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Rabbi’s Project Preservation Journal Entry — 13 June 2013

hillel — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 20:31:25 +0000

On the ride to Auschwitz/Oswieicim, the bus was unusually quiet. There was hardly a sound, other than the motor and traffic. Inside the Mercedes-Benz transport, however, there was an unusual silence. I looked at the faces of two students whose ancestors perished in the Holocaust, some actually at Auschwitz, others simply lost forever, as were so many. Within this same group, others had experienced ancestral degradations and hardships unknown to many of us in terms of our experience, some of them quite current. And yet, without any personal relationships to Jewish suffering, they too were on this journey. May G-d bless them all.

I looked outside the bus and began to think about Truth and the phrase slight of hand entered my consciousness. I was always impressed with the magician’s trick of the coin, appearing in one hand, and then somehow the coin appearing in the other (I fool rather easily as you can see). I thought of this Truth, whenever someone tries to articulate just what is true, what is just, what is right in much the same way. I am currently reading a biography of Louis Brandeis, and thought of the observation of his biographer that for the first Jewish Supreme Court Justice and early Zionist leader, the most important aspect of the lawyer’s work is to master the facts as is possible. To understand the client and the law, most important was to understand the set of circumstances, be they business, personal, or whatever the subject that brought her or him to the office was most important to become thoroughly immersed. This was no simple task. For example when it came to understand situations involving large railroad companies, and appropriate rate setting to serve the public good and the shareholders at the same time, Brandeis took his time in understand as much as he could about how the company went about its business.

So the lawyer, after immersion into all of this, arrives at those laws that she or he best represents his client (for Brandeis serving the public good and what was best for his or her client were not a mutually exclusive enterprise).

As I reflected on this, I thought, well that is all well and good. But isn’t the lawyer on the other side doing the very same thing. Taking all the facts, marshalling them, and presenting the case in light of the law, hoping for an entirely opposite result.

Who is ultimately right? Of course, one could say that a Judge has the final say, but as we all know, the Judge may be right in the sense of the exercise of power to decide, but could be wrong on an entirely different level. This leads me back to Auschwitz.

Judgment at Nuremburg presents the ambiguity of Truth and Justice. Serving one’s country and in the course of one’s duty must do acts that are morally repugnant on an entirely different scale. So, if that is what I am saying, then we are saying that Truth and Justice are relative.

This is on the road to Auschwitz. My thoughts then turned to the story of a German Offficer who fell in love with a beautiful young Jewish Woman at Auschwitz II Birkenau. This was no ordinary attraction. He grew to love her deeply. He expressed this love for her in two ways. The first was to make her life as comfortable as possible. I believe, this is all from memory in a book, that he set her up to work in Canada, a place so called at Auschwitz because it was believed that Canada was very wealthy. This was the place where all the wealth and belongings of the Jew, all valuables, were taken to for sorting, cataloging, and ultimately used by the Germans. If you could imagine, 1,200,000 Jewish men, women, and children will die there, each of them taking belongings, the task of sorting out the valuables, cataloging the, and so forth was quite extensive. Those assigned there would have it easier than the others as the labor was not crushing and they were better fed. This German officer, I believe his name was Franz, made sure that she was taken care of.

Here is the most remarkable part of the story. One day, a transport arrived from the town of this young woman and on it were members of her family, I believe her mother. Franz personally went into the gas chamber and pulled members of her family out before they were gassed.

It is a beautiful story on one level, and yet troubling on another. What do we make of anyone who participates in genocide or for that matter deliberately hurting another person, for whatever reason? Should Franz have been tried for war crimes, crimes against humanity, or is Truth and Justice more ambiguous. Who can make these judgments? Who is entitled to make them – can I, can the victims, or our ancestors who fought the battle, won the war, yet failed to bomb the railroad tracks to stop the genocide when they had all the proof necessary (were you aware that the 1/3rd of that 1.2 million perished during the last six months (I am told three) of the war – that is the Jews from Hungary, where over 400,000 Jews lost their lives? Truth and Justice I feel become almost crushed under such a weight of souls lost in the gas chambers and crematoria.

As I write this I find myself asking and perhaps someone knows this, were the manufacturers of the Zykon B, the gas used in those chambers? Does anyone remember the name of the company or its officers? Should they have been prosecuted and sentenced to death as was Rudolf Hess, the commandant at Auschwitz?

