AIC receives Hillel recognition

Although AIC established the Jewish Student Union only recently, the college has already gained recognition from the largest Jewish campus organization in the world. Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life has approved the college as a Hillel, in the "Small and Mighty" division.

Rabbi Fred Hyman, director of the AIC Jewish Student Union, said recognition as a Hillel, is important. "Hillel gives us the advantage of name" or brand recognition because it is a national organization of Jewish students," he said. "It gives added credibility and support, and will help us obtain small grants for jumpstarting the organization," he said.

Rabbi Hyman has been working at AIC since September trying to grow the Jewish community on campus. "I have contacted Jewish schools and regular private and public schools for Jewish student recruitment. "We are becoming known as a campus that cares about Jewish students," Hyman said.

Hillel's mission is to enrich the lives of Jewish undergraduate and graduate students so that they may enrich the Jewish people and the world.

Established through the generosity of the Samuel and Helene Soref Foundation, Hillel's Soref Initiative enables students and local college and university communities to celebrate Jewish life on campus with smaller Jewish populations. The Soref Initiative provides guidance, financial assistance, online resources and a communication network for Jewish students and the faculty advisors, for hundreds of campuses throughout North America.

Since September, Hyman said the Jewish students on campus have been very busy. "In the fall semester we had a Rosh Hashanah promotion handing out honey sticks for a sweet new year. We hosted a succah tent and a universal meditation for peace, connecting with students and faculty. We had participation from an art teacher and students who painting peace symbols for a 'succah of peace," he said.

Hyman said it's been a busy Spring semester too. "We made a presentation about Israel for international week, and we contributed holy books for the religious tolerance exhibit. We are planning a Black-Jewish dialogue for Black History Month, a holocaust lecture in March, a model passover seder and Israel independence day activity," he said.