On Thursday, February 16, head to the Hillel Meeting Room for a Seinfeld movie night! Relax, see friends, and munch on Seinfeld themed snacks like pretzels and junior mints!

TLC: Tu B'shvat was an extremely interesting and thoughtful discussion of the laws of Tu B'shvat and how humans interact with our environment through a Jewish context. We discussed Judaism's prohibitions against cutting down trees in war in specific. Everyone was very engaged and the discussion brought to light a lot of things that people had never thought about before. People also had the opportunity to buy packets containing all Seven Species, so that they could have their own Tu B'Shvat Seder. The proceeds from the sale went to the Jewish National Fund to plant trees in Israel.

On Tuesday, January 31, Professor Adam Teller led a learning discussion on the topic of the Oven of Aknai. The conversation was fascinating, and everyone seemed to enjoy it.

We learned about the politics of the Rabbis in their time and how we can bring the lessons they learned to the table to not make the same ones today. Being during an election year it was particularly insightful. Everyone left with a different, more educated mindset on how to approach the role of religion in politics.

Friday March 10 - Saturday March 11

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach is spending this Shabbat with Brown RISD Hillel, offering two educational talks and sharing in our meals and religious services.

Visit the Facebook Event Page for more information.

Last Saturday night, hundreds of people came out to the Faunce Underground for a Silent Disco sponsored by Hillel and supported by the Late Night Fund. "What IS a Silent Disco?" you might ask. Well, each person received a wireless headset, through which they could hear the awesome tunes played by DJ Remyx. What happened if you didn't have a headset? Well, it's always fun to check out people who look like they're dancing to nothing, or dance to your own beat with an iPod. Either way, the event was a fantastic success and everyone had a great time dancing the night away!

On Thursday February 9, students, faculty members and community members packed Metcalf Auditorium to hear from a rising star of the Democratic party -- Mayor Cory Booker of Newark, and one of America’s leading religious thinkers and speakers -- Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, together on one stage.

 

Review all of the successful new initiatives and events at Hillel last semester by perusing the Winter Alumni Newsletter! 

Click here for the latest updates on engagement with Israel, arts and culture events, Reunion 2012, and more!

Friday, 1/20/2012

By Sam Margo

Family and friends-

Sorry it has been so long since our last post; we've been extremely busy! Since our last post we've spent time in the great cities of Tel Aviv and Jersualem and had a unique night in a Bedouin tent comunity. Tel Aviv is a relatively new city compared to others in Israel. We got the chance to walk along the waterfront in the cool winter weather and experience the nightlife of the city. During the day we visited the room where the state of Israel was founded in 1948 and learned a ton of history about the founding of both Tel Aviv and Israel.

Then it was on to Jerusalem where we prepared for our visit to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust museum and memorial, talking in the group about our personal experiences and familial relationships with the Holocaust. Yad Vashem was a spectacularly moving and emotional experience for all of us. We learned the history of the Holocaust through first hand accounts, individual stories and lots of artifacts and historical objects. For me, one of the most interesting exhibits showcased modern Israeli students' artwork capturing the emotional scar of the Holocaust on Jewish and Israeli identity and on the world at large. 

Next we journeyed into the desert for our Bedouin experience. We ate a Bedouin style feast and learned from a Bedouin community member about life in the desert. All 40 of us slept on the ground (with mats) in one large tent. Most people stayed up late by the campfire talking and playing games, but I fell fast asleep right after dinner. In the morning we rode camels which was both exhilarating and relaxing at the same time. 

As an added bonus to our trip, our tour guide took us to the area of Israel near Gaza. We also went to Sderot where we walked around and saw the city that has been and continues to be hit worst by Palestinian rockets launched from Gaza. Every building, public place and bus stop has concrete shelters in case of a "tzeva adom" or "code red." Our tour guide told us about life there how nobody listens to music in the car so they can hear sirens and how over 80% of citizens have post traumatic stress disorder. We saw the police station where they have the empty shells of many rockets to recently hit the city, a truly eerie sight. During worse times, the city faced hundreds or thousands of rockets a month, but now they only get a few.

In all, this trip has been an amazing experience and something that I would reccomend to everyone in the United States no matter how religious or secular they are.

I hope everyone in the US is great (shout out to Mom, Dad, Grandma and Sari!) and we will talk to you all in two days when we get back!

Shabbat Shalom!

Sam Margo '14

Sunday, 1/15/2012

By Bart Johnsen-Harris 

I would be remiss if I did not open this blog entry by talking extensively about coffee and cake. You see, all of us here in Israel have had two things uniting us over the past few days. The first is coffee. The second: cake. On the itinerary, there are many exciting activities listed, many things to look forward to. However, I believe all of us on this trip can agree that the most exciting event is the breaking of cake, and the embibing of coffee. We got to sleep in a bit, getting up in time for this hearty shabbat breakfast at 10:30am. It's sad that it's over, but at the same time, there's hope. In our shabbat discussion, we spoke of how the regularity of Shabbat enables its trancendancy; no matter what, we can count on the fact that it will come again the following week, whether we observe or not. In this same way, we can count the days (7) until our next coffee and cake. 

Also, I've been told by my busmates that I should not move on without listing the types of cake. The first: chocolate. Second: chocolate chip. Third: lemon. Fourth: marbled. Gamarnu. Done. 

We proceeded with a torah study. We broke off into groups and read the weekly torah section. I was in a group with Sharon, one of our Israeli friends. Because she had the excuse that her English was not very good, she stuck me with reading the entire thing to her. Then she made fun of my pronunciation. Afterward, we came back together and had a brief discussion. The Torah section was the story of Pesach (Passover)- one of the few Bible stories I actually know. 

We had some time to rest, during which many of us played a game called "mafia". It's an elaborate game where a few people anonymously act as the mafia, killing off group members. The group then accuses people, who are ostricized and killed off. A great bonding activity. 

We then went on a tour of the kibbutz where we're staying. Much of our sightseeing has been from a bus, so it was nice to walk around. It was cold, but at least it stopped raining for a bit. We saw some moo-cows on the farm, some great scenery, and learned quite a bit about life on a kibbutz. I'd never really understood that so much of Israel is still impacted by the socialist influence of Russian immigrants. 

We had a bit of a lecture afterward from our tour guide, who educated us a bit more extensively on the basic geography and politics of Israel. The subject divided many members of the group, with regard to the issue of Palestine, but sparked some great discussions later in the night. Havdallah came next. I have no clue what the correct accompanying verb is- "participating in" Havdallah, "celebrating" havdallah... One of the Israelis, Omri, just informed me the verb is "do". We "did" Havdallah.

We ended Shabbat together as a group. We ended the day with a trip to Tiberius, a small local city in the Golan Heights. It's the most urban place we've been since we left the airport in Tel Aviv. We had a nice dinner on our own, and my group got to see an exciting "show of light and sound". It was like a mini version of the Belaggio fountains. We got some nice pictures, ate some good food, and overall had a nice time just exploring.

Also, I feel the need to mention that Daniel Moraff suffered a crushing defeat in the cardgame "hearts", a true tale for the ages.

Love, 

Bart Johnsen-Harris XOXO #39