I don’t know the answers to these questions. I do know this. We need, we as human beings, must believe in something higher than the relative Truth and Justice that we as human beings must always strive to achieve, yet we never achieve it. Truth and Justice are complex, often ambiguous at our meagre level of understanding at best. I have a “crutch” as it were whenever I am faced with such decisions, and I am, as we all are, and that is would I have a satisfactory response to God were I to be so asked by the Divine? I know, or at least I believe, that G-d does not “act” on this level, yet for me it is helpful.

I know that participating with these young men and women is good for me and that there is some purpose, some meaning, in this as we continue to struggle with the unimaginable suffering that occurred as our transport of choice now, 68 years later after the liberation of Auschwitz, headed to this place that represents the ultimate injustice that I am yet to encounter in my lifetime. Perhaps it is why I went back there yet again. It was to acknowledge the lives of those who preceded, who gave so much to those (their immediate descendants who made it out or survived the war) who taught me, who have given me such a beautiful life. It is perhaps to say thank you, time and time again, to a people who gave so much and died. It is to tell them their death was nothing compared to what they gave to us, to the world, and that it lives on for those of us who are there to acknowledge that they are remembered and loved. I believe in my heart that there is Truth in this and perhaps some Justice that they are elevated and that the perpetrators are despised and will be forever by good and decent people. This is a Truth and this is a Justice.

Jewsletter – 05/20/2012

hillel — Mon, 21 May 2012 13:11:23 +0000

THE JEWSLETTER

News for all Dartmouth’s Jews

Events and Announcements (see details below):

Jews on Canoes to Celebrate Lag B’Omer
Sign Up for Cooking for Friday Night Dinners at Hillel
Israel Multicultural Arts and English Summer Camps
South Africa: Lion and Tiger Park Summer Opportunity

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Reminder of Weekly Events in the JEWNIVERSE:

On Monday, May 14th:

Note: We are changing the regular schedule for weekly Board meetings this week. Sign up for Green Corps Below.
From 6:00 – 6:30, we will have our weekly executive meetings at Hillel. We will not be having our weekly general meeting this week (similar to last week). Instead, we want to encourage people to sign up for Green Corps!

On Wednesday, May 16th:

Jews and Java from 3-5pm in town at the Dartmouth Bookstore

On Thursday, May 17th:

@ 6pm Jews -n- Canoes (we are inviting Jew Crew and all of Hillel to Ledyard. There will be no Jew Crew this week)
@ 8pm “Guide to the Perplexed” at the Roth Center with Rabbi. Interested? Come to find out more! New people welcome!

On Friday, May 18th:

@ 6pm Friday night services will be led by Asher Mayerson.
@7pm Friday night dinner cooked by Nick Parillo and friends, who will be making another FEAST FOR THE AGES.

If you would like to go to Hebrew Lunch, blitz Ittai Eres

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Announcements/Events:

Jews n Canoes to Celebrate Lag B’Omer

Hillel is hosting a Kosher BBQ at Ledyard this Thursday (May 24th) from 6-8pm. Come relax and enjoy the beautiful weather, while also canoeing on the Connecticut River! Ledyard is covering the cost of the Canoe rentals, so both the BBQ food and the canoes will be free!

Sign-ups for Cooking for Friday Night Dinners at Hillel

Know how to cook? Can’t even butter a piece of bread? Somewhere in-between? If you said yes to any of those questions, then you should sign up to help below. Cooking at Hillel is always a lot of fun, and Nick is looking to make the food even more tasty and delicious. So, if you want a fun way to spend your Friday afternoons (really, what better do you have to do at the time??), then sign up with your friends for a Friday afternoon cooking slot. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AptIw-_Qjb4odG5qTWw1OUhxYkVENFg2M1VUdHNzWnc

Israel Multicultural Arts and English Summer Camps

These camps are located in the Druze city of Yanuh-Jat, nestled in the rolling

hills of the Upper Galilee region of Israel. The first session focuses on arts,

sports, and a general good time for the kids, while the English camp gives the

campers, who are year-round students of English, an opportunity to enhance their

education and strengthen their comprehension by interacting with volunteer leaders.

http://www.goeco.org/project/343/Volunteer_in_Israel_Arts_and_English_Summer_Camps?utm_source=DM_Newsletter_Jewish_Unis_Depts_JVS&utm_medium=May_2012&utm_campaign=DM_Newsletter_Jewish_Unis_Depts_JVS_May-2012

South Africa: Lion and Tiger Park Summer Opportunity

The Tiger and Lion project was founded 12 years ago to ensure the preservation

of African wildlife. Since the 1970′s the population of lions in Africa has decreased

by 80-90 percent, due to poaching, reduction of natural habitats, and disease.

