With the Internet, students can plan parties on Facebook, sell refrigerators on Craigslist and order bagels and cream cheese for delivery from campusfood.com.
Now Northwestern’s Fiedler Hillel Center is hoping to tap into technology to bring Jewish cultural and religious activity online with funding from a new grant.
The Jewish cultural organization received the nationally awarded Covenant Foundation Grant in December, winning $150,000 in funding over three years to develop an online community for NU’s Hillel.
The Covenant Foundation gives grants to support innovative programs in Jewish schools, agencies, community organizations and other institutional settings. The funding is awarded to help enable creative Jewish educators find new approaches to their work.
NU was one of 10 universities awarded the foundation’s signature grants this year. The Newberger Hillel at the University of Chicago was also a recipient.
“It’s a very prestigious honor to be recognized,” said Adam SiMonday, executive director of Hillel. “It’s given to the most creative, innovative initiatives in the Jewish world.”
The funding will be used to create an online portal for NU’s Hillel, forming an online community. Though concrete plans for the funding have not been finalized, as Hillel plans to hire a director of digital Jewish engagement to head the project.
For the most part, however, the effort will be student-driven, with students creating the content and providing feedback about the effectiveness of the programs, Simon said.
“Ultimately, Hillel is about students, so students will be involved to ensure the grant is used successfully and results in something that can be applied and used,” said SESP sophomore Scott Topal, vice president of external affairs for Hillel.
The online program would offer a different outlet for Hillel to reach out to students and inspire them to engage in cultural programs, helping to increase participation and allowing students to relate within the Jewish community.
“In our generation, the Internet’s a primary mode of communication, often supplanting face-to-face communication,” Communication sophomore Benjamin Singer said. “This is a powerful way to reach the youth, which is Hillel’s mission.”
Weinberg freshman Laura Oser said she thought it would be easier for students to access information online.
“If there’s an online program it would be easier for people who would not take initiative on themselves to go to Hillel,” Oser said. “It would be a much easier way to access information about Hillel’s programs.”
David Linder, a Weinberg freshman, also said he thought an online program would be an effective way of advertising.
“Everyone can check the Internet
