By Lauren Ritirato, Staff Writer
LIU Hillel, formerly known as the Jewish Leadership Association, is a newly budding organization on campus. They define themselves as “The Center for Jewish Life at Long Island University.” This organization was created to provide a safe space for all Jews and people of any background who are looking for a place to feel welcomed on campus.
Hillel President senior art therapy major Renee Haimov hopes to bring a sense of family to those who attend meetings, events and social gatherings.
“We try to build a community on campus for everyone to join and meet friends, hang out and learn more about Judaism or just have fun with their friends,” Haimov said.
She emphasizes that Hillel is an inclusive organization for all who attend meetings.
Other students spoke about the organization as well.
“Hillel to me is just a safe space where anyone can come. It doesn’t matter where you are from, it’s just a place where you can find people who care and want to be there for you,” Hillel Treasurer and junior education major Lauren Tannenbaum said.
“In my role, I love talking to people, being open and inviting everyone to our events. Our events are for everyone, it’s not just geared towards Jews, it’s for anyone and everyone if they want to learn more about Judaism or if they have friends that are Jewish, or they are questioning what the holiday is,” Haimov expressed.
Reflecting on the journey to establish the LIU Post Chapter of Hillel, Haimov shares the club’s determination to reconnect with Hillel, an international organization. In previous years there was a Hillel organization in existence at Post, but it was no longer active once the campus transitioned from the Pioneers to the Sharks.
“We wanted to get back to Hillel, but Hillel is an international organization and we wanted to work with LIU Brooklyn. So we were named JLA for a year and recently we did get in touch with the international organization and they were so welcoming to us.”
Fundraising is an important part of Hillel’s mission for their organization and for important causes they support. In addition to building a sense of community for students, fundraising plays a crucial role in Hillel’s mission, supporting philanthropy missions such as fundraising to provide money to aid those in Israel affected by the ongoing conflict.
LIU Hillel’s values are rooted in the Jewish faith and they host a plethora of events during Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Hanukkah and Passover. Some of their past events include board game night, game show night and an Afikoman hunt around campus during Passover.
Events are a strong relationship-building source for Hillel as they welcome all to their celebrations and meetings.
“My favorite event I attended was last year at the end of the year we had an interfaith frisbee event, where we all gathered on the lawn and played frisbee and cornhole and had all different games and snacks, it was great to see so many students from different organizations come and hang out together no matter who you are, everyone’s welcome,” Tannenbaum said.
As Hillel plans for upcoming events like their Friendsgiving in November and a Hanukkah party in December, they always continue to embrace diversity, the importance of community and contribute meaningfully to both the Post campus and the world. Through their actions and values as an organization, Hillel exemplifies dedication to their faith, peers and philanthropy.
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