One of the goals of the park is to breed strong and healthy animals that can

someday be released into the wild. Most work that is done by volunteers revolves

around one-on-one care of tiger and lion cubs and includes feeding, walking, and

cleaning the cubs, as well as assistance with research and and rehabilitation

programs.

http://www.goeco.org/project/263/Volunteer_in_South_Africa_Tiger_and_Lion_Park?utm_source=DM_Newsletter_Jewish_Unis_Depts_JVS&utm_medium=May_2012&utm_campaign=DM_Newsletter_Jewish_Unis_Depts_JVS_May-2012

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Of the week….

JEW OF THE WEEK:

Shari Boraz is our Jew of the Week this week! Shari Boraz is Dartmouth College’s

Green Corps’ Program Manager and also Rabbi’s wife. These past few weeks Shari

has been leading Hillel’s efforts to call and personally thank all of the people

who have donated to Hillel over the past few years. Shari is great leader and

always keeps volunteers spirits up with words of encouragement and, of course,

candy! Hillel greatly appreciates all of your help!

GOY OF THE WEEK:

This week’s Goy of the Week is Chen Guangcheng. He is a blind Chinese activist,

who recently escaped Chinese house arrest and arrived in the United States. Chen

originally became famous in China as an unlicensed lawyer who worked on behalf

of disabled citizens and also exposed forced abortions.

For more information on Chen Guangcheng: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/21/us-usa-chen-newyork-idUSBRE84K01F20120521

OVERHEARDS OF THE WEEK:

’12 Girl: Hi, we’re calling from Dartmouth College Hillel to thank you for your

support of Hill-

Alum: I’m not giving you any of my money!

’15 Girl

How was your Green Key Weekend?

’15 Girl

Oh, just safe!

OVERHEARD something a crazy little Jew said at Hillel or just around campus, blitz

Rachel.S.Funk.15@dartmouth.edu to get it in the next Jewsletter!

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This is Rachel Funk, blitz me with any comments, questions, or concerns. Happy

Green Key Recovery Week!!

Israel Update – 05/15/12

hillel — Fri, 18 May 2012 13:25:43 +0000

Shalom Everyone!

Since one of the winners of the Israeli chocolate raffle from the Israel Update survey never got back to me, I put names in a hat once again and ADAM KRAUS (in addition to Ari Wertheim, the original winner). Please blitz me about your chocolate!

First off, here’s an Israeli song in honor of the weather “Geshem” (Rain) by Benzene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CM2G70WfRKs

This week’s Hebrew word of the week is some slang: “l’heetcharmen” (“to hook up”). Enjoy Green Key!

This week, in lieu of a news article, I want to inform you of an Israel-related event on campus that J Street U is putting on; I hope to see you there!:

Israel’s New Coalition: Who Really Won?

A Talk by Bernard Avishai

4:00 PM May 16th

Rocky 3

https://www.facebook.com/events/343239442397946/

Bernard Avishai, a noted expert on Israel’s politics and economy, will discuss the new Likud-Kadima coalition unity government, its meaning for Israel’s politics and how it will affect the peace process.

Have a great week and an excellent Green Key! If you have any comments, questions, concerns, compliments, complaints, or other words that begin with “c,” feel free to blitz me!

B’Shalom,

Ittai

Jewsletter – 05/14/2012

hillel — Tue, 15 May 2012 01:03:46 +0000

THE JEWSLETTER

News for all Dartmouth’s Jews

Events and Announcements (see details below):

Bagel Brunch this coming Sunday
Sign Up for Cooking for Friday Night Dinners at Hillel
Hillel’s Events on the Horizon

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Reminder of Weekly Events in the JEWNIVERSE:

On Monday, May 14th:

Note: We are changing the regular schedule for weekly Board meetings and General meetings this week and next week Green Corps.
From 6:00 – 6:30, we will have our weekly executive meetings at Hillel. We will not be having our weekly general meeting this week and next week, so you are encouraged instead to sign up for Green Corps calling on Monday nights!

