For the Sklut Hillel Center, it was an opportunity to celebrate not only the building鈥檚 鈥淏-Mitzvah鈥� 鈥� a nod to聽the聽Bat or Bar Mitzvah ceremony that represents an adolescent鈥檚 transition into greater responsibility within the Jewish community 鈥� but the people, relationships, and community that have made it an epicenter of Jewish Life at 麻豆视频 since 2014.

鈥淭he number 13 in Judaism stands for 鈥榣ove,鈥� and I felt a lot of love in the Sklut Hillel Center and at the B-Mitzvah celebrations,鈥� said Rabbi Maor Greene, Associate Chaplain for Jewish Life,聽鈥淚 feel so blessed to be a part of this loving community.鈥�

The B-Mitzvah Shabbat service brought the community together in the Sklut Hillel Center Pavilion and backyard, with 麻豆视频 President Connie Ledoux Book, students, families, alumni, university leaders, and community members all joining the celebration. Former 麻豆视频 Jewish Life professionals also returned to celebrate and reflect on the community鈥檚 growth.

Hillel Shabbats consistently welcome 70-100 people, more than double the attendance from earlier years of the center.

“It was amazing to see how many people care about Jewish Life at 麻豆视频,” said Miri Pottebaum 鈥�27, co-president of 麻豆视频 Hillel.

Betsy Polk Joseph, Senior Director of Jewish Life, said she was thrilled by the joyous energy that hummed throughout the weekend. One moment she says she will long remember is when community members joined the Shabband, the Hillel student band, to sing the 鈥淪hehecheyanu,鈥� a blessing that marks a joyous moment in time.

The weekend concluded with the B-Mitzvah Bagel Brunch in McKinnon Hall, where students, families, staff, and university leaders gathered to celebrate the past 13 years and look toward the future.

Jon Dooley, Vice President for Student Life, encouraged students – especially those new to 麻豆视频 – to walk through the doors of the Sklut Hillel Center whenever they are looking for community.

Student reflections on Family Weekend 2026聽

鈥淭his is where I鈥檝e made some of my closest friends and it has been a place for me to express my Judaism and learn my friends鈥� traditions.” – Ellie Agulnek 鈥�27聽

“I feel so lucky that I go to 麻豆视频 and that there is such a strong Jewish community here.” – Ben Shuman ’29

鈥淚t was a really empowering experience to see so many 麻豆视频 students and their families together.” – Josh Hertz 鈥�29.

鈥淚t was magical celebrating the Family Weekend B Mitzvah with both of my families – the one from home and the one I鈥檝e made here at 麻豆视频 Jewish Life and Hillel.” – Anna Gratz 鈥�30

In Jewish tradition, a Bar or Bat Mitzvah often takes place at age 13 and marks a transition into greater responsibility within the Jewish community. 麻豆视频 Jewish Life is drawing on that tradition to celebrate 13 years of the Sklut Hillel Center and the community that has grown around it.

Shabbat Oneg

The celebration will begin Friday, Sept. 25, with a Shabbat Oneg at 5:30 p.m. at the Sklut Hillel Center Pavilion. Families are invited to welcome Shabbat together with appetizers, desserts, traditional Shabbat blessings and remarks.

President Connie Ledoux Book will join the celebration and offer remarks as the 麻豆视频 community recognizes the milestone.

Family Weekend Bagel Brunch

The celebration will continue with 麻豆视频 Jewish Life鈥檚 annual Family Weekend Bagel Brunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in McKinnon Hall in the Moseley Center.

Students and families can gather for bagels and a schmear while connecting with the Jewish Life community. The brunch will also kick off Jewish Life鈥檚 fall fundraising campaign and feature special guests who have contributed to the growth of Jewish Life at 麻豆视频.

Members of the 麻豆视频 community and their families are invited to attend and celebrate the Sklut Hillel Center鈥檚 B Mitzvah.

for both events.

Doesn鈥檛 everyone just love the word sin? I know I don鈥檛. Sin is a loaded word. I find it intimidating, scary, and perhaps a little bit shameful. It is uncomfortable to consider all the ways I fail those I care about and contribute to the brokenness of our world. However, just because something is uncomfortable doesn鈥檛 mean that it isn鈥檛 worth doing. After all, how can I improve myself if I can鈥檛 take an honest look (at least once a year) at all the ways in which I fall short?

