The University Of Iowa Louis Shulman Hillel Foundation

THE MISSION OF IOWA HILLEL IS TO ENHANCE THE LIVES OF JEWISH STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA, SO THEY MAY ENRICH THE JEWISH PEOPLE AND THE WORLD. IOWA HILLEL ENVISIONS A WORLD FOR OUR STUDENTS WHERE THEY FIND A COMMUNITY HERE AT IOWA AND A PLACE TO CREATE OR EXPLORE THEIR CONNECTION TO JUDAISM IN A WAY THAT IS MEANINGFUL FOR THEM THAT LASTS FAR BEYOND THEIR YEARS AT SCHOOL.

SHABBAT DINNERS AND JEWISH HOLIDAY PROGRAMS-THROUGH OUR FRIDAY NIGHT SHABBAT DINNERS STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO HAVE A HOME-COOKED KOSHER SHABBAT DINNER MADE IN THE HILLEL KITCHEN BY OUR KITCHEN MANAGER AND STUDENT VOLUNTEERS WHO ARE LEARNING HOW TO COOK. DURING THE 2020-2021 SCHOOL YEAR, ALL OF OUR SHABBAT DINNERS WERE TO-GO, SO WE PUT TOGETHER AN ONLINE ORDERING SYSTEM AND PURCHASED COMPOSTABLE CONTAINERS SO OUR STUDENTS COULD CUSTOMIZE THEIR SHABBAT DINNER AND PICK IT UP FROM HILLEL. MOST CLASSES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA WERE ONLINE, AND SO FOR A LOT OF OUR STUDENTS PICKING UP SHABBAT DINNER TO-GO WAS ONE OF THE FEW TIMES THEY WERE GETTING OUTSIDE. IT WAS GREAT TO GET WEEKLY FACETIME WITH STUDENTS PICKING UP THEIR MEALS SO WE COULD CHECK IN ON HOW THEY WERE DOING IN PERSON WHEN MOST OF OUR INTERACTIONS WERE OVER ZOOM. DURING A TIME OF UNCERTAINTY, WE WERE ABLE TO GIVE OUR STUDENTS THE CONSISTENCY OF SHABBAT. WE ALSO INCORPORATED ZOOM PROGRAMMING, SO STUDENTS COULD ZOOM IN TO ENJOY SERVICES AND PROGRAMMING OVER ZOOM WHILE THEY ENJOYED THEIR DINNER. FOR JEWISH HOLIDAYS, WE MADE SIMILAR ADJUSTMENTS WITH PACKAGING MEALS TO GO AND CREATING VARIOUS INTERACTIVE PROGRAMS OVER ZOOM SO STUDENTS COULD STILL CONNECT AND CELEBRATE TOGETHER.

ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES- MAKING CONNECTIONS AND MEETING PEOPLE DURING THE 2020-2021 SCHOOL YEAR WAS MORE DIFFICULT AND IMPERATIVE. TO HELP OUR STUDENTS FIND WAYS TO CONNECT WITH EACH OTHER, WE PUT TOGETHER VARIOUS ZOOM PROGRAMS AND OUTDOOR SMALL GROUP GATHERINGS CALLED COHORTS WHERE STUDENTS WOULD MEET AT THE SAME TIME WEEKLY OVER A ONE-MONTH PERIOD. WE LED COOKING, DORM ROOM DECORATING, VOLUNTEERING, HIKING, BOOK, AND KNITTING CLUBS TO NAME A FEW HIGHLIGHTS. WE EVEN CREATED A SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS CALLED THE FRESHMEN SERIES SO THAT THEY COULD GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER AND EXPLORE IOWA CITY TOGETHER. STUDENTS ALSO APPLIED TO BE COHORT LEADERS SO THEY COULD HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO GAIN LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE. AN ADDITIONAL NEW PROGRAM FOR US WAS A MITZVOTE CAMPAIGN TO HELP STUDENTS REGISTER TO VOTE AND TALK ABOUT JEWISH VALUES CONNECTED TO CIVIC ENGAGEMENT.

JEWISH LEARNING AND ISRAEL EDUCATION - THE JEWISH LEARNING FELLOWSHIPS TAUGHT AT IOWA HILLEL HAVE BECOME A CORNERSTONE OF OUR OFFERINGS AT IOWA HILLEL. WHEN OUR JOB AT HILLEL IS TO ALLOW OUR STUDENTS TO CONNECT TO JUDAISM IN A WAY THAT'S MEANINGFUL TO THEM AND TO ESTABLISH A CONNECTION THAT LASTS A LIFETIME, JLF TRULY HELPS US ACCOMPLISH JUST THAT. WHEN SURVEYED, STUDENTS STRONGLY AGREED THAT JLF HELPED JEWISH IDEAS AND TRADITIONS FEEL MORE RELEVANT TO THEIR OWN LIFE, THAT IT MADE TORAH AND JEWISH TEXT MORE ACCESSIBLE, THAT JLF HELPED THEM FEEL PART OF A JEWISH COMMUNITY, AND THAT JLF HELPED THEM MAKE NEW JEWISH FRIENDS. ADDITIONALLY, STUDENTS STRONGLY AGREED THAT THEY ARE WALKING AWAY FROM JLF INTERESTED IN CONTINUING TO EXPLORE JEWISH IDEAS AND TRADITIONS, AND THEY ALL AGREED OR STRONGLY AGREED THAT ARE INTERESTED IN CONTINUING TO STUDY TORAH AND/OR OTHER JEWISH TEXTS. STUDENTS MEET WEEKLY OVER 10 WEEKS FOR AN HOUR AND A HALF CLASS OVER DINNER AND THEY RECEIVE A $300 STIPEND FOR COMPLETING THE PROGRAM. A LARGE COMPONENT OF OUR ISRAEL EDUCATION IS THROUGH A CLASS THAT STUDENTS COULD SIGN UP FOR CALLED JEWISH LEARNING FELLOWSHIP ISRAEL, WHICH ALSO TOOK PLACE OVER A 10-WEEK PERIOD. ADDITIONALLY, STUDENTS CONNECTED TO ISRAEL THROUGH MULTIPLE ISRAELI COOKING CLASSES AND AN ISRAELI MOVIE CLUB, AS WELL AS ISRAELI-THEMED SHABBAT DINNERS PAIRED WITH ZOOM PROGRAMS LIKE ISRAELI SPA NIGHT AND WRITING A NOTE TO BRING TO THE WESTERN WALL.

OTHER PROGRAMS THAT FOSTER JEWISH VITALITY THROUGH THE PROMOTION OF JEWISH VALUES, STUDENT EMPOWERMENT AND ENGAGEMENT.