On Wednesday, May 16th:

Jews and Java from 3-5pm in town at the Dartmouth Bookstore

On Thursday, May 17th:

@ 6pm Jew Crew Meeting at the Roth Center.
@ 8pm “Guide to the Perplexed” at the Roth Center with Rabbi. Interested? Come to find out more! New people welcome!

On Friday, May 18th:

@ 6pm Friday night services will be led by Asher Mayerson.
@7pm Friday night dinner cooked by Nick Parillo and friends, who will be making another FEAST FOR THE AGES.

On Sunday, May 20th:

@ 12:30pm BAGEL BRUNCH (last of the term) at the Roth Center

If you would like to go to Hebrew Lunch, blitz Ittai Eres

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Announcements/Events:

Bagel Brunch

We will have our last bagel brunch of the year this Sunday at 12:30 at the Roth Center! Come enjoy some great company and delicious bagels, lox, multiple types of cream cheese and more!

Sign-ups for Cooking for Friday Night Dinners at Hillel

Hillel’s Events on the Horizon

Hillel is planning a few big events for the end of the term. Hillel is hosting a Jews on Canoes event to celebrate Lag B’Omer, but it will not be celebrated on the actual date of Lag B’Omer. It will be celebrated on Thursday May 24!

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Of the week….

JEWs and GOYs OF THE WEEK

Everyone who helped out at or participated in the Powwow this past weekend deserves a piece of the “person of the week” title. A powwow is a pan-tribal gathering of Native Americans people to celebrate our rich heritage, a chance to socialize with old friends and meet new friends, and educate and expose non-Indigenous people to traditions, dances, and customs. The Dartmouth Powwow was a huge success and had a great turnout! Thank you to NAD and everyone else who organized the event!

JOKE OF THE WEEK:

No joke, this site is plain adorable. Cute cats galore! http://happykitty-lazykitty.tumblr.com/

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This is Rachel Funk, blitz me with any comments, questions, or concerns. Green Key this Weekend!

Jewsletter – 05/07/2012

hillel — Mon, 07 May 2012 13:29:59 +0000

THE JEWSLETTER

News for all Dartmouth’s Jews

Events and Announcements (see details below):

Nixon Scholars in Residence – Israelis and Palestinians: Is There Any Hope?
Summer Fellowship Opportunity
Sign Up for Cooking for Friday Night Dinners at Hillel
2-Weeks Volunteer & Leadership Trips in Thailand this Summer

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Reminder of Weekly Events in the JEWNIVERSE:

On Monday, May 7th:

Note: We are changing the regular schedule for weekly Board meetings this week for Green Corps. More information below!
From 5:30 – 6:30, we will meet on the second floor of North Fairbanks (building connected to the Tucker Foundation) for the GREEN CORPS training. This is Mandatory for anyone wanting to participate in thanking all of our fantastic donors!
@6:30 pm we will have Exec Meetings in the Tucker Foundation
@7:00 pm we will have General Meetings in the Tucker Foundation living room with a free meal, open to all of campus! Come for great food and a chance to have your ideas become reality!

On Wednesday, May 9th:

Jews and Java CANCELED! Come instead to our Nixon Scholars in Residence lunch and lecture!
@ 1:45 pm come enjoy a free lunch in 1930s room in Rockefeller with the Nixon Scholars, David Makovsky and Ghaith al-Omari
@ 4:30 pm come to 105 Dartmouth Hall for the Nixon Scholars talk, moderated by Daryl Press

On Thursday, May 11th:

@ 6pm Jew Crew Meeting at the Roth Center.
@ 8pm “Guide to the Perplexed” at the Roth Center with Rabbi. Interested? Come to find out more! New people welcome!

On Friday, May 12th:

@ 6pm Friday night services will be led by Asher Mayerson.
@7pm Friday night dinner cooked by Nick Parillo and friends, who will be making another FEAST FOR THE AGES.

If you would like to go to Hebrew Lunch, blitz Ittai Eres

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Announcements/Events:

ISRAELIS AND PALESTINIANS: IS THERE ANY HOPE?

Wednesday, May 9th, 4:30-6:00pm

105 Dartmouth Hall

Moderated by Associate Professor Daryl Press

David Makovsky is the Ziegler Distinguished Fellow and director of The Washington Institute’s Project on the Middle East Peace Process. He is also an adjunct lecturer in Middle Eastern studies at Johns Hopkins University’s Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).