Every year I remind y鈥檃ll that Yom Kippur is a day of forgiveness for our communal sins. If we have harmed another person directly, we should apologize to that person directly and work to repair the relationship. On Yom Kippur we confess the collective sins of the Jewish people, hoping, praying, and trusting that God will forgive us and accept us back in love.

The two main prayers of confession are 鈥� 鈥淲e Are Guilty鈥� and 聽鈥� 鈥淔or Our Sin鈥� As it happens, we may not have committed many of the sins mentioned in these prayers. We also may not consider many of the actions we鈥檙e confessing to be sinful 鈥� our culture is very different from that of the ancient world. However, some categories of sin 鈥� such as speech-based sin 鈥� are still relevant today. The ancient rabbis understood just as we do that speech can be one of the most potent and harmful forms of sinning out there.

The prayer Ashamnu has 22 phrases, each corresponding to a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It is an alphabetized catalog of sins. I count 5 explicit instances of speech-based sinning: dibbarnu dofi 鈥� we鈥檝e spoken slander; tafalnu sheqer 鈥� we鈥檝e spoken lie after lie; ya鈥檃tznu ra鈥� 鈥� we鈥檝e advised wrongly (or advised evil); kizavnu 鈥� we鈥檝e deceived; and latznu 鈥� we鈥檝e mocked. If you include other phrases that could apply to speech acts, such as angering, rebelling, betraying, causing others to sin or become evil, sinning deliberately or sinning carelessly, committing abominations, making errors, or just being guilty in general, that鈥檚 at least 9 more. Whether explicit or implicit, most of the sins in Ashamnu can describe speech. This is an extraordinary number.

A similar focus on speech occurs in the prayer Al Cheit. We have sinned through: bittui s鈥檉atayim 鈥� utterance of the lips; dibbur peh 鈥� using (or misusing) our mouths; viddui peh 鈥� only confessing verbally when actions of repentance are required (we might call this a 鈥渓ip service鈥� confession); tifshut peh 鈥� foolish talk; tum鈥檃t s鈥檉atayim 鈥� impurity of the lips; kachash uvkhazav 鈥� false denial and false promise; lashon hara鈥� 鈥� evil talk (or slander); latzon 鈥� scoffing; siach sif鈥檛einu聽鈥� prattle of our lips; rechilut 鈥� gossiping; shevuat shav鈥� 鈥� swearing in vain. Like the Ashamnu prayer, Al Cheit mentions many other kinds of actions that can be applied to speech more broadly.

I don鈥檛 know about you, but I find this list of speech-based sins absolutely overwhelming. I have gossiped, scoffed, lied, deceived, and spoken badly of someone not just in the past year, but probably also this past week. I don鈥檛 even know how to track the full impact of my speech-based sin: often it is not directed against someone but contributes to a negative culture more broadly.

I think the rabbis were onto something when they lifted up speech-based sin as both extremely harmful and extremely hard to avoid. And the rabbis lived long before social media鈥�. Nowadays, many speech-based sins aren鈥檛 even directly attributable to humans 鈥� the AI bots have learned from us how to sin with words! They鈥檙e having entire conversations without us!

So why does this matter? Let me tell you one place where I see the most harmful effects of sinful speech impacting the Jewish people and our campus today.

Three years ago when I first learned about October 7th, I was horrified. I had lived in Israel for two and a half years and thought of the many friends I still had there. Were they okay? Were their families okay? As a rabbi and a chaplain, the most pressing work right after October 7th was listening to y鈥檃ll students talk about how Oct 7th impacted you personally. For so many of us here tonight, when we speak about Israel, we鈥檙e not talking about some abstract, far away other: 聽we鈥檙e talking about family and friends 鈥� people near and dear to our hearts.

