Judy Meisel

Last night, eleven organizations came together to hear the story of Judy Meisel, a Holocaust survivor and civil rights activist. I was fortunate enough to go to dinner with her and many of the other sponsors before the event. She is a very sweet woman. We talked about where she's from (Lithuania but lives now in Santa Barbara, CA after previously living in Philadelphia, PA), what she does now (she has worked on the Hillel Board at UCSB for 26 years working to get them out of a small room that barely fit a minyan to a brand new building) and some of her life experiences (she met Martin Luther King Jr and worked to help plan the March on Washington).

After dinner, we made our way down to the auditorium for the event. She has a documentary made about her life experiences. It shows her reaction when a black family moved into her all white neighborhood--how this experience made her start talking about her own experiences in the Holocaust. She had not talked about it because she did not want to traumatize her children. But now that racism was apparent in her world, she no longer felt safe as a Jew in this neighborhood and spoke up for those who were being discriminated against. The movie then goes to show Judy revisiting the places she lived during her childhood: the house she was removed from when the Kovno Ghetto was formed, the house she lived in within the Kovno Ghetto, the rubber factory she worked at making boots for German soldiers, pictures of the round-up and deportation to the Stutthof Concentration camp, the gas chamber she was half into but managed to get away from, the farmhouse she ran to when the bombs were being dropped on Stutthof, the river she crossed to get from occupied Denmark to safe Sweden, and the Danish family that took her and her sister Rachel in when the war was over and nursed them back to health.

Judy used the movie to tell her story and when she spoke afterwards, it was not about what happened to her, but what she has done since then. She is a remarkable woman. Not many people could have gone through what she went through and lived, let alone talk about it. But Judy has done more. She has taken her experiences and worked hard to ensure that what happened to her never happens again. When it was happening to African Americans in the 1960, she no longer felt safe as a Jew thinking, "if they're being discriminated against, it's the same as if I'm being discriminated against."

She advocated for the end of bullying saying that "the Holocaust started with name-calling." Those simple actions then escalated into what we know as World War II. With the recent cyberbullying and suicides on college campuses, she urged us to think about what we say and the effect our words and actions have on others. If we do not stand up for what we know is right and stop someone from doing the bad action, it is as if we ourselves have done those bad actions. Her second appeal was for us to vote. We have the freedom to choose our government, and it is our responsibility to choose a government that will keep this country moving in the direction we want it to go. So many Americans take that right for granted while there are still so many people who do not have the right to choose who governs them.

Thank you so much to Judy Meisel, Bill Wallen, The Presidential Leadership Academy, The Jewish Studies Program, The Liberal Arts Undergraduate Council, Penn State Chapter of NAACP, MLK, Jr. Commemoration Committee, Schreyer Honors College, SPA Distinguished Speaker Series, Center for Ethics and Religious Affairs, University Park Undergraduate Association, and Students for Justice in Palestine for a truly remarkable program.

Israeli Dancing

Here is an example of the type of Israeli Dancing we did last night with Penn State Hillel. Led by student Dana R., we learned three traditional Israeli folk dances in just over an hour. The group was small, but it made the learning go a little easier. Dana did a great job of breaking down the steps, being patient with us as we learned the new moves and teaching us some pretty cool dances!

Tonight we host Holocaust Survivor and Civil Rights Activist Judy Meisel, check back for details!!

Pumpkin Painting and LDSSA

Monday night, Penn State Hillel hosted a Pumpkin Painting event. In the spirit of Halloween, we decorated pumpkins that would later be donated to the local preschool. Themes of pumpkins ranged from Penn State Spirit, to traditional jack-o-lanterns, to a very cool pumpkin couple with sunglasses and all! The event was very relaxed, we played ping-pong games while waiting for the paint to dry :)

I, however, was not there for most of this event. I was off at a LDSSA meeting (Latter Day Saints Student Association). Members of LDSSA had contacted our Director of Development Lizzy, for a few students who would be able to present to LDSSA students about the Jewish faith and what Hillel does on campus. I along with Ryan, another student board member, were chosen to go. We had a Penn State Hillel presentation and a Judaism in America presentation--both with general facts about Judaism in the United States and here at Penn State.