Ghaith Al-Omari is advocacy director at the American Task Force in Palestine (ATFP). Prior to that, he served in various positions within the Palestinian Authority, including director of the International Relations Department in the Office of the Palestinian President, and advisor to former Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas.

Sponsored by the Tamara Friedman Nixon and Daniel D. Nixon ’55 Fund in Support of the Scholar-in-Residence at Dartmouth College Hillel, Dartmouth College Hillel, The Nelson A. Rockefeller Center, The John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding and the Tucker Foundation.

Also if you are interested, join us for lunch and breakfast with the Nixon Fellows (David Makovsky and Ghaith al-Omari)! A great opportunity to meet them and ask them questions. Lunch will be held Wed, May 9 from 1:45pm – 3:00pm in the 1930s Room – Rockefeller. Breakfast will be earlier that day, from 10-11:30pm at the Roth Center. All students welcome!

Summer Fellowship Opportunity

The Uri L’Tzedek Summer Fellowship is a transformative leadership program that combines innovative social activism with leadership development and Torah. This full-time, 6-week program, from June 22nd-August 3rd, is an opportunity to work alongside Uri L’Tzedek’s staff and board, experiencing first-hand the many mechanisms that come together to create an effective non-profit organization, gaining exposure to communal Jewish life, effecting change, and learning Torah, social justice philosophy, and community organizing models. For more information please contact David Bookbinder at David.Bookbinder@utzedek.org.

Sign-ups for Cooking for Friday Night Dinners at Hillel

2-Weeks Volunteer & Leadership Trips in Thailand this Summer

Justifi is a life-changing Social Justice program that takes Jewish college students and recent grads to Thailand to work with victims of human trafficking and child sexual exploitation. Find Out More! During a 2-week trip, we travel across Thailand to work with multiple start-up non-profit organizations to do meaningful projects on the ground and understand how today’s innovative social entrepreneurs are tackling one of the world’s most urgent issues Human Trafficking. Interested in Thailand This Summer? By fundraising, you can participate for as little as $0, and in special cases, we can even let you fundraise towards the cost of your flight. Trip dates:

June 21st to July 5th
July 25th to August 8th
August 9th to August 23rd

Apply Now at Justifi.org. Any Questions? Contact Steve@justifi.org and he’ll get back to you right away

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Of the week….

JEW OF THE WEEK

In continuing with our tradition of honoring our 12s, this week’s Jew of the Week is Rachel Groh! Rachel, who has been on the Hillel board for a very long time and even served as President of Hillel, has been working very hard with Green Corps to coordinate ways to thank all of Hillel’s donors and to get volunteers to help with the process. Rachel’s Green Corps project starts this week, with training on Monday at 5:30 (more information above). Hillel is greatly indebted to Rachel for her work on this project and also for all of the energy and excitement she brings to all of the Hillel activities she attends! The best way to thank Rachel would be to show up to the Green Corps training!

GOYs (and Jews) OF THE WEEK

’15 Parents are this week’s Goys and (other) Jews of the week! 15 parents really brought a lot of energy and joy back to campus! We all had a great pleasure in having them here, and the campus will definitely feel emptier without them. Thank you parents for traveling from near or far to visit us!

JOKE OF THE WEEK:

In honor of the Hop showing the Hungers this week, allowing many of us (this writer included) to finally see the movie for the first time, we are having a Hunger Games themed joke this week as the Joke of the Week. This joke comes from President Obama who referenced the movie during his speech at the White House Correspondents Dinner. He reportedly said,

“Still, I guess Governor Romney’s feeling pretty good about things because he took a few hours off the other day to see ‘The Hunger Games’. Some of you have seen it? It’s a movie about people who court wealthy sponsors and then brutally savage each other until only one contestant is left standing. I’m sure this was a really great change of pace for him.”

For his whole speech at the White House Correspondents Dinner, see http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/president-obamas-full-2012-whcd-speech/2012/04/28/gIQAGNYboT_video.html?hpid=z2

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This is Rachel Funk, blitz me with any comments, questions, or concerns. Don’t let this nicer weather make you forget about midterms!!

Israel Update – 05/01/2012

hillel — Tue, 01 May 2012 23:57:16 +0000

Shalom Everyone!