As I listened to students share after October 7th, it quickly became clear to me that there was a second emotional crisis unfolding: the repeated fracturing of friendships, many of which were caused or exacerbated by social media. I repeatedly heard from students who identified as Zionists that they wanted others to know they didn鈥檛 want Palestinian civilians to suffer. And I heard from several pro-Palestinian students (Jewish and non-Jewish alike) that they wanted to express their criticisms of the government of the state of Israel without being antisemitic. Many of them approached me for advice on how to do so.

If we only took our cues from social media or just the media landscape more broadly, we might think that we can either support Israelis OR Palestinians, that we could either support the return of the hostages OR work to safeguard Palestinian civilian lives, or that we need to choose between supporting a Jewish, democratic state OR the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. I don鈥檛 believe that we have to make these choices. Our minds are big enough to hold two ideas simultaneously and our hearts are big enough to care for the whole world.

Another error of social media is that it creates an echo chamber that encourages us to be in relationship only with people who agree with us. Social media encourages a latent human tendency to demonize those who are different. Somehow, engaging with people who hold different views than you do has come to be a thing we should do, rather than a thing we get to do. Yes, conversations highlighting differences of opinion can sometimes be uncomfortable and even downright excruciating. But they can also be generative and even delightful. After all, how would we ever learn anything if we only ever heard opinions we agree with? How would we grow?

When we can engage with others who hold different views than we do from a place of mutual respect and curiosity, our conversations and communities become elevated. Engaging with different voices helps us to develop empathy and wisdom. When we can approach these conversations from a place of psychological and physiological safety, they can broaden our minds and open our hearts. We can learn and we can grow. I cannot tell you how many times my own thinking on various topics has become far sharper when I have engaged with those I disagree with. I also cannot tell you the number of times I have been surprised and touched by someone else鈥檚 story. Hearing differing perspectives 鈥� when practiced in an atmosphere of mutual respect and safety 鈥� is a gift.

If I had to pick one of the biggest communal sins of the Jewish people from the past several years, it is that we have too often used our words to tear each other apart for having different views on Israel. We have failed to speak respectfully to one another. We have failed to listen. We have failed to honor the good intentions of others. We have failed to see the humanity of the person who disagrees with us, or the deeper universal values at play behind their specific politics. We have failed to see how learning to understand different opinions 鈥� including the opinions of those among us who may just want to be Jewish and not think too much about Israel 鈥� can strengthen our community. We have failed to create safe spaces to discuss our differences constructively. And we have failed to open our hearts to each other. We have put politics over relationships.

I want to be clear. I do not believe that we caused this situation on our campus. It is a symptom of a much broader, systemic issue facing the global Jewish community today. However, we do have the opportunity to change how we speak to one another on this campus. We can choose to take a different path together.

On Yom Kippur we confess the collective sins of the Jewish people, hoping, praying, and trusting that God will forgive us and accept us back in love. It is an opportunity for a fresh start. My invitation for us all gathered here tonight is that we may also consider what it might mean to confess our collective speech-based sins to each other. My hope is that this confession might break open our hearts so that we can better connect with one another. I pray that we can work together to build a stronger Jewish community, one based on mutual respect and honoring differences, one that elevates each other and our conversations, and one in which all can trust that we will be accepted in love.

Finally, I want to acknowledge that I have used a lot of words to give this message to you! I am sure my own words have been imprecise and imperfect. I pray my message will be received according to the intention with which it is given 鈥� to strengthen the Jewish community in love. And if I鈥檝e said anything tonight that resonates with you 鈥� whether you agree or disagree, whether you understand or you have no idea what I鈥檓 talking about and want to know more, or if you feel unseen or unheard by what I have said 鈥� I invite you to reach out. Let鈥檚 talk. I am sure that I have something to learn from you. And together we can create a new story about how we talk about Israel together on campus and beyond. To echo the ancient words of the psalmist (adapted from ) yehiyu l鈥檙atzon imrei finu vehigiyon libeinu lefanecha Adonai tzureinu vego鈥檃leinu 鈥� may the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you Adonai, our rock and our redeemer. Amen.

Welcome to 麻豆视频! Welcome first years, welcome back returning students, and welcome families. We are so very glad that you have chosen to be here with us.

