Hillel Community Newsletter

Weekly Events & Announcements

February 8-14

The snow is falling and the building may be closed but there's plenty still happening this week. Here are some highlights:

- Registration for Birthright Summer 2016 is OPEN! Read below to learn more about how you can sign up for a trip of a lifetime!

- A $5 gift card to Amazon, iTunes or Starbucks awaits! Just complete this short survey, which will help improve the services offered to the Brown and RISD Jewish student community. Your answers will remain confidential and your email will not be used in any way. Access the survey here.

- The Reform Community is proud to announce the Spring 2016 Service line-up featuring a rotating schedule of Musical, Contemplative, Science, and Learning services. Check out the schedule and a description of each service below.

This Week's Events

Monday, February 8

**THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED DUE TO THE SNOW**6pm: WHAT WE LOOK LIKE Workshop & Talkback (Alumnae Crystal Room)

Newcomer playwrights and actors Bruce Jones and Jonathan Mello are bringing their play What We Look Like to Brown University. The workshop is sponsored by Moral Voices, a student-led initiative that focuses on different issues of universal moral importance, this year, violence against LGBTQ+ individuals and communities.

The play follows Jesse, a self-proclaimed "chubby" librarian who meets Adam, a 'conventionally handsome" graphic designer who works for a fast-paced advertising firm in modern day New York City. The awe of their new relationship is met with opposition when Adam's friends and co-workers Troy and Dominic doubt the realism and genuinity of what they have exactly. The play raises the question: Does your body type determine who you're allowed to fall in love with? A talkback will take place after the performance. Attendance is free and students, faculty and local residents are welcome to attend. Learn more and get tickets here!

**THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED DUE TO THE SNOW**6:30pm: Brown Students for Israel (BSI) Weekly Meeting (Meeting Room)

Brown Students for Israel is a pro-Israel educational group who aims to educate ourselves and the Brown community about Israel and the Middle East. Join the conversation during our weekly meetings.

Tuesday, February 9

9pm: J Street U Brown Weekly Meeting (JWW 202)

J Street U Brown advocates and organizes for peace and security in Israel, as well as self-determination and human rights for Palestinians. Come to a weekly meeting to learn more about getting involved.

Wednesday, February 10

6:30-7:45pm: Women's Rosh Hodesh Group: Finding Joy in the Balance, Welcoming the New Moon of Adar I (Student Lounge)

Join women at Brown RISD Hillel in welcoming this month with a mix of song, texts, discussion, and meditation. As we usher in this first new month/moon ultimately leading up to the holiday of Purim, we explore the meaning of and approaches to joy: How do we focus on bringing joy into our lives, and how do we as college students find and relate to joy in traditional sources such as the Torah? We welcome all women, including those feminine of center and/or genderqueer, to participate in and create this space with us. Dinner will be provided, so please RSVP either by email to Rachel Leiken or through Facebook event.

Thursday, February 11

4pm: Challah for Hunger Baking and Braiding (Hillel Kitchen)

Join Brown's Challah for Hunger chapter for weekly challah bakes in three shifts (baking, braiding, and packaging) featuring returning flavors and weekly specials. The challah is sold in the Blue Room on Fridays, with all proceeds going towards social justice awareness.

Friday, February 12

11am-1pm: Challah for Hunger Sale (Blue Room)

50% of the funds raised by our delicious challot go the Challah for Hunger's national cause - the American Jewish World Service's Sudan Relief and Advocacy Fund. The other 50% go to our chapter's local cause of choice - the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. Thank you for your support!

3:15: Pre-Shabbat Yoga (Chapel)

Usher in Shabbat with mindfulness of body and spirit. Carly's gentle yoga class is a perfect way to wind-down from the week and start Shabbat.

Shabbat Services and Dinner

6:15pm: Havurah* (Beit Midrash), Reform** (Student Lounge) Services

Some background on our two service options.

*Havurah is a traditional egalitarian Carlebach-style minyan that strives to create a prayer experience full of ruach (energy), song, and meaningful connection.

**Reform Minyan is an open, inclusive service that draws from the music and traditions of the Reform movement. We welcome participants of all backgrounds to sing, pray, and discuss.This week is a Contemplative Shabbat service that will will engage our bodies and minds with silent meditation, periodic discussions, and in-service activities to bring livable meanings to the text and to develop or deepen our relationships with the written prayers. See more service types below.

7:30pm: Kiddush (Lobby) and Dinner (Social Hall)

All are welcome to join us for dinner.

Saturday, February 13

12:30pm: Shabbat Lunch (Social Hall)

Free and open to all.

