Gulf Coast
Did you know that more than 800 students are spending their spring break helping rebuild the Gulf Coast, teaching refugee children and painting shelters while on Hillel-sponsored Alternative Spring Breaks? Help a student do tikkun olam, repair the world, by supporting an individual school program or through Hillel’s national effort.
Hillel on "The Simpsons"
The January 27, 2008 episode featured a flashback to Marge Simpsons' college years when she encountered "beanie-wearing boys pledging their fraternity."
The Hillel Experience on JPost.com
Are you a Hillel professional, student, parent, supporter? We want to hear from you! Comment on recent posts or submit your own topic for feedback. Join the global conversation going on right now.
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