First off, here is this week’s Israeli song: “Tamuti Alai” (Die for Me) by KYD and Soulkey! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9RDZIaD03M

This is a reminder to the winners (Ariel Wertheim and Emily Johnson!) of the Israeli chocolate from the Israel Update survey to blitz me in order to get your chocolate! If I don’t hear from you by next week, I will lotto it off to someone else!

This week’s Hebrew word of the week is “seret“, which means movie. Why? Because you should attend some of the movies or other events for Israel and Palestine Week that is happening this week! Lots of interesting cultural views of the conflict, in addition to lots of free food! Feel free to attend any or all of the events. Schedule is attached!

Also, don’t forget to leave your calendars open for next Wednesday! From 4:30-6:00 at 105 Dartmouth Hall Gaith al-Omari and David Makovsky, two of our Nixon speakers, will speak about the Israel-Palestinian conflict. They present one of the most nuanced views I’ve ever heard of the situation. More details to follow next week.

And speaking of multicultural understanding, here is a link to apply and containing more information about a summer program called Beyond Bridges: Israel-Palestine! http://www.centerfortransformativeeducation.org/courses/beyond-bridges-israel-palestine.html

Hope everyone has a great week, and I look forward to seeing you at all of the Israel-related events over the next 10 days!

B’Shalom,

Ittai

Jewsletter – 4/30/12

hillel — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 13:10:23 +0000

THE JEWSLETTER

News for all Dartmouth’s Jews

Events and Announcements (see details below):

Summer Fellowship Opportunity
Claudallah this Saturday, May 5th
Sign Up for Cooking for Friday Night Dinners at Hillel
CongraJEWlations to our summer and fall executive board members
Dartmouth Celebrates Israel and Palestine Week

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Reminder of Weekly Events in the JEWNIVERSE:

On Monday, April 30th:

@6pm Hillel Board meetings at the Roth Center
@7pm General Meetings with a free meal, open to all of campus at the Roth Center! Come for great food and a chance to have your ideas become reality!

On Wednesday, May 2nd:

Jews and Java from 3-5pm in town at the Dartmouth Bookstore

On Thursday, May 3rd:

@ 6pm Jew Crew Meeting at the Roth Center.
@ 8pm “Guide for the Perplexed” at the Roth Center with Rabbi. Interested? Come to find out more! New people welcome!

On Friday, May 4th:

@ 6pm Friday night services will be led by Asher Mayerson.
@7pm Friday night dinner cooked by Nick Parillo and friends, who will be making another FEAST FOR THE AGES.

If you would like to go to Hebrew Lunch, blitz Ittai Eres

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Announcements/Events:

Summer Fellowship Opportunity

Claudallah this Saturday, May 5th

Claudallah will be this Saturday! We know it’s first year family weekend but parents are more than welcome to attend! If you want to come, please RSVP by blitzing the Hillel account. For those of you who have never been, Claudallah is a celebration of Havdalah (the end of Shabbat) that Claudia hosts at her house with great food and conversation! If you would like more information, please see this past Friday’s blitz (or blitz the hillel account with questions).

Dartmouth Celebrates Israel and Palestine Week

April 30th through May 4th is Israel and Palestine Week: A Look at Conflict Through Culture. Israel and Palestine Week aims to reveal the human component of the conflict through showcasing different personal stories, cultural expressions, and dialogue. By bringing together movies that highlight various perspectives, we hope to enable individuals here to better understand how Israelis and Palestinians live through the conflict. And, through comedy and poetry, we want to gain an appreciation for the richness of the cultures in the region.

April 30th, 6:00PM Haldeman 041: “Paradise Now” & Dinner
May 1st, 6:00PM Rocky 02: “To Die in Jerusalem” & Dinner
May 2nd, 6:00PM Haldeman 124: “Home Front: Portraits from Sheikh Jarrah,” Dinner & Discussion
May 3rd, 8:00PM Cutter Shabazz First Floor: Israeli and Arab comedians
May 4th, 6:00PM Casque & Gauntlet: Poetry Reading, Israeli and Palestinian Music & Dinner

Sign-ups for Cooking for Friday Night Dinners at Hillel

CongraJEWlations to our summer and fall executive board members

Summer:

President – Ittai Eres
Exec VP/Programming – Michael Klein
VP Membership - Talia Weiss and Sarah Rossow
VP Religious Affairs and Education – Matt Garczynski

Fall:

President – Alex Lucas
Exec VP/Programming – Ittai Eres
VP Membership - Michael Klein
VP Religious Affairs and Education – Asher Mayerson

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Of the week….

