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Weekly Email October 8, 2008

Good afternoon everyone,

I hope everyone had a good weekend and a great shabbat!

We have a lot going on this week so here is the calendar:
First of all, our office is officially open for the new year!!! Either myself or one of our officers will be keeping the office open five days a week. Stop by and say hello when we are there! It is room 241 in Costo Hall.

We will have our first official club meeting on Wednesday Oct 8th, at noon by the Belltower. At the meeting we will discuss the direction of Hillel@UCR for the next year, talk about our empty board positions, and have some fun. We will be also learning a little about the holiday coming up on Thursday. Please come and bring your lunch and join us.

Next we have Yom Kippur (the day of atonement) this week and Hillel@UCR is hosting a dinner at the Mediterranean Palace at 1223 University Ave in Riverside (the number is 781-8900) at 6pm on Wednesday evening. We will be heading to services after that if you would like to join us. If you need a ride or have room to take someone, please let me know and I will coordinate carpooling.

For Shabbat this week, Hillel@UCR is hosting a cookies and candles event, Friday night, at 6pm. We will be holding the event just outside the arcade at the permanent tables underneath the breezeway.

The last thing that came across my desk is about filming students talking about voting for the Unity in R Community festival. The folk running this event are wanting to get a diversity of students to be filmed talking about why they vote, and what's important to them this election. The last day for filming will be - TUESDAY. Students will have to sign a waiver giving permission, and the interviews won't take long (2-3min). There are 5 questions.

Filming will take place:
Tuesday, Oct. 7
2:00pm-3:45pm
Belltower

Look forward to seeing you all on Wednesday for lunch and dinner. And do not forget to stop by the office and say hello!


Franklin Kline
Program Director

Block Party 2008

On September 26th, We ran a food booth at the annual UCR Block Party event held to welcome new freshmen to campus. Not only did we sell out of kosher hot dogs and made a profit, we signed up 30 new students who are interested in Hillel.





We had a long line.



Melissa and Mark, serving hot dogs, potato salad and Israeli salad to a long line of UCR students.



Chemical engineering Professor Sharon Walker and our Program Director Franklin making hot dogs during their honey moon.




More photos of block party can be viewed here.

Bear Facts 2008

Mark, Shabbat Chair and Ana, President (and almost always behind the camera!)

Bear Facts is a part of the orientation programs for new students at UCR, where all the clubs and resource centers on campus have tables to meet with and provide information to students. We hosted a table where information on Hillel was provided. Over the course of several sessions, we got several names and email addresses and gave out several goodies. We handed out Shalom bracelets and our Hillel shirts that say Riverside Highlanders in Hebrew:

Mazel Tov to our Shabbat Chair Mark Grossman for finishing a year of organic chemistry!

UCR Lambda Awards

On June 5, the LGBT resource center at UCR honored our campus Rabbi and Executive Director Rabbi Hanien:





As well as our regional board member and congregation Etz Hadar president, Janice Yellon:





And undergraduate Hillel member Noah Silas won the "quiet leadership" award.


Mazel Tov to all and thanks to all for being supportive of of LGBT folk at UCR and the surrounding community!

Rabbi Hanien's last day

Photographed above: Isaak Koenka and Rabbi Arielle Hanien


Thank you for everything Rabbi Hanien! You have been so inspiring and fun to work with, its sad to see you go. :(

We have a few events coming up in the next two weeks. Here’s the lowdown:

This coming Tuesday (May 27) at 8pm Hillel will be having “Game Night at the Getaway”. Come by for some fun and maybe some dinner. Bring your favorite games too!!

Wednesday, May 28 is Rabbi Hanien’s last day on campus. Please stop by the office in the afternoon and say your “thank yous” and “farewells”.

Hillel will be conducting it’s own Shabbat service on Saturday, May 31. Service start at 9:30am and will be held at Congregation Etz Hadar in Redlands. We are in desperate need of a minyan (10 Jews)!! Lunch will be provided following the service. For details, transportation and/or directions contact Rebecca at hillelatucr@hotmail.com.