This week鈥檚 Torah portion (parshah) is called . Ki Teitzei means 鈥渨hen you go out鈥�. In the parshah, this going out refers to war and is immediately followed by laws governing the taking of captives. The parshah then provides an extensive collection of commandments.

I鈥檓 going to go out on a limb and say that while I imagine that moving into 麻豆视频 may have been a rough or challenging experience for many of you, it probably didn鈥檛 feel like going to war. At the very least, I hope it did not! However, I imagine that going out from the homes and families you have grown up in has also involved taking care of an extensive list of seemingly unconnected details, just like the parshah.

In looking over these detailed commandments, one struck me as essential to thriving here at 麻豆视频. says 鈥淚f you see your brother鈥檚 [or your fellow鈥檚] donkey or ox fallen on the road, do not ignore it; you must raise it together.鈥�
At first glance, this verse may not appear to be relevant to our lives. I am unaware of any donkeys or oxen present on 麻豆视频鈥檚 campus, although if senior administrators know differently, please let me know! [Correction: apparently have been an issue!] However, if you bear with me, I will show you why this verse still matters for us here today.

The Talmud () 鈥� an ancient collection of commentary on rabbinic law considered authoritative for traditional observance even today 鈥� connects this passage with a similar passage from : 鈥淲hen you see a donkey of your enemy lying under its burden and would refrain from raising it, you must nevertheless help raise it.鈥�

According to traditional rabbinic interpretation (), the verse from Exodus commands us to remove undue burdens from animals, even animals belonging to people who hate us. This command shows us that we should alleviate animal suffering whenever possible.

However, the verse from this week鈥檚 parsha in Deuteronomy is understood to command us to put a load back onto an animal if its load has fallen off. This verse teaches us that we should not just care for the animal, but also for the owner of the animal, honoring their intentions to build a secure life for themselves. The verse also clarifies that we are meant to put the load back onto the animal with the owner. We are meant to care for the economic success and flourishing of our fellows with our fellows.

So why does this matter? These laws in these verses matter in three ways.

First, many of us live our lives carrying heavy emotional burdens. We are not donkeys or oxen, but college life can sometimes be a lot to bear. If the Torah asks us to alleviate animal suffering, how much more so would it want us to assist each other in relieving our own suffering? We at Jewish Life (Betsy, Boaz, Jay, Sarah, Tal, and myself) want you to know that we are here for you and will be here for you whenever you need us.

Second, college is also a time of growth and opportunity. There are some burdens (such as the responsibilities and privileges of adulthood) you will want to take on! Classes, internships, study abroad, leadership experiences, Greek life, clubs 鈥� these are aspects of college life that I know many of you are already excited about! We are also here to help you grow in the ways you want to grow and support your flourishing!

Finally, you may have heard the phrase 鈥� all of the Jewish people are responsible for one another. I believe that forming relationships 鈥� with mentors and with each other 鈥� is the most important part of the college experience. I know that it can sometimes take time to make friends at college and to find your place. It is totally normal to feel anxious about making friends. If you do feel this way, know you鈥檙e not alone!

As you and your families adjust your being in college, I hope all of you gathered here today know that you will always have a home with Jewish Life at 麻豆视频. We鈥檙e here to help you let go of or manage the burdens you don鈥檛 want, take on the burdens you do want, and help you form the relationships with one another that will sustain you through college and beyond. We are so happy that you have chosen to make your home with us. Kol yisrael arevim zeh bazeh. Let us all take care of one another. Shabbat shalom.

The building now serves as a gathering place for Jewish students at 麻豆视频. Decades earlier, it was the home where his recently departed mother, Mary Martin Hamlin, grew up and where countless family memories were made.

On June 4, 2026, members of the Martin family returned to campus to celebrate what would have been Mary Martin Hamlin鈥檚 100th birthday. The gathering included all seven of her nieces and nephews and several of their spouses, along with Karen Martin Yost, 91, the last surviving Martin sister.

The family’s connection to 麻豆视频 stretches back more than a century. Leo DeWitt and Annie Raper Martin, both members of 麻豆视频鈥檚 Class of 1919, returned to the campus community when Leo joined the faculty as a history professor.

