H eadlines
Hillels Reunited and It Feels So Good
E DUCATION
LEAH SNYDERMAN | JE CONTRIBUTING
WRITER FOR HILLELS ON college
campuses over the last year, the
absence of in-person program-
ming was palpable.

Like seemingly every other
organization, Hillels across the
world had to adapt to different
circumstances because of the
pandemic and, with colleges
now returning, there are
new questions they’ll need to
address. Namely, what will
programming look like, and
who is back on campus?
The time away, though,
has bolstered the resolve of
students and staff to get back
on track.

“A year of distance is
causing students to want to
be together more than ever,
to gather and create in-person
communities,” said Rachel
Saifer Goldman, director of
operations at Penn Hillel.

Hillel representatives said
building relationships with
peers is a foundational element,
and the lockdown only made
that more important. So, with
colleges welcoming students
back to campus, that will
allow Hillels to strengthen the
relationships formed online
last year.

“We meet students where
they are, in a way that estab-
lishes comfort and connection,”
said Jeremy Winaker, executive
director of the Greater Philly
Hillel Network.

Returning to in-person
operations requires planning
around new COVID guide-
lines. Because they are part
of a university, most Hillels
are following their school’s
guidelines. The
University of
Pennsylvania has required all
students and staff be vacci-
nated. Along with mandatory
vaccination, masks
are required to be worn indoors.

Penn Hillel plans on setting up
a tent outside its building for
holding programs.

“This added space will help
keep our students safe and
comfortable,” Saifer said.

Students and staff at Drexel
University are also required
to be vaccinated. Drexel
Hillel follows the guidelines
of the university’s Return
Oversight Committee, which
is comprised of public health
experts working to create safe
guidelines. Executive Director and
Campus Rabbi Isabel de
Koninck is keeping an open
mind while planning. Drexel
Hillel is staying prepared by
arranging for multiple versions
of events.

“We’re planning one version
of an event where we can have
food, one where we can’t, one
where we are indoors, another
where we are outdoors,” de
Koninck said. “Our students
are craving the opportunity to
build relationships in person,
so right now we’re seeing
Zoom/screen-based events as a
last resort.”
The Greater Philly Hillel
Network is taking a similar
approach. Zoom will still
be used, especially where
geography plays a role, but
in-person events will be
prioritized. “We will be booking
outdoor spaces, which have
the advantage of being safer,
and of helping connect to the
learning opportunity of the
upcoming Jewish year being
a shmita year,” Winaker said,
referencing the Jewish tradi-
tion of a farming sabbatical
Drexel University Hillel members
Courtesy of Anna Caplan
every seven years.

The Hillels that are part
of the Greater Philly Hillel
Network — West Chester
University, Bryn
Mawr College, Haverford College and
the Jewish Graduate Student
Network — will abide by their
universities’ policies. They will
actively encourage students to
get vaccinated if their respec-
tive universities don’t require
it, and staff to wear masks.

No matter the regulations
or requirements, Hillels and
the members are mostly just
looking forward to being able
to get together in person.

At Penn Hillel, staff is
ready to welcome students to
campus. New student orien-
tation programming starts on
Aug. 23 and will last for a week.

West Chester Hillel is partic-
ularly excited for its Shabbat
dinners, where “students are
transformed by the chance
to connect at the end of their
week,” Winaker said.

Hillels at Haverford and
Bryn Mawr are both looking
forward to High Holiday
programs, and the Jewish
Graduate Student Network
can’t wait for its New to Philly
Happy Hour! on Aug. 31.

Drexel Hillel is bringing
back alumna Danielle Brief as
an artist-educator in residence.

Brief will work with students
interested in connecting their
Jewish values, culture and
heritage to their experiences in
the arts.

“Staff and students are
enormously excited to have her
back on campus,” de Koninck
said. In fact, they’re excited for
everyone to be back. l
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JEWISH EXPONENT
Leah Snyderman is an intern for the
Jewish Exponent.

JEWISHEXPONENT.COM