4:30pm: Third Meal and Havdalah (Social Hall)

Enjoy the third meal of Shabbat before concluding with Havdalah, the weekly ceremony marking the end of Shabbat.

General Hillel Announcements

Registration for Birthright Summer 2016 is NOW OPEN!

Spend 10 days with the people who know Israel best - Israelis - on a Birthright Israel: Shorashim trip! Get ahead of the game and help secure your spot for this summer or next winter

HERE

. Make sure to choose Shorashim as your trip provider. Registration for our 2016 Summer Trip (May 30-June 10) is OPEN or you can pre-register for Winter. For more info, contact Shorashim at info@shorashim.org or (312) 267-0677 or Elan Cohen

New Reform Minyan Service Rotation

This week is the second week of our new rotating service plan! Through the course of the semester, the Reform Community will be rotating between five different kinds of services, all detailed below, that feature new amazing leaders and fascinating and engaging methods of gathering for prayer or discussion on Friday nights and Saturday afternoons! Four of these service styles will be new: Musical, Contemplative, Science, and Learning. We hope that you join us every week and/or come to the weeks that you feel will be most meaningful to you, and either way, bring a friend! If you want to know more about each service than what is included in the flyers, feel free to contact the leaders of that service listed here!

"Traditional" Reform: Hannah Liu and Rachel Leiken

Shir L'Shabbat (Musical): AJ Whitman and Sienna Lotenberg

Contemplative: Brian Solomon and Shira Buchsbaum

Science: Eliott Rosenberg and Jason Nadboy

Guest Rabbi/Learning: Claire FIshman

Hillel Board Student Trustee Applications

The Executive Board is accepting applications for the position of student trustee on Brown RISD Hillel's Board of Trustees. This application is open to students in the community who do not currently hold an elected leadership position. Please email Noah Fitzgerel with any questions. The application may be accessed here, and is due by Wednesday, February 10 at 5:00pm.

Fill Out Our Student Experience Survey

A $5 gift card to Amazon, iTunes or Starbucks awaits! Just complete a short survey, which will help improve the services offered to the Brown and RISD Jewish student community. Your answers will remain confidential and your email will not be used in any way. The survey closes on February 26th, so make sure you get your voice heard before then. Access the survey here.

Join the Shabbat Cooking Team

Become part of a rotating crew who cooks delicious food for Saturday meals - and get paid for it! Hang out in the kitchen, get to know other members of the community, and learn to prepare delicious, kosher, environmentally conscious meals. Contact Annie for more information.

Get Involved with Avi Schaefer Interfaith Shabbat

The annual Avi Schaefer Interfaith Shabbat is coming up soon, February 26-27! Dinner on February 26 will feature prayers/teachings from each of the chaplains, a keynote speech by Reverend Janet Cooper Nelson, and a performance by Harmonizing Grace gospel choir. Dinner will be followed by an interfaith song and story sharing session over dessert. In addition, this year we're hoping to have even more students participate in the various components of the weekend, including potential interfaith services, text studies, and discussions on Saturday. If you are interested in being involved in or planning any of this, please fill out this survey and/or contact Rachel Leiken with any questions.

Submit to Mahberet Magazine

Mahberet Magazine, the literary magazine of Brown RISD Hillel, is looking for submissions! We publish art, poems, essays, photos, and more related to Jewish life. Did you write a great essay for your Judaic Studies class? Did you write a great poem or reflection about a Jewish holiday? Did you take an awesome photo of an event at Hillel? If so, we would love to consider your work in our first round of submissions! Submit your work by emailing it to mahberet@brownrisdhillel.org.

Language Conversation Hours

Are you taking Hebrew or Arabic courses and want some extra help? Do you already speak Hebrew and want to work on or keep up with your conversational skills? Do you want to learn how to convert what you know in Modern Standard Arabic into everyday Colloquial Arabic? Do you already speak Arabic and want to work on or keep up with your conversational skills? C ontact Elan Cohen to learn more about Hebrew/Arabic tutoring or Hebrew/Arabic Conversation Hour.

Jewish Penicillin Hotline Up and Ready to Deliver Soup to Sick Students

It's freezing outside and cold season is well underway. But don't worry, Hillel's Jewish Penicillin Hotline has you covered if you, a friend or a family member is sick on campus and in need of some TLC! If you're a parent, grandparent or caring adult and want to order soup for your sick student, fill out this form. If you're a student and want to order soup for a friend on campus, e-mail Allison Rosenbaum. Orders must be made by 4:00PM in order to have the soup delivered that evening. Deliveries will be made during the academic year by our student volunteers Monday through Thursday, between 5:30PM and 7:30PM.

Food Feedback Form

Loved your last Hillel meal? Not so much? Let us know! Hillel values your feedback! Fill out this form and tell us what sort of menus you would like us to choose in the future.

