Leaving a Legacy President’s Ben Krieger—Past Treasurer Remarks It's important to leave a legacy. Heck, if it weren't, how would Caren Irgang — President we ever get any donations? Trust me; as a senior I know how hard it is to leave Hillel to a new group of kids while Hello parents & Alumni! simultaneously desiring for Hillel to keep developing and It was an honor being president this remaining the way I knew it. semester. This year, I was able to take charge and make Hillel what it was Four years ago Hillel was just an office with a stone-age computer, a bunch of Passover kitchenware, a mostly empty supposed to be: connected to the greater RPI community. I insisted that fridge, and two kids with dedication I have seen unmatched we had been isolated for too long, and anywhere I've gone in life. Today we have a much larger group that is part of the reason RPI-Sage with more spread out responsibilities. The stone-age computer is still there, but the fridge is always bursting (then empty, then Hillel will not be sustainable in two years. This semester we spoke to the bursting again), and the Passover supplies are shoved into a Northeast Jewish Federation, who was closet to make room for everything else. And despite always having overflowing shelves, we can't seem to stop running out of supportive brought us into a better relationship with UAlbany. We had a plates and forks. If that's not a good sign, I don't know what is. religious discussion panel with the And now, just as I'm preparing to move on from RPI and my Rensselaer Pride Alliance, a BBQ with Summer/Fall 2013 Hillel, we're even getting our organizational skills together. I the Muslim Students Association, and know! But I swear we're still a group of college-aged Jews. In the challah baking with the Jewish near future the IRS will be classifying us as an officially tax- fraternity AEPi. I am really proud of my exempt non-profit charity. So let us celebrate this new Hillel we officers who pulled through and have all one way or another contributed to creating, even if we helped me make things work. I want to only know it through newsletters. It's a really great place to be thank the seniors, Josh, Ben, Rachel, and it's giving Skidmore, Union, and even UAlbany a run for their Nate and Natalie for working this Hillel money. up from the ground and for entrusting me with this position. Social Connections Sadly, however, like all growing Emily Judson – Secretary things, we are running into limiting SAGE HILLEL factors, and some of these factors will - I am a junior and have been a part of RPI-Sage Hillel for over lead to the end of RPI-Sage Hillel two years now. One of my favorite events is definitely our back- within the next two years. Even to-school hot chocolate social. At the beginning of the spring though we are understandably busy semester, all of Hillel gathers to reunite after the long winter students, we can still pool our time break. It's a great time to reconnect with friends before classes together and keep an active Jewish start, drink delicious hot chocolate, and have a great start to the community on campus. However, RPI semester with a wonderful group of people. money is something that we cannot regenerate. Starved for funds, RPI- Parent & Alumni Newsletter Passover Miracles Sage Hillel will wither away and burn within the next two years. For Eric Deutsch – Fundraiser example, last year we had trouble When you think about cooking for Passover, most people think paying back the cost for this Seders, for good reason. They are quite a lot of work. However, newsletter. Next year, we will have I think that cooking for the rest of the week is even harder. This trouble justifying weekly Shabbat year at Hillel, we were blessed enough to have a cooking dinners. And so I write to request your director in Jonathan Holmes. He took on the Herculean task of help for the young Jews of this managing cooking for fifteen people for the entire week. campus: please let us keep these Jonathan did an amazing job. I only helped cook once – mainly Shabbat Dinners and social and holiday because of my schedule, though baking the matzo balls might events alive and free as an available have had something to do with it – but once was enough to see resource for every Jew. This year I that Jonathan was making miracles along with the food. He want to have more themed Shabbats. balanced classes along with cooking, sometimes alone, and This year I want to do more made the week more bearable for the rest of us. He embodied fundraising and social events. This year We’re on the Web what I think it means to be a modern Jew, walking a tight line I want to allow these kids to have a hillel.rpi.edu between his Judaism and the world’s secularism. place to which they can always belong. Please send Donations to: Passover at Hillel Judaism at RPI RPI-SAGE HILLEL Abbey Gillett – Yosef Treitman – 3536 Rensselaer Union Membership Vice President Graduate Representitive 110 Eighth Street Normally Passover is a dreadful time The Rabbi of one of the synagogues in Troy has Troy, NY 12180 for any Jewish college student. They said, when it comes to Hillel on any campus, “If do not have the luxury of delicious anyone is 100% comfortable 100% of the time, Phone: 518-276-6518 home cooked meals, while still you’re doing something wrong.” That being said, I Email: [email protected] forgoing the convenience of the would say that RPI Hillel does a good job making its If you would like to make regular dining hall. The Hillel Passover members of different religious backgrounds E HILLEL a donation or fund a Meal Plan transformed this perception comfortable. Our tagline has been that we have a of Passover with fantastic, homemade mostly Reform constituency saying Conservative G Shabbat dinner in a student’s honor, please cooking, all prepared by the officers of prayers eating Orthodox food. I am only aware of SA include a note. Donation Hillel. After more than 6 hours in the one case of a Hillel member expressing disapproval - information can be found kitchen we made two Seders worth of with the group’s general outlook and halachic on our website. food such as matzah ball soup and practice. What is even more noteworthy is that RPI brisket. During the week we dined on while not many of our members keep Shabbat or We welcome donations of shakshuka, matzah pizza and much kashrut, no one (as far as I know,) decided to stop all sizes, all money raised more. I look forward to another week observing Shabbat or kashrut during their time at goes directly to the full of delicious Passover food next RPI. Conversely, several students have increased students of RPI-Sage year. their level of halachic observance as RPI students. Hillel. Hillel Happenings Daniel Ben-Chitrit — Religious and Cultural VP We at Hillel have been able to put on many exciting events over the course of this semester. A new thing we tried to achieve was more involvement from different student organizations, especially fraternities. There are four key events that occurred throughout this semester. The first was a hamentashen making event with the Alpha Chi Rho (Crows) fraternity, the second was a Shabbat dinner cohosted by the Sigma Phi Epsilon (SigEp) fraternity, the third was a challah baking event with the Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi), and finally we finished off the year with a Hillel and Muslim Student Association (MSA) joint end of the year barbeque. There were great turnouts at every event and we look forward to continuing to foster relationships with other student associations located on campus. Life in a Kosher House Nate Pankowsky – Past Religious and Cultural VP For years at RPI, I couldn’t eat properly. despite our crazy schedules, I still feel like My food always seemed to be lacking, this is the type of house that I would like not just in quality, but in the rules I had to keep in the future: open, caring, kept so far in my life. So I was very happy honest, willing to discuss issues openly and excited to form a Kosher House. We and concretely; willing to share food and immediately started Talmudic discourses responsibilities with a sense of obligation on house rules, cooking schedules, and pride. I’ve learned so much from my cleaning schedules (lessons from camp). fellow roommates, or housemates, but We had debates about levels of Kashrut, they seem like brothers. From Aaron I ethical dilemmas, what food we liked, learned to articulate, from Josh I learned whether we should just eat dairy most of how to judge more leniently, and from the time so we wouldn’t have to clean Jon I learned that it is incredibly the sink with our crazy schedules – and I important to have a sense of humor haven’t known a sweeter time. It’s not about things. I am confident that my the debate, it was the discussion. It was roommates here and I will not be able to the chance for growth, for silliness, for keep our lights to ourselves, and will add music, for song. Even though I wish we to and bond together communities could have invited others over more wherever we go.