December 23, 2008
26 Kislev, 5769
Dear Friends,
This report is a
combination of Chanukah greeting with a personal comment, a program and campus
update, and a request for a year end contribution.
Chanukah began this
past Sunday evening as many of us lit the first Chanukah light. Because of Chanukah's falling during
Christmas break this year students are able to celebrate the Holiday
with their families. Before updating you
on campus developments.
I want to extend a Chanukah greeting that is both
personal and, I think, deals with some of the reasons we celebrate the Holiday. The first
day of Chanukah is also the yartzeit (this year the13th anniversary) of my
mother's death. So when celebrating the Holiday
I also think of her. In a way it is
fitting that my mother died on the first day of Chanukah, as Chanukah was her
favorite Holiday. She loved giving
gifts especially to children as it brought a light into their eyes. But
on a more fundamental level my mother brought light to all she met as she had
the ability to listen to everyone and had the patience to accept everyone for
who they are. She also knew that life was very dynamic and stayed level
headed no matter what happened. These midot (qualities) are an example
all of us should follow, especially if we are to succeed in our work in Hillel.
In addition the events of the recent weeks are a
challenge to all of us. The ongoing economic
situation means we will need to learn to do with less. Our goals of bringing value added to campus
and enriching Jewish students so they can enrich the Jewish People and the
world will need to be done without some of the programs we have become
accustomed to. Instead we should take
this opportunity to personally engage and enhance the lives of students. This is especially important in the aftermath
of the Madoff scandal which brings
up many important questions including how can somebody be so "evil and
uncaring" to others and is there something wrong with us? Our response must be that there seemingly
will always be people who are evil and take advantage of others, and the best way
of responding to this is by being and doing good. This is something that students can do; they
can take the lead in creating a community that is based on concern for and
helping one another. Our role in Hillel is
to be a conduit for such a movement.
So as we continue to
add a candle to the Chanukia (Menorah) each night until all the candles are lit,
let us view this as a parable for our interest in continuing to bring more light into the world. Best wishes for a Happy Chanukah and
enjoyable holiday season. May we learn that helping one another and doing
what we can to make the world a better place are two of the most important traits
we can have.
With Blessings,
Gary Coleman
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Responding
to Pro-Palestinian Activity
Towards the end of the semester there were two
events at CWRU that we worked with the university administration and students
to diffuse. 1)
Students for Justice in Palestine put up signs on campus. In working with students involved in a
variety of organizations on campus the following statement appeared in the
online edition of the December 5 edition of The
Observer, The Student Newspaper of Case Western Reserve University.
Titled: "Jewish
students respond to letters". You can
read it HERE.2) Norman Finkelstein was invited by Alice Bach and
appeared at CWRU on December 11. Besides
hosting study sessions as the event was during finals, in preparation for the
Finkelstein event we talked with the Dean of Arts and Sciences, the Vice
President of Student Affairs, and kept the Presidents office informed of the
feelings of Jewish students. As a result of these discussions and
events the Finkelstein talk was unknown to almost all students. Almost
all of the 100 plus people there were community members who are supportive of
Alice Bach and Norman Finkelstein. Only
a handful of students were there. Three of the students attending were
those I had worked with in preparation for the talk. One of
these students asked a question after the talk and was chastised by Finkelstein
for his question. Since the event I have been in e-mail discussion with
Dr. Finkelstein telling him that I think he should apologize to the student while
also listing other issues where we disagree.
Also the day after the program CWRU President, Barbara
Snyder, called me to ask me about the event. We talked about the campus
environment, the feelings of Jewish students, the need for open and respectful discussion
on campus, the misfortune of Dershowitz's cancellation earlier this
semester, and Hillel's plan to bring Michael Oren in February.
These are the types of behind the scenes activity that
Cleveland Hillel Foundation is involved in to improve Jewish life on all
the campuses we serve. |
Graduate Students represent Cleveland
Hillel at Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland's
Campaign closing George Anesi a second year medical student at
CWRU and Gittel Chaiko a third year law student at CSU's Cleveland Marshall
College of Law represented Hillel. You
can read a summary of their remarks, which I think represents well what we do,
HERE. |
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Summer Internship
Program
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Israel and Social Justice Immersion Trips During Winter Break
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Six students from Case
Western Reserve University,
Cleveland State
University, and Tri-C will be spending
one week in New Orleans
in January to help rebuild the city. This
trip focuses on hands-on service, community interaction and the exploration of social
justice and Judaism. Partial funding for
this program comes
 from the Irving and Helen Sunshine Trust.
- Six students from Case Western Reserve
University School of Law and Cleveland State University Cleveland Marshall
College of Law will participate in Hillel's pilot Alternative Break in Israel. This program tailored for law students will
include service work, education, and experiences designed to match academic,
career, and professional aspirations.
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Last Word and Request
We want to take this opportunity
to thank everyone involved in the Cleveland Hillel Foundation, the students,
board, staff, stakeholders, and friends for your commitment and support. For more information on Hillel check out our
web site www.clevelandhillel.org
With the calendar year coming to a close we ask
that you consider making a contribution to Cleveland Hillel either by going on
line HERE.
Or mailing us a check at:
CLEVELAND HILLEL FOUNDATION INC
11291 Euclid Ave.
Cleveland,OH 44106
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students a relaxing massage, the chance to decorate a menorah, and the
opportunity to learn to make sushi