Leo Martin, familiarly known as Dick Martin throughout the community, would later partner with fellow 麻豆视频 professor Thomas E. Powell, Jr. to help launch Carolina Biological Supply Company, whose squid logo and early catalog illustrations were drawn by Annie.

During the Great Depression, Leo Martin designed and built a two-story home on the corner of North Antioch and East College Avenues where he and Annie raised daughters Mary, Joanne and Karen. That home remains standing today, though in a different form.

After being acquired by 麻豆视频, the house served as the home of the Vera Richardson Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life before becoming the Sklut Hillel Center in 2013.

As Hamlin toured the building, memories came flooding back from his visits in the 1960s and 70s. He recalled the smell of canned food once stored in a pantry that no longer exists, the coal kept in the basement to heat the house and the Chinese elms that once shaded the property.

鈥淎 lot of this is familiar to me, from the living room and den to the sunroom where my grandfather鈥檚 desk was,鈥� he said. 鈥淎s I walk around now, it鈥檚 just wonderful to feel the youthful energy of the students.鈥�

Karen Martin Yost said she enjoyed seeing the architectural details that remain in the house, as well as in her memory and frequently in her dreams鈥攆eatures like the fireplace and mantle, the built-in bookcases, the seventeen steps to the upstairs, and the black and white tiles in her childhood bathroom.

The family鈥檚 visit was made possible through arrangements between Betsy Polk Joseph, 麻豆视频鈥檚 senior director of Jewish Life, and Hamlin, Mary Martin Hamlin鈥檚 only child.

Hamlin said he was struck not only by what remained of the home, but also by how it is being used today. To know that the building serves as a center for Jewish students and that 麻豆视频 continues to create spaces that welcome people from a variety of backgrounds reflects values long embraced by his family, he said.

The June gathering included a celebratory lunch, a tour of the house, readings from memoirs written by Mary Martin Hamlin and Karen Martin Yost, and visits to places around campus that shaped Mary鈥檚 childhood.

The day concluded at Magnolia Cemetery, where family members gathered at the family plot to share memories of Mary Martin Hamlin, a proud native of 麻豆视频.

Ilene and Andy Cantos P鈥�25 of Lower Gwynedd, Pennsylvania, made their estate gift to support 麻豆视频 Hillel in perpetuity because of the powerful impact the organization had on their daughter, Kylie Cantos 鈥�25, who served as a peer mentor and executive board member with Hillel.

鈥淗illel provided Kylie with a warm, welcoming community where she felt a sense of belonging and identity,鈥� Ilene Cantos said. 鈥淚t was more than just a student organization鈥攊t became a home away from home for her.鈥�

The couple鈥檚 gift is one of the largest made to 麻豆视频 Hillel, a dynamic student-run and student-centered organization that engages approximately 800 Jewish students (undergraduate and graduate) on campus, along with non-Jewish students. Hillel hosts a variety of activities and services throughout the academic year, including bagel brunches, weekly Shabbat dinners,聽Hanukkah parties, movie nights, Israeli cooking classes and get out the vote projects, among other activities. The organization is located in the Sklut Hillel Center, which opened in 2013 and is named for 麻豆视频 parents Lori and Eric Sklut P鈥�14 of Charlotte, North Carolina.

The Cantos family was impressed by how deeply Hillel and Jewish Life staff invest in each student鈥檚 well-being and personal growth, including Hillel鈥檚 鈥淪oupWorks鈥� program that provides chicken soup and check-ins for students when they鈥檙e ill.

鈥淭here鈥檚 always someone looking out for the students, and that level of care really matters,鈥� Ilene said. 鈥淲e believe that every student deserves to have access to the same kind of supportive, inspiring and growth-focused community. That鈥檚 why we鈥檙e proud to support 麻豆视频 and to be champions of its Jewish Life program.鈥�

Betsy聽Polk聽Joseph, senior director of Jewish Life at 麻豆视频, thanked the Cantos family for their generosity and deep engagement with the university and Hillel.

