A Shabbat dinner, a scavenger hunt, and student clubs...Oh my!

This Shabbat was one for the record books. We hosted over 180 people at the first Shabbat of the semester. Our top chef had a ton of help this week--all of the cooks barely fit in the kitchen at the same time--but we cooked all of our fajita fixin's in record time while listening to some really good music. The reform service was filled to the point where some of our board members were sharing chairs at the back of the room! There were many new faces and lots of returning friends eating together in the two dining rooms we had set up (not everyone fit in one room!).

However, it was not a restful weekend for all. Sunday afternoon, we hosted a Hillel scavenger hunt that had students running all over campus to take pictures with important landmarks. Students hiked up to Beaver Stadium to be #1 with JoePa, down to Irvings where we get bagels and schmear, up to the Lion Shrine to take a classic photo, out to the BJC to hold up our diamonds in honor of THON, and ended at the Creamery for some well deserved ice cream.

In addition to Shabbat and the awesome programs Penn State Hillel hosts, there are a number of student programs, internships and initiatives that are associated with Penn State Hillel. I'll fill you in on them throughout the semester. But for now, here are some descriptions on two of our newest clubs: Tikkun Olam and JDC@PSU.

• Tikkun Olam, meaning "Repairing the World", is a Jewish community service organization starting this year. We plan to help out the State College community by volunteering our time with organizations such as United Way, the State College Food Bank and the local Hebrew School.
• The purpose of the JDC@PSU Organization is to learn about Jewish Communities all over the world and foster support for these communities through fundraising, increasing awareness, and connecting with these communities. We plan on hosting events with other groups on campus which will not only be fun, different, and entertaining, but will open our eyes to the other cultures and societies where Jewish communities are present.
• For more information on either organization, email Penn State Hillel at hillel@psu.edu.

The welcome back BBQ was a fantastic success! We had tons of new students and students new to Hillel show up to schmooze, eat hot dogs and even play some frisbee. It was really great to see friends from last year that I hadn't had a chance to see yet this semester as well as meet many new people. Although I couldn't make it, I heard that the Meet Us at Rita's event was also a lot of fun. I mean, who wouldn't want to eat water ice on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon with all of your friends?

Up next: the first Shabbat of the semester! I can't wait to get back in the routine of going to Shabbat and having a delicious student cooked meal each week with all my Hillel friends. Shabbat was an event that was definitely missed at home during the summer. Until next week..WE ARE...Penn State Hillel!!