At the church, there were about 15 or so LDSSA members, so the setting was pretty informal. Ryan and I started our presentation and were quickly asked some very interesting questions. "What is the Jewish take on the after life?" "What is the relationship between prophets and G-d?" "What is Taglit-Birthright like?" "How do you deal with being a minority religion in the United States?" These questions were very interesting and showed their curiosity in the connection between Mormonism and Judaism. The questions about prophecy relate to the idea that Mormons believe in modern day prophets--the president of the Church is the current prophet. The afterlife questions reflect the Mormon belief in the afterlife in addition to the previous and current life.

I had a really enjoyable time explaining my religion--sharing what I had learned in my Jewish studies classes and my personal experiences growing up Jewish in America. We talked about the different sects of Judaism, how to become a rabbi, the transition from prophetic to rabbinic Judaism, prophecy, issues in modern day Israel and what Hillel does around campus. Not only did I feel like the LDSSA students learned a lot, but I learned a lot about a religion I had never really learned about. It was a great experience!

Alternative Shabbat

Hello Everyone,

Between three tests, a paper in Hebrew and a day long trip to Gettysburg, it has been one very crazy week. One of the good parts about this week (besides doing pretty well on my exams) was the first Alternative Shabbat Discussion. A few people on the student board (myself included) have been trying to find ways to provide Jewish students on campus with opportunities to have meaningful Jewish experiences. One thing we have noticed is that not everyone seems to connect or participate during Shabbat services. Maybe some people like going to services and hearing everyone else pray. But we thought it would be good to offer those who do not connect to Judaism through prayer the opportunity to do so on a Friday night.

A few students along with the Director of Engagement worked to plan a "what does it mean to be Jewish" discussion. We had created a sort of bingo board and participants marked off the top three activities that connected them with Judaism. Some of the topics were "cooking Shabbat dinner," "eating Chinese food on Christmas," "wearing Jewish jewelry," "supporting Israel," "belonging to a Jewish organization (Hillel, youth group, camp)," and "being outdoors." We each went around and shared what we connected with--what we most associated with our Judaism. For someone it was "participating in Passover Seder," "fasting on Yom Kippur," and "eating Chinese food on Christmas." All food related but each related to very different holidays with very different meanings.

Discussion ranged from talking about what topics were missing from the sheet to "can you be Jewish while being agnostic?" I thought that the discussion and the experience was amazing--people came to this service who came specifically for this discussion! We had students who usually attended other services join us and talk about what Judaism meant to them and how they express their Judaism. One topic I thought was interesting was when we were talking about what topics we didn't think belonged. Someone mentioned that they couldn't see how "being outdoors" related to Judaism. This caused one of my friends to explain the experience of Shabbat on Chapel on the Hill at Jewish summer camp and someone else to describe what it is like to hike Mt. Masada in Israel to see the sunrise. Those are very much Jewish experiences--but unless you went to Israel or Jewish summer camp, you might not have had them. This discussion gave everyone the opportunity to connect to Judaism in a new way, but also to learn about how others connect to Judaism. I thought it was very meaningful and cannot wait for the next one!!

Torah and Science

Dr. Steven Feldman, meteorology professor at Penn State and member of the Jewish community in State College, spoke to six students Monday night on the connection between science and Judaism. Being a biochemistry and Jewish studies double major, this topic was of great interest to me. What is, if there is any, connection between science and religion? Can the two go hand in hand? In the talk, Dr. Feldman brought up the point that the Jewish belief on creation is the one that most mimics what scientists believe actually happened--the order of the animals created during the first 6 days of creation match the order of evolution, suggesting a connection between science and Judaism. Other creation stories of the time, like the Mesopotamian story where Marduk cut his grandmother, another god into pieces and those pieces became the different part of the world for more information, click here. This culture's creation story reflects nothing that could be explained by science. Dr. Feldman also went into an explanation about how the complexity of science can lead to a greater belief in G-d, how there has to be a Creator who could have made everything the way that it is.

The one point that I questioned was when Dr. Feldman explained that either everything had to be created by G-d or that nothing was created by G-d, but by randomness. And I wonder whether there can be somethings that G-d created and somethings created by randomness, or human decisions. I personally think that G-d created the world and humans and stopped there. Humans have the ability to master sin, to decide whether to follow the inclination to do evil or the inclination to do good. We have the ability to make our own decisions; life is not predetermined. But what do you think? Comment on this post to share your opinions on the relationship between Torah and science, the connection between G-d and randomness.