鈥淭hroughout Kylie鈥檚 four years at 麻豆视频, Ilene and Andy Cantos led the way as volunteers, champions, philanthropists and advocates for 麻豆视频,鈥� she said. 鈥淭heir legacy gift demonstrates that their generous commitment is lifelong and will inspire donors now and far into the future.鈥�

The couple served on 麻豆视频鈥檚 Jewish Life Advisory Council (JLAC), which gave them a front-row seat to the value of Jewish Life and Hillel to students鈥� academic, social and professional growth.

鈥淪erving on JLAC and staying engaged with 麻豆视频 has deepened our appreciation for the university鈥檚 commitment to cultivating a vibrant, inclusive environment,鈥� Andy Cantos said. 鈥淛ewish life, and especially Hillel, is a key part of that. It doesn鈥檛 just enrich student life鈥攊t helps transform it.鈥�

Organizations like Hillel make it easy for students to get involved and stay engaged throughout their entire 麻豆视频 experience, Ilene said.

鈥淲hether they鈥檙e leading a program, participating in a fellowship, working a paid internship or just showing up to a Shabbat dinner, they鈥檙e gaining confidence, skills and connections that will last long after graduation,鈥� she said.

The Cantos family was also pleased with Kylie鈥檚 overall 麻豆视频 experience, which allowed her to grow personally and professionally as a Change Maker Scholar in the Kernodle Center for Civic Life, vice president of philanthropy with Alpha Chi Omega sorority and as an executive board member of the Pre-Health Society.聽Kylie earned her undergraduate degree in psychology.

鈥淜ylie had access to incredible facilities and was constantly challenged academically while also being encouraged to get involved outside the classroom,鈥� Ilene said. 鈥淲atching our daughter thrive at 麻豆视频 has been a gift, and we鈥檙e proud to continue supporting this incredible community.鈥�

鈥溌槎故悠� is grateful to the Cantos family for generously supporting Hillel through their estate, which will help secure the future of this outstanding organization and make a meaningful impact on generations of students,鈥� said John Gardner 鈥�01, senior director of development.

Visit 麻豆视频鈥檚 website for more information on how you can make a difference with student learning through estate gifts.

麻豆视频 麻豆视频 Hillel

Hillel is open to all Jewish students from all backgrounds, identities and levels of observance, as well as to non-Jewish students. The organization seeks to build a welcoming, inclusive community that provides empowering Jewish experiences for students and embraces the diversity of Jewish traditions and identities.

The Sklut Hillel Center is a popular gathering place for students, whether they鈥檙e looking for a fridge full of food, a place to hang out or study, a way to meet other students, or somewhere to celebrate a Jewish holiday. 麻豆视频 Jewish Life also advocates for the Jewish community on campus and prepares students for life beyond college through access to summer jobs and internships.

Olivia Kogan ’24 works at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism聽as an , a year-long program designed for recent college graduates who demonstrate a strong commitment to Judaism, social justice and public policy.

The RAC is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to Jewish social justice聽and represents the Reform Jewish movement, the largest and most diverse Jewish denomination in North America, which encompasses 825 congregations, 2000 rabbis and 1.8 million Reform Jews.

鈥淚 support the work of the organization through attending congressional meetings, coalitions, engaging with the White House, the cabinet offices and state and local officials,鈥� Kogan said. 鈥淚 also lead our legislative advocacy on gun violence prevention, racial justice, criminal justice, death penalty, health care and Native American Indigenous People’s rights.鈥�

In her role, Kogan staffs the Commission on Social Action Task Force on transgender rights, where she is currently authoring and developing a comprehensive toolkit to equip congregations and communities with resources for inclusion, advocacy and policy engagement around transgender rights.

鈥淚 think the most challenging part is that policy is continuously changing. Most of the work in a faith-based organization, there’s a limited amount that we can say or do,鈥� said Kogan. 鈥淚 want to make the most amount of change, but right now that’s really difficult.鈥�

Kogan works with the organization to host social justice seminars and weekends for high school students, which is how she discovered the organization for which she now works.

