Eastern Michigan University is home to many clubs that focus on bringing cultural traditions to campus. Hillel at EMU focuses on Jewish student life.
Those who participate in Hillel activities are able to experience traditional Jewish holidays including Hanukkah, Passover, and Rosh Hashanah.
“The overall goal of Hillel is to bring students together through Jewish experiences. In Hillel, we try to provide education about Judaism and various topics that connect to it,” Hillel at EMU president Alyssa Diskin said.
Hillel at EMU benefits more than just Jewish students; all students who get involved in Hillel are able to build friendships while learning about another culture. Hillel at EMU hosts many different activities, and most of them involve eating as a way to bring the local community together.
“Everyone is welcome in Hillel, you do not have to be Jewish to join! We love teaching others about what Judaism is and some of its customs!” Diskin said.
Hillel has clubs at many different colleges and universities. This Hillel chapter is open to students who attend either EMU or Washtenaw Community College.
“We meet every week to every other week for different events such as Shabbat dinners (A dinner on Friday night that celebrates the end of the week and the day of rest beginning), flower planting, visits to the farm, bowling, and many others,” Diskin said.
For Jewish EMU students who are involved with Hillel, there is even an opportunity to travel on Birthright Israel. Birthright is a sponsored trip for young Jewish adults aged 18-26 to explore a few cities in Israel for around 10 days before heading back to the United States.
To find out more about what's happening within the organization, visit the Hillel Instagram page here.
