September 2017 - In This Issue
From Executive Director Scott Selig

Dear ,

UConn Hillel creates a safe space for critical thinking regarding Judaism, and Israel through our programming and our partner group, Huskies for Israel. This year UConn Hillel will focus on increasing our activities throughout campus by visibility forming and maintaining strong relationships with other groups, clubs and departments on campus. We will engage different cultural groups, and inspire Jewish students by co-working, collaborating, crowd-sourcing, evolving and interacting to show UConn Hillel as dynamic, artistic, and cultural focus forces on campus. 

UConn Hillel is focusing outreach with the cultural centers on campus included; Rainbow/Women's/African-American/ Asian-American/ Puerto-Rican Latino-American Cultural Centers and the Middle Eastern Student Association. Outside of the campus community, UConn Hillel and Huskies for Israel works with such as AIPAC, Stand With Us, CAMERA and the David Project to ensure the campus community is well-informed regarding Israel. UConn Hillel is also focused on strengthening relationships with the UConn Greek community and other partners to emphasize leadership development and community outreach. Our goal is to increase the number of meaningful Jewish experiences and the number of students engaged in "doing Jewish" at UConn. We hope you will join us in supporting these goals.

UConn Hillel is partnering with UConn who has has launched the Husky Mentor Network, an online mentoring platform that connects alumni and students for one-on-one career conversations. Let's give the next generation of up-and-comers the advice you wish you'd had. Create your advisor profile in two minutes and click the affinity group UConn Hillel to be connected to a current UConn Hillel Student.

Why join?
* An easy way to give back - Share your experience with a flexible commitment.
* It's impactful - Students value your experience and feedback.
* Privacy protected -  All communication is routed through our system.

Create Your Profile Today!:  https://uconn.firsthand.co/
A Snapshot Into Our Semester
Welcome Back BBQ

On August 27, UConn Hillel welcomed new and returning faces at it's annual Welcome Back BBQ. Students enjoyed food, games and getting to know one another before the hectic semester began.. Upperclassmen had the chance to reconnect with old friends and freshmen were able to meet new Jewish students. 

Students got to  have some great Kosher food, play lawn games and listen to music and see what Hillel is all about!

   
Freshmen Bonfire

60 Freshmen join UConn Hillel for an evening filled with s'mores, music and new friends. Students to know other Jewish freshmen, the First Year Students of Hillel (FYSH) family leaders and the UConn Hillel staff!
Birthright Party

On September 5 students gathered at UConn Hillel for a Birthright reunion or to learn more about Birthright if they had not previously been. 

Students celebrated everything Birthright with Israeli food and music, reunions with friends from past trips, a panel of past participants and an info session for prospective tripgoers. The soldiers from this past summer trip also made a video for the students from their bus!

Israel Fellow, Rotem Dimri, tabling in the UConn Student Union for Birthright Registration
Student Corner
Nathan Schachter: Standing up to bigotry

Thousands of people have reached out to show support for a University of Connecticut student who said he was the target of an anti-Semitic comment on campus... read more









(Nathan speaking with Channel 3 Eye Whitness News)
Alumni Spotlight
Avi Smith-Rappaport
Avi Smith-Rappaport of West Hartford has fond memories of UConn Hillel. He met his wife, Erica, at the UConn Hillel Hanukkah party in 1998. Avi and Erica and their two boys, Sam and Max, are very involved in the Greater Hartford Jewish Community serving on the Boards of the Solomon Schechter Day school, participating in the JCC and as members of Beth El Synagogue.

Avi has continued his involvement in UConn Hillel through his company We Care Computers, a family owned and operated full-service computer IT company. We Care Computers was founded by Avi. We Care Computers worked with UConn Hillel to upgrade the WIFI system this past summer, thanks to the generous support of the  Capital Equipment Fund at the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Hartford.


  



If you would like to be featured in our Alumni Spotlight, please contact Emily at [email protected].
Are you celebrating an engagement, wedding, baby, or new job? 
Let us know!

UConn Hillel wants to share in your simchas! Let us know about your celebrations and you could be featured as our Mazel of the Month in our monthly newsletter!

Please contact Emily at [email protected] to submit your mazel!

Upcoming Events
YOM KIPPUR SCHEDULE
SEPTEMBER 29-30

Join UConn Hillel for Yom Kippur! All services and meals are a free and open to anyone!

Friday, September 29th
Pre-Fast Dinner - 5pm
Kol Nidre Services - 6pm

Saturday, September 30th
Services - 10:30am
Services - 5pm
Break-the-Fast Dinner - 7:30pm
CONAN IN ISRAEL VIEWING PARTY
OCTOBER 3 @ 7PM

Join Rotem and Huskies for Israel for a special Cafe Ivrit (Hebrew class) this week! We will watch the CONAN Israel special, and then discuss with Rotem about what Conan saw, some Hebrew slang, and more!
Hookah and Shakshukah in the Sukkah
OCTOBER 8 @ 7PM-10PM

Please join Huskies for Israel and Hillel in celebrating Sukkot! 

Enjoy a traditional Israeli dish and cultural aspects of Israel with your fellow UConn students! You don't need to be Jewish to enjoy this great night of fun and celebration of the diverse culture of Israel. 

Shakshoukah is a dish of poached eggs, in a sauce made from tomatoes, chili peppers, onions and cumin spices. Just like Shakshoukah the Sukkah is a Middle Eastern tradition; people smoke hookah inside as part of widespread Middle Eastern cultural custom. 
Come celebration these cultural practices with us!!
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CONTACT US


Phone: 860-429-9007
Fax: 860-429-2344

If you an idea for something that you want to see happen, we would love to hear from you!