Hillel helps community

PETER CAULFIELD SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN

Federation Facts gives examples of programs that are funded all or in part by the Combined Jewish Appeal. Today, we look at the work being done by Hillel Vancouver to connect with Jewish post-secondary students and to combat the growing incidence of anti-Jewish and anti-Israeli activities on Lower Mainland campuses.

September begins a new academic year, with Jewish post-secondary students converging on Lower Mainland campuses in greater numbers than ever before.

At the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, B.C. Institute of Technology and Langara, Kwantlen and Douglas colleges, Hillel Vancouver provides educational, social, cultural and religious support for Jewish students aged 18-30. Approximately 3,000 Lower Mainland Jewish students, about 13 per cent of the Greater Vancouver Jewish community, come under Hillel's auspices.

Executive director Eyal Lichtmann said Hillel's mission is "to maximize the number of Jews doing Jewish with other Jews."

"Hillel actively seeks to engage uninvolved Jewish students on their own terms," he said. "[We want] to provide them with meaningful and appealing opportunities to 'do Jewish.' "

According to Lichtmann, most Lower Mainland Jewish post-secondary students will remain in the region after graduation. "Ultimately, they will define the future of our Jewish communities in Vancouver," he said. "As young professionals, they will soon be asked to populate the boardrooms of our synagogues and Federation, and lead our Jewish agencies. A strong and vibrant Hillel will ensure a strong Jewish community for the future."

Unfortunately, many of our community's student leaders look to their future with some trepidation. They feel that their Jewish identity is under attack, due to the presence of a growing number of foreign Muslim students, a small but vocal group of left-leaning students with an anti-Israel bias and a volatile political atmosphere on campus. Examples of anti-Jewish and anti-Israeli student activity abound:

• October 2003 – The Langara College student government prevented Ishmael Khaldi, an Israeli Bedouin, from delivering a talk about multiculturalism in Israel.

• December 2003 – Middle East commentator Daniel Pipes faced noisy protesters when he spoke about Israeli-Palestinian relations at UBC.

• March 2004 – SFU protesters prevented Israeli consul general Kobi Brosh from speaking about the Middle East conflict.

• March 2004 – A six-foot long, 100-pound sign was stolen from UBC's Hillel House.

To combat the anti-Israel forces on campus, Hillel Vancouver has devised an innovative strategy.

"Rather than reacting to [them by] spending undue financial and human resources, Hillel has developed a strategy for engaging Jewish young adults and educating the unaffiliated and uninformed non-Jewish populations on campus," said Lichtmann. "[They] must be properly informed and educated about the real issues relating to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."

Lichtmann believes it is useless to confront campus anti-Israel groups, as anti-establishment, anti-globalization, anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian sentiments are inseparable in their minds. Time and effort is better spent engaging the "silent majority" of students who are unaligned in the Israel-Palestinian conflict, he said. "These people have the potential of becoming supporters of Israel."

The strategy is working, said Lichtmann. Local Israel advocacy groups have recruited scores of non-Jewish students, who are now some of the strongest supporters of Israel on campus.

In addition to Israel advocacy, Hillel is a doing a lot to strengthen Jewish identity and to strengthen community by making Jewish students feel more confident about being Jewish, said David Berson, Federation director of community planning.

"Part of that is [is done] by educating and equipping them with tools and information, part is by helping them to connect with other Jewish students and feel comfortable and safe in that environment," said Berson. "We want our kids to meet other Jewish kids. Hillel also heads up our Birthright Israel recruitment drive and helps send hundreds of students a year on Israel experiences and leadership training seminars. This is what CJA is helping to support."

Hillel Vancouver runs myriad programs that attract thousands of participants. Examples include a three-day Back to School barbecue, building and decorating a sukkah, candlelighting on Chanukah, an annual Hillel House Coffee House and Israel Week.

Hillel Vancouver's work in the community was acknowledged in June when the board of directors of Hillel's parent organization in Washington, D.C., granted the local chapter accreditation, recognizing its adherence to international performance standards.

"By achieving accreditation, Vancouver Hillel has reached a state of excellence in our programming and services to students, and the level of our operating systems and administrative support," Lichtmann told the Bulletin. "It also means that we have organized a well-defined operating lay leadership board for oversight and review of the organization."

Lichtmann said Hillel made many changes to meet accreditation standards.
"The changes reflect our desire to properly implement procedures and operations that allow us to responsibly report back to the community and our donors," he said.

Peter Caulfield is a volunteer member of Federation's communications committee.

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