Local Chabad on Campus - Onwards and Upwards

ONWARD UPWARD ‫ב״ה‬

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The Miller Family Chabad House at College University

2 | Chabad at College University

Dear Esteemed Partner, When Jewish leaders and philanthropists would report to the Rebbe with news of their successes, the Rebbe would famously quote King David in Psalms: Yelchu MeChayil el Chayil, may you go from strength to strength—onward and upward!

When you look at the Miller Family Chabad House today, you can see growth from a two-bedroom apartment into a four-story building, from a series of popular events to an array of involved fellowships and from a handful of undergraduates to a community of enthusiastic students, alumni and friends.

Now in our tenth year, we proudly reflect on all that has been achieved with your unending support. Only with the purpose of looking ahead.

Here we present many of our most prominent services and how we plan to expand our reach and increase our success. With G-d’s grace, the Rebbe’s blessing and your continued support, we can put the deepest teachings of our faith in the hands of every single student.

Rabbi Eli Shliach

Elisheva Shlucha

Co-Director

Co-Director

princeton university Miller Family Chabad House at College University 321 College Avenue • Collegetown, AZ 78965 • 987-654-3210

princeton university

4 | Chabad at College University

Chabad: the Philosophy Chabad is a Chassidic way of life that encourages all Jews to follow Judaism according to Jewish Law while recognizing every Jew as fully Jewish regardless of level of observance. The Hebrew word Chabad is an acronym for “Chochmah” (wisdom), “Binah” (understanding) and “Daas” (knowledge), alluding to the ability not only to know about a G-dly plan for this world, but to understand and apply it to our daily lives.

Chabad on Campus The Rebbe taught us to open minds by maintaining open hearts. With this vision, Chabad on Campus couples move to their assigned campuses for life, welcoming students unconditionally with open hearts and open homes, raising their own growing families while tending to the evolving needs of the student community. As of 2014, Chabad on Campus serves 220 universities worldwide.

The Miller Family Chabad House Rabbi Shliach has been a Jewish presence at College University since 2005. He is an advisor to the Sinai Scholars Society and a regular contributor to the New York Times on topics of education, ethics and leadership.

Elisheva Shlucha, is the founder of the Fresh 7 Healthy inititative for freshmen nutrition and a professor of Middle Eastern history at the Lawrence K. Mooney School of Foreign Policy. Elisheva is the mother of 4 children who all help out at the Chabad House.

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Love G-d, love the Torah, love every Jew unconditionally, for the three loves are one.

—From the Rebbe’s mission statement upon accepting leadership of the Lubavitch movement in 1951

Our Role

College is a four-year period when students, often for the first time, encounter Jewish holidays and life events away from their families. Chabad is here not only as a family to over 700 students, but to strengthen each student’s connection to Judaism and deepen his or her desire to lead a Jewish life.

Our Approach

Our Results

College students are passionate about new experiences and in-depth learning. Our primary approach is to engage them concurrently in these two realms, through personal and memorable interactions and immersive study fellowships.

Because we look beyond appellations and affiliations, many who find themselves outside the traditional Jewish denominations comfortably participate in our Shabbat meals, open lectures and volunteer drives. Yet more than the remarkable growth of our programs, we are blessed with a vibrant, proud and active Jewish community that extends beyond current students to alumni and parents.

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A TASTE JEWISH LIFE

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Short personal interactions to build connections The year-round celebration of Judaism provides valuable settings in which to begin relationships and discover how we can serve individual Jewish interests. Our first-contact programs are easy for students to find and comfortable for them to try.

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>> Friday Night

>> Out on the Lawn

Chabad has earned its stripes on the campus scene for the greatest Friday night experience anywhere. Fueled by pure Jewish joy, novel Torah thoughts and homecooked meals, the wildly popular Shabbat dinners at Chabad draw an average of 60 students every week.

Over fresh-grilled kosher hotdogs and hamburgers, our board connects with hundreds of Jewish students at these highvisibility bi-annual music festivals.

>> Holidays & Lifecycle Whether Autumn Outdoors is on Rosh Hashana or Passover coincides with midterms, students can always celebrate with family: we seek out Jewish students, inviting them in and sending care packages out before the High Holidays, Sukkot, Chanukah, Purim and Passover.

>> Counseling At any time of day and often late at night, a student might stop by for a private chat. He or she may be struggling academically, confused in a relationship or simply in the mood to be heard. We are here to listen, advise and where necessary, refer students to professional help.

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>> Charity Drives

>> Giving Library

Students are encouraged to take active roles in charity campaigns. One popular drive is the Chanukah “CAN-orah” collection to benefit City Central Soup Kitchen. Chabad has also raised funds for Sharsheret, Operation Smile and Save a Child’s Heart among others.