JEW OF THE WEEK

Rebecca Gotlieb is this week’s Jew of the Week. Rebecca is a ’12 and has been a part of the Hillel board for a long time! Rebecca organized all of this year’s Yom HaShoah events, which were all tremendous successes! Hillel greatly appreciates Rebecca’s tireless work for Yom HaShoah and for the Board. So if you see Rebecca, give her a big thank you from all of us!

GOY OF THE WEEK

In keeping with last week’s theme of Dartmouth related news, this week’s goy of the week is Wendy Kopp, the Class of 2012′s graduation speaker. Kopp is the founder and CEO of Teach for America. According to the Dartmouth, more than 11% of the Class of 2012 applied to Teach for America.

For more information on Wendy Kopp and Dartmouth’s reaction to the choice: http://thedartmouth.com/2012/04/27/news/tfa

JOKE OF THE WEEK:

Had a bad week? Someone made fun of your new haircut? Got a bad grade on your midterm? Your life could be worse… You could have Hot Problems. These two girls articulate the problems of being hot in a new, fabulous song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__HeE6NWmDE

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This is Rachel Funk, blitz me with any comments, questions, or concerns. Yay May!!

Israel Update – 04/25/12

hillel — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:02:26 +0000

Shalom Everyone!

The two winners of the Israeli chocolate raffle who filled out the survey are ARIEL WERTHEIM ’15 and EMILY JOHNSON ’12! Congratulations! Please blitz me (Ittai) so we can figure out a good time to coordinate getting your chocolate! And a BIG thank you to all the people who filled out the survey.

This Thursday is YOM HA’ATZMAUT, (ISRAELI INDEPENDENCE DAY)! WEAR BLUE AND WHITE TO CELEBRATE! WHAT AN EXCITING HOLIDAY WARRANTING LOTS OF VIDEOS AND EVENTS:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vnnDhumNLyg#!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjfFpFW9OdA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Lt8pXYdtkI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0x143BCc2e8

TOO MANY VIDEOS FOR DESCRIPTION!

Events:

Wednesday:

12:30-1:30 – Hebrew Lunch! We will meet on the porch of Collis
5-7 – in One Wheelock: Israeli Ambient Lounge! Come for free chocolate and goody bags, to stop by and hang out, and listen to some Israeli music!

Thursday (ACTUAL DAY OF YOM HA’ATZMAUT!):

12 – Listen for a special surprise by the bell tower!
1 – Come to the middle of the Green (if it’s not raining and if this pulls through) for a special surprise!

Sunday:

10 AM – Come to the Roth Center to participate in Israeli folk dancing with Hillel students and kids from the Hebrew school! Should be tons of fun.

Have a great week everyone, and HAPPY YOM HA’ATZMAUT! Happy 64th Israel!

B’Shalom,

Ittai

Jewsletter – 04/23/12

hillel — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:08:47 +0000

THE JEWSLETTER

News for all Dartmouth’s Jews

Events and Announcements (see details below):

Work as a Hebrew School Teacher Next Year
CongraJEWlations to Our New Board Members
National Havurah Committee: a Week Long Opportunity this Summer
Election for Summer and Fall Executive Hillel Board Positions
Sign Up for Cooking for Friday Night Dinners at Hillel

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Reminder of Weekly Events in the JEWNIVERSE:

On Monday, April 23rd:

@6pm Hillel Board meetings at the Roth Center
@7pm General Meetings with a free meal, open to all of campus at the Roth Center! Come for great food and a chance to have your ideas become reality! Also, this week ELECTIONS for Executive Board Positions for Summer and Fall term. Details below.

On Wednesday, April 25th:

Jews and Java from 3-5pm in town at the Dartmouth Bookstore

On Thursday, April 26th:

@ 6pm Jew Crew Meeting at the Roth Center.
@ 8pm “Guide for the Perplexed” at the Roth Center with Rabbi. Interested? Come to find out more! New people welcome!

On Friday, April 27th:

@ 6pm Friday night services will be led by Asher Mayerson.
@7pm Friday night dinner cooked by Nick Parillo and friends, who will be making another FEAST FOR THE AGES. Come to find out how we will top last week’s four desserts?

