Hillel of Broward and Palm Beach, a Jewish student organization, will now have an office in Room 109 of The Commons Residence Hall starting this fall.
Sophomore biology major Meredith Wogalter, an intern at Hillel of Broward and Palm Beach and soon-to-be president of NSU’s Hillel student organization, said the center, called the Jewish Student Life Center, will be a space for students to meet and hang out.
“[Hillel at NSU] is really looking to enhance the knowledge of Jewish life on campus and to have a place where people feel comfortable to feel proud of their religion or to learn about their religion if they don’t know much about it, and really to show people that Jewish people stand strong together and we’re all kind of a family,” Wogalter said.
Samantha Liebhaber, engagement associate at Hillel of Broward and Palm Beach, said that with the new Hillel center, the organization can now host programs, Shabbat dinners, lunches and more in its own space. The space is not only for students who are a member of the organization but also for all Jewish students.
Liebhaber said she’s excited for the new center, and she believes it’s going to create a vibrant Jewish community on campus.
“It’s really exciting because most college campuses in the United States and Canada have a Hillel base on their campus or near campus for the local Jewish students to have a place to go,” Liebhaber said. “We provide a Jewish home away from home for students while they’re at college.”
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hillel of Broward and Palm Beach Ilene Wohlgemuth said that the Hillel Center will be helpful in building engagement and involvement among NSU students. Hillel used to have to reserve other spaces on campus for programs and events or meet at different locations on campus.
“Having a space gives us the opportunity to be in a place [the students] know they can always go, gives us a place where we can plan activities, keep supplies, have students hang out and know that they have their own place where they can go and meet other people,” Wohlgemuth said.
Wohlgemuth said the center will also include offices for Hillel staff who will be there on a regular basis. These include Liebhaber, Hillel’s director of development for Broward County, campus rabbi and Israel fellow.
Hillel’s goal is to make sure that students have a Jewish experience while they’re at college. The organization provides students with opportunities such as internships, jobs and volunteer opportunities. It also sponsors trips and birthright trips to Israel, which Liebhaber said NSU students have participated in in past years.
“Before, we had to plan programs for students in order for students to see each other and have Jewish experiences,” Liebhaber said. “But now, they’ll be able to sit down, chat with each other, do their homework, maybe have lunch and just hang out, and I think that’s really important to building relationships and building a community.”
Wogalter said that as of right now, Hillel plans to host Shabbat dinners on Friday but other programs have not been set as they want programs to be molded to what the students want. Hillel’s upcoming programs are also welcome to non-Jewish students.
“We’re open to anyone, any group of people or religious background … we just want to hear your story, we want to learn about you and we want to get to know you,” Wogalter said.
For more information about Hillel, visit hillelcenter.org or email Liebhaber at sam@hillelcenter.org.