Want to get involved in a Hillel group? Contact the Hillel Leadership!

Executive Board - President: Noah Fitzgerel | VP of Religious &Spiritual Life: Sam Hainbach | VP of Social Engagement: Dorit Rein | VP of Justice & the Arts: Alyssa Baum | VP of Community Groups: Tamara Upfal

Student Committees - First Year Students at Hillel (FYSH): Jack Glaser and Julia Kirschenbaum

Student Groups - Alef Beats: Jeremy Joachim/Christine Baltazar | Brown Students for Israel: Adam Bennett | Challah for Hunger: Kat Boorstein/Roy Chen | Hillel Gallery Project: gallery@brownrisdhillel.org | Hillel Initiative on Racial Awareness and Justice: Natalia Ginsburg | Holocaust Initiative at Brown University (HIBU): Jason Nadboy | Israel Cultural Committee: Dorit Rein/Tamara Upfal | Jewish Athletes Group: Rosanna Lederhausen | Jewish Cooking Club: Emma Margulies/Veronica Sadler | Jews of Color: Amani Hayes-Messenger | Jews of Mixed Identity: Hannah Liu | J Street U Brown: Sam Hainbach | Mahberet Magazine: Maxine Joselow | Moral Voices co-chairs:
NatalieCutler/RachelLevy| JewQ: jewq@brownrisdhillel.org | Yarmulkazi: Klezmer.Brown@gmail.com

Other Announcements

Judaic Studies DUG Movie Night

Hillel International Student Cabinet applications are LIVE!

We need your help in spreading the word to ensure that the cabinet is made up of a diverse group of Hillel students from around the world. Check out the application and FAQ or the post on Facebook. Contact Kayla Sokoloff with questions.

Join the Brand New Inter Religious Working Group through OCRL

The Office of the Chaplains and Religious Life is pleased to share the news of and invite application for membership on Brown's first Inter-Religious Working Group (IRWG), which will provide counsel and advice to OCRL, as well as to the Diversity and Campus Life Advisory Boards. It will assess and advise proactively on matters of religion, religious identity, and spiritual practice and strive to monitor and to enhance the campus climate and resources for religious literacy, as well as religious and spiritual diversity and practice in the Brown community. Student members will serve for one year--two semesters beginning in the Spring term and may be renewed. The IRWG will meet for two sessions each term. Selection will favor applicants with experience in campus and global religious communities who are committed to interfaith dialogue, nourishing a religiously inclusive climate on campus and promoting religious literacy education. Religious identity is not a requirement. Applications may be downloaded here and must be e-mailed to Janet Cooper-Nelson or delivered in person to Suite 410 J. Walter Wilson no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, February 12th.

OCRL Thursday Night Interfaith Supper Program (TNS)

TNS dinners are a weekly gathering of students, faculty, and staff over dinner and conversation with invited speakers who discuss how the life of the spirit guides their professional and personal lives. Attendees represent the full breadth of the Brown community as well as a wide range of religious, faith, spiritual, and ethical perspectives. TNS is free and open to the community, kosher meals are available upon request and a vegetarian option is always available. E-mail Sana Parvaiz_Siddiq, Diego Arene-Morley or thursdaynightinterfaith@gmail.com to sign-up for the TNS listserv. Suppers begin at 5:30 p.m. and end by 7:00 p.m at the home of the Chaplain of the University, the Reverend Janet M. Cooper Nelson. Directions: 58 Keene Street, Providence. Walk through the Faunce Arch on Waterman Street (walking north). Go straight for 8 blocks. Turn right. The house is on the left.

OCRL Bereavement Group

Established nearly 30 years ago, this informal gathering is for students who have suffered the loss of a loved one and are struggling with grief. Neither clinical nor religious, the group offers time with others who truly understand. Bereavement Group will meet each Monday in J. Walter Wilson, Room 411. Attend regularly or occasionally; tea and goodies will be served. Call the Office of the Chaplains at 401-863-2344 for more information.

CAPS & LETS Groups at Brown

All groups open to Brown undergraduate, graduate and medical students.

Opportunities Blog

Be sure to follow us on Tumblr at http://brownrisdhillel.tumblr.com for all the latest updates! We'll post job and internship listings, as well as opportunities for volunteer work, travel, and study abroad!

INTRODUCING: a specific job board directed at seniors! If you are looking for work/opportunities after graduation, like our BRH Post-Graudate Opportunities facebook page and keep checking back for more postings, we get them often!

In This Issue

Fellowships & Internships

Quick Links

Other Links

Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island

The Jewish Voice (local Jewish newspaper)

Jewish Calendar

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