Any Collge U student is invited to take—and keep—any book from our Giving Library corner. The catch? They need to finish reading one book before they take another one. We’ve given away quite a number of books this way.

>> Greek Letter Org Torah 70% of juniors and seniors join fraterneties and sororities and make them the fulcrum of their social and work lives. G.L.O.T. has a liaison at each club providing meaningful Jewish activities, allowing Jews to express their Judaism in real ways in the places where they feel most comfortable.

>> Dinner and Discussions One of our most popular series is a monthly dinner addressed by high-profile thinkers and leaders and limited to 20 undergraduate students. In this focused setting, students are engaged and challenged in vigorous discussion and can challenge in return.

The Unique Impact of G.L.O.T. Through student liaisons to our school’s 11 Greek Letter Organizations:

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public menorahs lit inside GLOs

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sukkahs erected on GLO properties

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Passover seders led by students, complete with catered kosher-forPassover dinners

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Dinner & Discussion A sampling of recent presenters

In 2014, we partnered with the Ostrowicz Lilienthal Foundation for Jewish Education to fund this program

Michael Kassen ‘76 President of AIPAC

Jonathan Medved Founder of OurCrowd

“One of the ten most influential Americans who have impacted Israel.”

—The New York Times

Anne-Marie Slaughter ‘80 Professor of Politics and International Affairs.

First female State Department Director of Policy Planning

Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz Translator of the complete Babylonian Talmud

“A once-in-a-millennium scholar.”

—TIME Magazine

Christopher Eisgruber 20th and current President of Princeton University

Harvey Rosen Dept. of Economics, President’s Council of Economic Advisers

Chris Christie Governor of New Jersey

Cornel West American philosopher, author, critic, actor, civil rights activist

Robert P. George McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence

“[America’s] most influential conservative Christian thinker.”

—New York Times Magazine

Rabbi Menachem Schmidt Founder of numerous Jewish organizations, recipient of the AviChai Jewish Genius Award

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A BRIDGE JEWISH LIVING

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Advanced study experiences for lifelong involvement Ongoing fellowships reach a more focused sector of College’s student body that is interested in exploring the depth of specific Jewish ideas.

Participants in these transformative programs have gone on to marry Jewish spouses and take active roles in their communities.

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>> Chabad Philanthropy Fellowship The Chabad Philanthropy Fellowship is a four-week project on adopting an entrepreneurial mindset in philanthropy. The fellowship combines text-based discussions, visiting speaker dinners with high-level philanthropists and a final reflection paper.

>> Sinai Scholars Society For students with limited Jewish experience, we offer an eight-week course that delves into the spiritual and societal significance of the Torah. Participants submit a paper on their experience, enjoy a day-trip to a Chassidic

Brooklyn neighborhood and can apply to present papers at the annual Sinai Scholars Symposium.

>> Chevruta!

Every Tuesday and Wednesday, Rabbinic interns from Brooklyn come to study Torah one-to-one with College students. The only rule is that topics must be text-based. We measure the impact of this individualized study by the number of students who come back each week and with an informal gettogether at the end of the semester where we ask students to share a favorite lesson that they have learned.

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Reflection on Spring Break in Jerusalem Fellowship

by Alexandra Lieberman ‘15 Prior to college, I had very little formal Jewish education. I have expanded upon my fragments of knowledge by learning with Elisheva, but I still would never have imagined myself studying at a yeshiva. Admittedly, I had many preconceived notions about what it would be like. I thought that it was a space only for advanced learning, where a person with little background like myself would feel utterly lost…

Altogether, we spent two full days at Mayanot, and within the first hour there, many of my erroneous assumptions were quickly dispelled…

First, all of the teachers I met seemed so committed and happy to be there, a crucial element to any study endeavor. Second, the varied curriculum allowed me to survey many topics even in a short period of time, all the while providing different perspectives. Most importantly, though, the classroom setting and culture at Mayanot encourages questioning and critical thinking. Even as a visitor, I felt comfortable asking difficult questions.

After our last day, I found myself considering returning if I was ever in Israel for an extended period of time, and for me, that alone signifies how valuable this learning experience was. I only hope that more College students are able to participate in this incredible opportunity in the future.

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Beyond Lay Leadership Preparing for the Rabbinate Over the years we have come to meet many students who, given the training, can become influential leaders from the pulpit or engage rabbinic authority from a position of deep knowledge. That is the idea that launched our Semicha Preparation Fellowship, consisting of complex halachic readings and analysis of Jewish legal frameworks.

