I was surprised to learn that NFTY regional boards do not have a VP of Israel. There are board positions for other Jewish content areas, like Religion, Culture, and Social Action, but not one for Israel. Surely there are Jewish experiences to be had outside the realm of Religion, Culture, and Social Action. While I considered the gaps in the NFTY portfolio, I wondered what areas of Jewish life might be missing from Hillel.
Hillel at Emory has VPs of the following: programming, religious life, Israel culture and advocacy, social justice, multi-cultural outreach, Muslim-Jewish relations, freshmen engagement, Greek engagement, marketing and communications, finance, and program evaluation.
This spring, we’re launching a new board position for public policy—someone to offer Jewish perspectives on political, social, and economic affairs. We just hosted an expert panel on Jewish perspectives on healthcare reform. I would love to see a similar forum on climate change or the global south.
Hillel at Emory has JBiz and JHealth, for Jewish pre-professional students. I would love to add JLaw.
Many campuses have Jewish GLBTQ groups. And women’s groups. And men’s groups. And environmental groups. And a capella groups. Michigan has a Jewish Engineering Association. UF just founded the JAM Network for Jewish Artists and Musicians. Yale hosts an annual Klezmerpalooza. Emory just started a Jewish yoga program, and is now home of the world's only Yiddish collegiate a capella group.
As a writer, I would be interested to see a Jewish student newspaper or literary magazine—with coverage of campus events, travel writing, editorials, fiction, poetry, and cartoons. I would also be interested in a Jewish scholarly journal, with the best student essays from across the Jewish studies department.
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