Hillel is also in desperate need of volunteers. Here are two upcoming opportunities for you to get involved (community service hours can be awarded for either position):

Hillel will be tabling at Bear Facts student orientation in July. The dates are: July 1, 8, 11, 14, 17, 22, 25, 28, and 31. The tabling will take place from 5:30-7:30pm on all of those days. If anyone is staying in town for summer, we desperately need your help!! Please contact Melissa at mgarr008@student.ucr.edu for details and to volunteer.

Hillel will also be in need of an interim Program Coordinator in fall quarter. Our Program Coordinator will be attending a Semester at Sea and we will need someone to fill her shoes while she is gone. If you are interested in this position please contact Jessi at jessigoldman@gmail.com to learn more about what this position would entail.


That’s all for now. Enjoy the long weekend!!


~ Rebecca

President, Hillel@UCR

A Visit from Rabbi Suzanne Singer

The other day Rabbi Singer from Temple Beth El came by to visit with students and faculty at the Hillel office. We hung out and did a torah study.


Left: Prof. Crohn, Right: Rabbi Singer.

Officer Training

The newly elected Hillel@UCR officers were given training earlier today by Tom Dake of Student Life and Rabbi Hanien on how to run Hillel at UCR in accordance with Hillel International standards.


Tom Dake



Hillel@UCR officers



Our President

Rabbi Hanien's Baby Shower!

A few weeks ago we threw a surprise baby shower for Rabbi Hanien at te Hillel office.

Cindy, the president of Hillel at University of Redlands, came by for the celebration.

On behalf of UCR@Hillel, we gave her some UCR baby swag so they'll never forget us.

Kosher Subway

A few weeks ago, Hillel@UCR members went to the Pico/Robertson neighborhood of Los Angeles to explore the neighborhood, shop for passover and to meet up with Rabbi Hanien for torah study at a nearby coffee house.

A kosher Subway was recently opened up in that neighborhood and it was a big deal and the talk of the town. UCR Hillel members spotted the kosher Subway mobile and took photos.

Meet the Newest Hillel@UCR Officer

Mazel tov to Renee for being voted our new treasurer! Here she is holding the afikomen she found during our recent passover celebration.

Our Passover Celebration from a few weeks ago

During passover, we held a celebration in one of the rooms of one of the dorms.  The food was prepared by cafeteria employees who under went training on how to prepare food that is kosher for passover.  

We told the story of how the Israelites were liberated from Pharoah, and then we ate.

First, I want to congratulate Renee Rotberg on her unanimous election as Hillel Treasurer!  Thanks to all of you who came out and voted.

 

Here’s what’s coming up:

 

1. TONIGHT at the UCR World Tour Hillel will be performing an Israeli dance at 5:15.  Come and show your support!
2. Next Thursday, May 8, is the UCR Religious Fair.  Hillel will have two tables with lots of info on Judaism and Israel.  We will be celebrating Israel’s 60^th birthday at the fair with food and flags.  The fair will run from 10am-4pm in the belltower area.
3. Friday, May 9 Rabbi Suzanne Singer will be on campus at 2pm to meet with students and hold a discussion/text study.  Rabbi Singer is currently the Rabbi at Temple Beth El of Riverside (on the corner of Victoria and Central). 
4. Hillel will be participating in the UCR Wellness Fair on May 21.  If you have ideas or want to help out, please email Rebecca at hillelatucr@hotmail.com.
5. Hillel will be holding it’s own Shabbat service on Saturday, May 31 at Congregation Etz Hadar (516 Texas Street in Redlands).  In order for us to be able to hold this service with a full Torah reading, we need at least a minyan (10 people)!!  Transportation will be provided.  Please email Rebecca at hillelatucr@hotmail.com or to let us know if you are interested in coming and for directions/transportation.  Carpools will leave the UCR area no later than 9:15am!

 

Check out Hillel@UCR on the web!!  Go to: http://hillelatucr.blogspot.com/ andhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/hillelatucr/ for info and pictures of this year’s events!.

That’s all for now folks.  Good luck on your midterms!!

 

~Rebecca, President of Hillel@UCR