Rabbi Chaim Schapiro of the Rabbinical College of America visits College weekly to lecture the program students and gauge their progress. Each student will receive recognition of their achievements by relevant experts in the fields of study.

We believe this program can provide a template for normalizing parallel levels of secular and Jewish knowledge in Princeton and as a broader model for other campuses.

4 hours 4 per week year 4 framework

undergraduate students are currently enrolled for

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>> OSKIM Society

>> Spring Break in Jerusalem

In 2008, Elisheva founded an organization specifically for undergraduate women at College. Popular events include a women’s only Shabbat dinner, group discussions on women’s issues and charity drives.

In 2009, we took one of the greatest trips ever: Four students and Rabbi Shliach traveled to Israel and spent 5 days immersed in Torah study, volunteer charity work and Purim festivities. In 2014, we took the trip again, this time with 8 student board members.

� Chabad Semicha Preparation Fellowship (cspf) Chabad has launched a program to provide interested students with the ability to contribute to their communities not only as lay leaders but as experts in Torah and Halacha.

To the best of our knowledge, ours is the first rabbinic ordination track ever offered on a secular campus.

>> Graduate Programming We have begun to reach out specifically to graduate students with such programs as a Sukkot happy hour, Grad Shabbat dinner and Grad Purim party. We see the graduate Jewish community as an essential direction for Chabad’s expansion.

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BEYOND THE GATE Alumni relationships After commencement, during a wedding or before a Bris Mila, the Chabad family continues to celebrate with and support one another far beyond Blackwater Gate.

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>> Alumni Relations As seniors graduate, move and marry, the relationships formed on campus become family ties that grow through life.

Our alumni involvement includes: >> Marriage preparation >> Wedding & birth celebrations >> Weekly Torah conference call >> Reunions Shabbat >> Chanukah parties in New York, DC and LA

The College Jewish Alumni Family

300

alumni stopped into Chabad over the course of Reunions Shabbat in 2014

Each alumnus or alumna receives a gift on the occasion of a wedding or birth

Our annual Chanukah party became the first fully kosher event at the College Club of New York Regular gatherings in DC, Boston and Los Angeles are a boost for alumni out in the world

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Photo Gallery

Photo Gallery | 17

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Milestones on the Journey Chabad House at College University Highlights

November 2002 Chabad at College University established in a two-bedroom apartment at 30 Lincoln Street. Five students accept our Shabbat dinner invitation that Friday night.

November 2004 Four students are elected to our first student board. Shabbat dinners attract an average of 20 students.

October 2005 Chabad purchases the 3,000 sq. ft. property at 321 College Avenue, naming it the Miller Family Chabad House.

February 2006

Sinai Scholars Society is established at College. 16 students join and complete the fellowship.

August 2007 Renovations are complete and the Miller Family Chabad House opens.

March 2009 The Sasha Baron Torah Project donates a Torah to Chabad August 2010 GLOT is established. An average 11 students now serve on a Chabad board each semester.

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September 2010

December 2013

Together with Hillel, a Rosh Hashana service is held at Autumn Outdoors.

History is made with our alumni Chanukah party, the first kosher event at the College Club of New York. The first annual alumni Chanukah party is held in DC.

September 2010 Our first Out on the Lawn BBQ is held. 1,000 students attend.

March 2014

October 2010

Over spring break, the Chabad student board flies to Israel to study in Mayanot Yeshiva and celebrate Purim.

Chevruta Study Program begins June 2014 January 2013 120 alumni, parents and friends celebrate Chabad’s 7th anniversary in New York City

300 alumni return to celebrate together over Reunions weekend.

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ONWARD& UPWARD Our vision at a glance

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Build On Our Past Successes

Ensure The Future

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By investing in Chabad, you have allowed us to bring the deep ethical conversations of Judaism to the campus.

Partner with us to craft a vision for the future.

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Reflections on the Future In past generations, a college degree was seen as a ticket to a well-paying job and a meaningful life. Today, young men and women have many more paths to follow and far less direction. In this age, every individual feels responsible for defining a path to success and paving a road to it.

Elisheva and I don’t have the answers to every question that life will throw at a College student. We don’t see ourselves as Judaism professionals per se. Rather we are two members of the Jewish people entrusted with the awesome honor and responsibility of bringing Jewish love, knowledge, practice and community to our brothers and sisters.

Thank you for allowing us to offer this service to thousands of Collegians in the past.

Thank you for partnering with us to continue leading the charge to a kind, knowledgeable, inherently G-dly world.

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princeton university

princeton university Miller Family Chabad House at College University 321 College Avenue • Collegetown, AZ 78965 • 987-654-3210

princeton university