鈥淚 participated in twice when I was in 9th and 10th grade. I had the ability to come to Washington and learn about social justice areas with a culminating experience lobbying my congressional representatives,鈥� said Kogan,聽who grew up in聽Huntington Valley, Pa. 鈥淚 knew when graduating that I wanted to come back to the organization that inspired my social justice advocacy.鈥�

Kogan said she is still very early into her career but has already had an ‘I made it’ moment when she met former Vice President Kamala Harris. Since Kogan manages the organization’s racial justice work, she was invited to attend the annual breakfast for Martin Luther King Jr., where racial justice leaders came together to celebrate the progress that has been made while also acknowledging all the work that has to follow.

鈥淲e did not know former Vice President Harris was attending the event and then the host made an announcement introducing her,鈥� Kogan said. 鈥淪he had the best mindset and created a positive reminder that we all need moral courage in this moment.鈥�

Kogan majored in human service studies with minors in poverty and social justice policy studies and Jewish studies. She was deeply involved in Jewish life at 麻豆视频, including 麻豆视频 Hillel as an engagement intern and her work on planning Shabbat services and social justice initiatives.

Kogan was also an 麻豆视频 College Fellow and completed a thesis project on the experiences of Jewish summer camp counselors being able to support the socio-emotional needs of non-white campers. Her project explored how formal and informal DEI training and resources influence and shape the counselor experience.
鈥淟ast year I was walking through 麻豆视频鈥檚 annual SURF Day presentations when I happened upon Olivia Kogan,鈥� said Betsy Polk Joseph, director of Jewish life. 鈥淥livia was surrounded by a crowd of students, administrators and faculty who were hanging on her every word as she shared findings from her research.鈥�

Kogan credits 麻豆视频 with providing her the opportunity to grow and pursue leadership positions that allowed her to explore her Jewish identity in new ways. She plans to pursue a Master of Social Work and potentially attend law school to establish a comprehensive social service hub where individuals can access social services and legal needs all in one place.

鈥淭here are Jews, Israelis still held hostage since Oct. 7 in Gaza, and I think it’s hard to celebrate liberation when you know they鈥檙e members of the Jewish community still not liberated,鈥� said Rabbi Maor Greene, associate chaplain for Jewish Life at 麻豆视频. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not important to dwell on folks not liberated at our seder, but we will have an empty chair to honor the hostages.鈥�

The name “Passover” comes from the miracle in which God 鈥減assed over鈥� the houses of the Israelites, sparing them from death during the 10th plague in Egypt.

鈥淚 love that the fact that it’s spring, because it鈥檚 like everything waking up,” said Boaz Avraham Katz, the Jewish Educator of 麻豆视频. 鈥淚t鈥檚 starting to get green and warming, but I like that we as a people are reminding ourselves of the importance of freedom.鈥�

Jewish Life at 麻豆视频 focuses on providing community, and the leadership for the Passover seder (which translates to “order鈥� in English) is no different. Miti Pottebum ’27 is one of the co-religious chairs of Hillel who helps plan the seder with Rabbi Greene.

鈥淢y role as rabbi is in partnership with Boaz and religious-ed chairs to put a seder together that鈥檚 meaningful for the Jewish community on campus,” said Rabbi Greene.

When it comes to the seder itself, the Jewish Life team at 麻豆视频 creates many traditions that allow students to feel that family connection at their home away from home.

鈥淲e have the senior table where all the seniors sit for their last Passover, and we celebrate that,鈥� Avraham-Katz said. 鈥淲e do the four questions, so the young ones, the first years begin, then the sophomores, and so on.鈥�

Another tradition with the Passover Seder is breaking the middle matzah and hiding it away for the participants to find.

鈥淚 love the fact that we do an afikomen hunt because people go crazy trying to find the gifts that are hidden,鈥� Avraham-Katz said.

One of the biggest challenges of creating a seder for people with different backgrounds is making the evening accessible for everyone, but the Jewish Life team is prepared.

鈥淲e use a Haggadah (a book that follows the seder) that has English, Hebrew, and transliteration, and includes details with explanations and commentaries,鈥� Pottebaum said. 鈥淭hroughout the seder, we have a slideshow (also with English and Hebrew) that we鈥檒l use as we go through the Haggadah.鈥�

Another challenge that comes with the holiday is the fact that Jews don鈥檛 eat leavened bread due to their ancestors not having enough time to cook the dough into bread when leaving Egypt. So, this year, there will be a traditional chicken dish and brisket. Dietary restrictions, including allergies, will also be minded.

