My name is Sari Eisen, a Campus Tour Guide and President of Northwestern Hillel. I am a junior from West Hartford, Connecticut studying Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences and Data Science. Outside of classes, Hillel, and walking backwards as a Tour Guide, I am a Senior Tutor for math and an avid explorer of Chicago’s best coffee shops. As someone who grew up an active member of my local Jewish community, stepping foot into Hillel made me feel right back at home and has been the most transformative part of my Northwestern experience. Hillel’s emphasis on student leadership while welcoming students of all backgrounds and experiences creates an incredibly supportive and inclusive community.

 

The Transition to Jewish College Life

College is an entirely different chapter of our lives than high school, and is likely the biggest transition a young adult has ever experienced. Being a part of a supportive community that brings us a bit of home is key to easing this transition, and is what Hillel does best. Right before Wildcat Welcome, Hillel offers a day-long program called Schmooze, where incoming students are broken into groups and paired with upperclassmen to get acquainted with Hillel, Northwestern, and the Evanston area. Schmooze activities from the past have included a campus tour, meeting the university president, and a bonfire with Kosher s’mores! In addition to Schmooze, there is plenty of programming right at the beginning of the year to help students transition into (or back into) college life. Shabbat services and dinner were the highlight of this for me, as I knew that every Friday I could come to a place where there would be good food, friendly faces, and a welcoming environment, even if I didn’t know anyone else going.

 

Student Leadership

Hillel is not only a place for students to connect with peers and help themselves to the building’s coffee machines (a great perk!) – it also provides countless opportunities for students to develop leadership skills throughout different aspects of Northwestern’s Jewish community. Hillel is incredibly student-led: everything from Shabbat services to drop-in coffee hours to speaker events are led by students with support from the nine full-time staff members. If a student has an idea for a program, Hillel has resources available to get that program off the ground. Hillel’s Student Executive Board – made up of eight co-chair positions in addition to the President and Vice President – is the main student leadership body, but there are countless committees and fellowships available for students to engage with their Jewish identities while enhancing their teamwork, creativity, and leadership as a whole. One of my favorite Hillel leadership opportunities – and the one that got me started in the leadership pipeline to begin with – is Hillel’s Speaker Committee. This is a committee run by the Student Exec Board’s Programming Co-chairs where students volunteer to plan and run Hillel’s annual speaker event, bringing in a Jewish celebrity to speak to students. When I first joined the committee during my freshman year, we brought in Monica Lewinsky, and I was able to lead the Q&A between her and students. This was a unique and incredible experience, and I am thankful for Hillel’s student leadership structures for helping me get involved.

 

Community Engagement and Choose-Your-Own-Adventure

My favorite part of Hillel is its ability to support students in connecting their Jewish identities with other interests and hobbies, and finding a community in which to do so. There are opportunities for learning, traveling, and community engagement nearly every week throughout the year. For example, last year a student who is an avid runner decided she wanted to bring that passion to Hillel. Only a few weeks later, she became the founder of Hillel Running Club, a group open to all students that meets once a week to run around campus and around Evanston before reconvening at Hillel for post-run snacks. Each week’s run is filled with a mix of students who frequent the Hillel building and those who are engaged more in other activities around campus, creating a great space for students to bond with one another over a shared love for running. There is no right way to be involved in Hillel: whether you attend Shabbat dinner each week, stop in once a month for a bagel brunch, or make Hillel one of your regular study spots, any student is always welcome and invited to explore what it means to be Jewish at Northwestern. 

 

Follow Northwestern Hillel on Instagram @northwesternhillel or email us at hillel@u.northwestern.edu for more information!

Sari Eisen President of Northwestern Hillel West Hartford, CT Third Year WCAS: Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences and Data Science