If you would like to go to Hebrew Lunch, blitz Ittai Eres

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Announcements/Events:

Work as a Hebrew School Teacher Next Year

The Hebrew School at the Roth Center, is seeking teachers, tutors and substitutes for 2012-2013, grades Kinder-7th. These are paid positions and wonderful opportunities to give back to the community at large. Positions are available for those limited in Hebrew, Judaic Studies only, or advanced Hebrew teachers that can tutor the Bnai Mitzvah class.

CongraJEWlations to Our New Board Members

Hillel enthusiastically welcomes Emily Brody-Bizare and Elizabeth Morse to the Hillel Board as co-historians. Congrats Emily and Elizabeth!

National Havurah Committee: a Week Long Opportunity this Summer

The National Havurah Committee (NHC) Summer Institute is a week-long, pluralistic retreat of grassroots Jewish learning and living. Among its 300 attendees are students, musicians, doctors, furniture makers, retirees, Jewish professionals, homemakers, teachers, young children, and activists, all committed to shaping the present, and future, of American Judaism. Last summer, the NHC held a program for college student leaders to engage in this dynamic community, with the focus of developing their davvening and leadership skills. In addition to the classes, workshops, prayer options, and rich personal interactions available to all attendees, the cohort of student leaders participated in a series of sessions devoted to learning the skills that make Hillel communities succeed. We are poised to continue this program at the 2012 NHC Summer Institute. The dates of this year’s Institute are August 6-12, and the conference takes place at Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, New Hampshire. We encourage schools to send two or more student leaders, so that they have peer support in implementing their new skills back on campus. If you are interested, please contact Rabbi Boraz and he will put you in touch with someone to get you more information,

Election for Summer and Fall Executive Hillel Board Positions

Hillel will be holding elections for President and three VP positions at the general meeting on Monday April 23rd at 7 pm. There will be a separate set of elections for Summer term and Fall terms. The officers to be elected on April 23rd are: President, Executive Vice President/Programming Chair, Vice President of Membership, and Vice President of Religious Affairs and Education.

Sign-up for Cooking for Friday Night Dinners at Hillel

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Of the week….

JEW OF THE WEEK

Orli Kleiner is this week’s Jew of the Week. Orli is a ’12 and has served in numerous positions on the Hillel Board, including most recently as Treasurer. This week only, she has a solo exhibition of her jewelry at the Hop in the display case across from the Hinman boxes. This case will have jewelry that she was worked on spanning her four years as a Dartmouth student. So, be sure to go check it out! Also, great job Orli!!!

GOY OF THE WEEK

Carol Folt is this week’s Goy of the Week. This week, the college announced that she will be serving as the interim president of Dartmouth until the search committee finds a replacement for Jim Kim, who was selected as the new head of the World Bank. Because Ms. Folt is serving as interim president, the search committee will not consider her for the role of permanent president. For more information on our new interim president go to the D’s article: http://thedartmouth.com/2012/04/18/news/folt

JOKE OF THE WEEK:

A friend told me this joke earlier today and I thought it was rather fitting:

Q: What can cause the weather to dramatically change?

A: The prospies leaving Dartmouth! The sky is literally weeping over their departure.

Special Thanks to Everyone who helped out at all the Jewish Prospy Events!!

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This is Rachel Funk, blitz me with any comments, questions, or concerns. Go dust off those rain boots and umbrellas because you’ll be needing them again this week!!

Israel Update – 04/18/12

hillel — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:47:44 +0000

Shalom Everyone!

First of all, by this time next week I will close this survey on the Israel Update and thus select two winners at random of those who answered the survey to get some FREE ISRAELI CHOCOLATE BARS! Here is the link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/8L9VFYW

Now, onto the usual: an Israeli music video. This week’s is an acoustic version of a song called “Her Lies” by Asaf Avidan. He is actually a really fascinating Israeli musician (AND IT’S IN ENGLISH!). Easily one of my favorites of his: http://youtu.be/qA5uKbzTh18?t=1m38s

And thus the Hebrew word of the week is “sheker” which means, “a lie”. Variations include “lishaker (to lie) and “shakran” (liar).

For this week’s news article, I wanted to call to everyone’s attention the Israeli government’s speaking out against and condemnation of one soldier’s severe misconduct in handling a group of protestors. Across the board, Israeli government and IDF officials have condemned the individual soldier’s actions as not in line with Israeli or IDF policy and generally reprehensible. Here are news articles from several sources, if you’re interested: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/ehud-barak-condemns-idf-officer-who-beat-