Once the seder has concluded, the Jewish Life team hopes people walk away knowing that this university is a community for them.

鈥淲e want them to feel that they had a good time,鈥� Avraham-Katz said. 鈥淏y good experience, I mean that they participated and sang, and they felt a bit like home.鈥�

鈥淚 hope that folks experience a sense of joy being Jewish,鈥� Greene shared. 鈥淭here’s something about singing Mah Nishtanah (The Four Questions) and Dayenu that makes you feel Jewish.”

As students and staff reflect on the holiday, they are reminded that even during the challenging times, unity and hope can be found around the table.

When rockets and bullets started flying, a friend reached out, asking Rami to rescue their child from the unfolding inferno. Over the ensuing hours, Davidian, flanked by his son-in-law, came face-to-face with terrorists and rescued hundreds of young partygoers from certain death, under heavy fire.

In the year since his bravery has been recognized, and Davidian has been awarded numerous prizes and showered with accolades from his home country of Israel and from people around the globe.

Davidian will share his story of bravery, faith and humanity at 麻豆视频’s Whitley Auditorium on Monday, Nov. 18 at 7:30 p.m. He will be accompanied by Millet Ben Haim, a young woman whose life he saved that day.

The event is being hosted by 麻豆视频’s Chabad Jewish Center in partnership with multiple other organizations including 麻豆视频 Hillel, and 麻豆视频 Jewish Life.

Traditionally, the two big themes of Sukkot are vulnerability and joy. We embrace the vulnerability of our human existence by dwelling in a temporary home 鈥� our sukkah. The holiday is also called z鈥檓an simchateinu, the season of our joy. These two themes of vulnerability and joy work together 鈥� by being in touch with the vulnerability of our human existence, we can experience a deeper sense of joy.

Joy and vulnerability are also key themes in the book of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes), . Kohelet opens with a full-blown existential crisis: “Utter futility!鈥攕aid Koheleth鈥擴tter futility! All is futile! What real value is there for a person in all the gains they make beneath the sun?” ().

Kohelet eventually accepts (or resigns himself) to the fate of humanity. He describes in , “Only this, I have found, is a real good: that one should eat and drink and get pleasure with all the gains they make under the sun, during the numbered days of life that God has given them; for that is their portion.” Kohelet learns to find joy alongside vulnerability.

The problem for many of us today is that Kohelet鈥檚 existential angst (and its resolution) are founded on a false premise. In , Kohelet observes, “One generation goes, another comes, But the earth remains the same forever.” Kohelet believes that humanity cannot fundamentally change existence on earth. However, living with the catastrophic effects of global warming, we now know this to be untrue.

There is a Midrash (ancient interpretation) that addresses humanity鈥檚 destructive potential. states:

“Look at God鈥檚 work 鈥� for who can straighten what He has twisted? (). When the Blessed Holy One created the first human, He took him and led him round all the trees of the Garden of Eden and said to him: ‘Look at My works, how beautiful and praiseworthy they are! And all that I have created, it was for you that I created it. Pay attention that you do not corrupt and destroy My world: if you corrupt it, there is no one to repair it after you.'”

The Midrash transforms a verse from Kohelet into the existential question of our time: if we destroy our planet, who will repair it? Future generations must live with the consequences of our behavior.

My hope for us all celebrating Sukkot this year is not that we dwell in a place of guilt, anxiety, despair, or numbness. have shown that we must work with our feelings, rather than avoiding them or becoming stuck in them. Our feelings about the climate crisis must be welcome guests in our Sukkah.

This year, I hope we experience a deeper sense of our own vulnerability. We are connected to this earth and dependent on it for survival. Like Kohelet, I hope that embracing our vulnerability leads to joy. There is certainly much work to do in repairing the world. I pray that the joy we experience during Sukkot strengthens our resolve to do our part in caring for our planet in the year to come.

Views expressed in this column are the author鈥檚 own and not necessarily those of 麻豆视频. The original article appears .