Hillel, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Jewish Student Association, plans most of its events around free food, according to president Zach Bram. There’s a good reason for that.
There’s a Jewish saying, “they tried to kill us; we survived, let’s eat,” said the club’s social outreach coordinator Talia Halperin.
“That basically sums up every Jewish celebration,” Halperin said. “Except Yom Kippur, which is ‘We’re such terrible people…OK, let’s eat.’”
Because the UNL Hillel is the only Hillel in Nebraska, UNL Jewish students have a unique opportunity to connect with the other people in the Jewish community.
That resource was important to junior psychology major Aviva Atri, the club’s vice-president.
“I wanted to find a Jewish home away from home,” Atri said. “It’s traditional to celebrate Friday night dinners and holidays with your family, and I wanted to have a family of students to celebrate those with.”
The executive board strives to make Hillel that “Jewish home away from home,” by celebrating the sabbath with traditional shabbat dinners on Friday nights, hosting events for Jewish holidays, connecting with the Lincoln synagogues and Jewish community and volunteering.
The club recently hosted a philanthropy with Sigma Alpha Mu, the Jewish fraternity. The organizations worked together to sell latkes, a traditional Jewish food. The event brought in approximately 150 people and raised more than $500 for Feed America.
The club also sponsors religiously themed events – trips to Omaha synagogues, or its “Coffee with a Rabbi” – but treasurer Gabby Williams said Hillel does not pressure its members to move in any direction with their faith.
Atri said the club does not necessarily function as a synagogue, and the executive board does not claim to be rabbis.
“We provide a place for the community to gather,” Bram said.
This year, more Jewish students have been gathering at UNL, the executive board said. At their first meeting of spring semester, more than 30 students were in attendance, which is more than ever before.
The club has grown significantly in the four years Bram has been president. When he joined in 2012, membership was in the single digits.
“Nebraska’s only Hillel was dying,” Bram said.
With social media, carefully considered events and a lot of passion and hard work, the club has reached new heights.
Stephen Lahey, chair of the religious studies department, estimates only 100 students identify as Jewish in the University of Nebraska system.
This minority status makes the club’s presence even more important, Atri said.
Many people don’t know what it means to be Jewish, and Atri said that gives her even more responsibility.
“Sometimes you have to set the example and say, ‘This is what being Jewish looks like.’”
Williams said people have told her she’s the only Jewish person they know, and she feels the responsibility to represent the entire Jewish community.
Through its platform, Hillel hopes to bring a social foundation to UNL Jewish students, and an increased understanding of the Jewish community to non-Jewish students.
Hillel hopes to collaborate with other minority clubs on campus and work together to increase awareness and diversity.
“We need to apply diversity to us as an organization,” Atri said. “Our whole motto is to be accepting of different people, that it makes you grow. That’s what Hillel is all about.”