Rain Rain Go Away

It could not have rained more yesterday, but that did not deter PSH students from coming to the Pasquerilla center to decorate cookies and celebrate Sukkot. Rather than working outside near the sukkah, we were inside looking out at the lit up sukkah through the windows and the rain.

This past Shabbat we celebrated Israeli style--dinner was falafel, shwarma, Israeli salad, grilled veggies, pita, and humus. I was lucky enough to have my grandmother and my aunt come up and visit me for the weekend and they greatly enjoyed coming to Hillel for Shabbat.

Also happening at Hillel:

The Peer-Network Engagement Internship, or PNEI, is a national Hillel initiative implemented at 30 college campuses across the country that is designed to dramatically enhance Jewish life on campus using peer-to-peer engagement. Each campus hires 3-5 student interns who have demonstrated leadership qualities in diverse areas of campus life. They are charged with building meaningful relationships with 40-50 uninvolved students and connecting them to Jewish life in a way that is relevant and meaningful for them. This involves implementing new initiative that are relevant and sustainable. Our five interns this year are: Erica Lisses, Jackie Ligorski, Matt Jacobs, Ari Hiller, and Josh Neuman.

The Facing Change Network is a brand new initiative that is being piloted at 8 campuses (Penn State being one of them!). The goal is to bring together students and communities using collective dialogue to ultimately create social change on campus. Using the same peer-to-peer engagement methodology as PNEI, Facing Change Interns will build relationships and create initiatives in order to accomplish their goals. The FCN interns are: Celia Ligorski, Ian Weissman, Rachel Miller, and Lexi Robins.

Yom Kippur and Sukkot

Such a busy week! In addition to the holidays this past weekend, I've had three tests to study for. I think they all went well, but the excessive amounts of studying have prevented me from blogging this past week--sorry for my absence!

Here's what's been happening. The days between Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur were slightly more relaxed than the days just before the holidays. There was no home cooked dinner for the Shabbat after Rosh HaShana. We served pizza for dinner--a much simpler meal.

Kol Nidre services Friday night were led once again by Jeremy Wiseblatt who stayed with us through the conclusion of the holidays. Ilana Bucholtz, Vice President of the Penn State Hillel student board beautifully sang the Kol Nidre prayer, which asks G-d to absolve us of the vows we made during this past year.

On Saturday, the sanctuary was not quite as crowded as it was on Rosh HaShana. Not only did students go home to celebrate with their families, some went to the football game to cheer on Penn State in its victory against Kent State. I went to services and spent the rest of the afternoon napping (which was very much needed, although I probably could have read over my science notes a few more time). The evening services were lovely, with the memorial service and the concluding service leading into the sounding of the Shofar, the final blast played by Penn State Hillel Religious Co-Chair Matty Golub. After services, students enjoyed a delicious break the fast meal, generously donated by Irving's Cafe. Thank you Irving's!!!

With the High Holidays over, and my tests having been taken, it feels like time to relax, but Sukkot is right around the corner!! Tuesday the Hillel Staff and a few students took time to put together a temporary hut outside of the Pasquerilla Center in honor of the holiday of Sukkot (see picture above where Matty, Aaron and Adam are hanging the bamboo sides on the sukkah frame). Here is a link to the story written about us in the Daily Collegian: Click Here

Monday we will celebrate Sukkot with our Sweets in the Sukkah program (cookie decorating and Havadallah candle making).

Also upcoming, Tikkun Olam, the community service organization is participating a few community service projects in the next few weeks. Next Sunday, September 26, Centre County PAWS is hosting a Pet Extravaganza on from 11 a.m.– 4p.m. Interact with dogs and cats, help grill and serve food, help with trash removal, direct people and hand out papers, etc. More at: http://centrecountypaws.org/extravaganza/ October 7th from a.m.-4 p.m. (you can stop by for as long as you're available), we'll be at Centre Region Senior Center @ 131 S. Fraser St., Suite 1, to do some painting for their entry way, meeting room, exercise room, lunch/activity room.

Please e-mail Ilana ASAP at imb119@psu.edu if interested! Check out their facebook page for more updates on upcoming programs: Click Here