The Hillel of today: all shook up

By Ryan E. Smith

What is good? Seinfeld, bagels, Friends, and ice cream are a start, and Hillel is using these elements as building blocks in a programming juggernaut.

While Hillel is the organization at the center of Yale's Jewish community, it has taken giant steps recently to expand its appeal beyond traditional religious services. There is nothing distinctly Jewish about students huddling around a big-screen television for a popular sitcom, but according to ex-coordinator Josh Segal, BR '97, that does not matter. "Our events are not necessarily Jewish in content, but when Jews come together, something about it becomes Jewish."

This potpourri of fun activities is part of a very conscious effort to reach more people, according to Jewish Campus Service Corp Fellow Amy Sternfall. "Jews do everything," she said. "If we want to have a broad range of students involved, Hillel has to do it all."

Non-Jews do everything too, and Hillel is happy to accommodate their needs as well. While functioning as overall heart of the Jewish community, Hillel tries to keep its finger on the pulse of Yale. "It's tough for people to pin down exactly what Hillel is because it does so much," Segal said. "A big goal is that everyone feels at home."

This means that the organization can sponsor Former Prime Minister of Israel Shimon Peres to speak and invite actor Bruce Altman to give an interactive performance of The Merchant of Venice in the same week. It means that a religious discussion can take place in a room next to a hot cider reception.

But it was not always this way. Before Sept. 1995, Hillel and its many umbrella organizations were scattered around campus. Each group was an island unto itself. Hillel finally got out of this funk when it found a new home in the Joseph Slifka Center for Jewish Life.

Josh Feigelson, SM '98, chair of Hillel's Steering Committee, likened the Slifka Center's influence on Hillel to that of a new baseball stadium on a slumping team. Like the recent rise of the Cleveland Indians, Hillel has fed off of increased spirit resulting from the building that is a "tangible symbol of the Jewish community," he said.

With Slifka came a central meeting place for people to schmooze, hang out, and just relax. It also meant food, which is an integral part of today's Hillel experience. The Kosher Kitchen is perhaps the biggest attraction to the whole Yale community, with over 250 people usually attending its Friday night dinners.

"A lot of stuff revolves around food," Feigelson said. "We don't work without food. The Jewish community doesn't work without food either." And good food too, as the Kosher Kitchen has gained a reputation for fine cuisine that more than rivals that of the residential college dining halls.

The good times do not end here though, as Hillel plans to continue its evolution as an organization. While one should not hold out too long for bacon cheeseburgers at the Kosher Kitchen, leaders do promise that things will continue to change and improve.

Reaching out to the freshman class and working more closely with other cultural groups on campus are top priorities for Feigelson. That's why more inter-religious and multicultural events are high on his list. For Segal, the aim is a simple one: "We're trying to be as inclusive as possible."

Right now, that means sponsoring a flurry of activities that run the gamut of student interests. So how shook up is Hillel? Well, according to Feigelson, "Elvis couldn't help falling in love with it." Uh huh.

Back to A & E...