Prospective Students
Welcome to Ithaca College Hillel!
Are you interested in coming to Ithaca College next fall? Are you coming to visit or take a tour of campus? Do you want to see what Ithaca College Hillel is like and meet our students ? Come meet Hillel's executive board or our Hillel Director Michael Faber at Muller Chapel! Feel free to get in contact with anyone from the e-board or Michael Faber before you come to campus and we can set up a meeting. We would love to talk about what our Hillel program has to offer or any other topic related to Ithaca College or its Jewish community. If you come to Ithaca on a Friday, join us for Shabbat services and dinner! Shabbat services begin at 6pm every week in Muller Chapel. A delicious Shabbat meal is served at 7pm on the balcony of the Terrace dining hall. If you would like to talk to our Jewish Chaplain and Hillel director for more information, please contact Michael Faber at faber@ithaca.edu. The executive board's contact information is located on the About Us page. We look forward to meeting you!
FAQ's:
How many Jewish students are there on campus?
A:About 10 percent of the students at Ithaca are Jewish. That means there are close to 600 Jewish students on campus!
Is there kosher dining on campus?
A: Yes there is kosher dining on campus! The Terrace Dining Hall provides a kosher kitchen where students can find delicious kosher foods for each meal of the day. There is no special meal plan for kosher dining. As long as you have signed up for a meal plan, you will be able to eat at the kosher kitchen station of the Terrace Dining Hall. Special meals are provided for Shabbat and all of the chagim (holidays) including Passover!
How do Shabbat and holiday services work?
A: Students come to Muller Chapel every Friday night at 6pm for Shabbat services. We offer Reform and Conservative style services according to student interest. As a pluralistic organization, Hillel supports students in creating and leading services of any style. Please contact Michael Faber (faber@ithaca.edu) with your input and ideas regarding services. Students usually lead the services but the chaplain also leads from time to time. There are no Shabbat services on campus Saturday morning. Saturday morning and holiday services are held at Temple Beth El (Conservative) downtown, or at Cornell, where Orthodox services are held at the Center for Jewish Living. Cornell Chabad also holds Saturday morning services. Congregation Tikkun v'Or has 1-2 Saturday morning services per month. Check the websites listed on the links page to find out more about any of these Jewish communities. The Jewish Chaplain, with the help of students on campus, provide services for the High Holidays in the fall and Seders for Passover in the spring.
What types of programs does Hillel organize?
A: We plan a variety of cultural,educational, and social programs every semester. We try to keep all types of student interests in mind. At the beginning of the fall semester, we have a big kosher BBQ to welcome back students from their summer vacation. Our events can range from a night of arts and crafts to taking a cruise on Cayuga Lake . Some of our staple programs that we have organized in the past are a Hanukah party, vegetarian Chinese food dinners, pro-Israel speakers, interfaith events and a semi-formal for Pesach. We are always looking for fresh ideas for programs and Hillel welcomes student input and involvement for both existing programs and new programs. Feel free to get in touch with anyone from the student executive board if you have an idea for a future program. Please look at our news and events page for more information on current and up-coming events!
Do we have a freshman group on campus?
A: We do have a Hillel group solely devoted to programming for freshman students. We call it our First Year Students of Hillel (FYSH) program. A few upper classman chairs get together and plan a few programs each semester for first year students. Successful past events include bowling, gorge hiking and apple picking. We are currently working on a summer Shabbaton for students right before classes start in August. Stay tuned for more information!
How can I get involved?
A: Come to the summer welcome back BBQ that Hillel hosts at the beginning of the fall semester. Sign up for a group like FYSH or the general board and put your name on the email listserve. List serve emails will remind you of dates for programs and general board meetings. All you have to do is show up! Come to a general board meeting and help us plan an event or you can even just come to an event. Come chat with Hillel students at Shabbat services or at other Holiday events. If there is a program you would like to see happen on campus and it hasn't been planned, get in contact with Michael Faber or an executive board member and talk to us about it! We want to put on programs that interest you. Better yet, we want you to help us program these events! We would love your input and support so get in contact with us today!
What do I need to do to become a member of Ithaca College Hillel?
A: Once you are a Jewish student at Ithaca College, you are already a member of Hillel! However, if you'd like to be in the know, you'll have to fill out a membership card so we have your contact information and can put you on our list for weekly e-mails and occasional mailings. We also encourage students to consider making an $18 donation to be a Hillel affiliate for the year. Your contribution will help to run more programs and give you a greater stake in this community. You’ll also get a few discounts and chotchkes!
To sign up: look for the Hillel table at Ithaca Today & Orientation. Give us your name and address and we'll send you our summer newsletter with an invitation to contribute and get more involved. Come to our Welcome Back BBQ or any Monday evening meeting or program in the fall, or to our table at the Information Fair. You can also stop by Director/Jewish Chaplain Michael Faber's office in Muller Chapel any time.
Becoming a Hillel affiliate means more then getting free pizza every once in a while. It's a way to support Jewish community and events on Ithaca's campus, both through Hillel and its clubs and through other Jewish student organizations. We have tons of social events, educational programs, religious services and activities every semester. If you wish there was something more happening, bring your ideas to a G-board (general board) meeting. Come check us out and get involved!
Possible Summer Program- Freshman Shabbaton:
Would you be interested in meeting Jewish students this summer before school starts? Would you be interested in coming to campus early and spending the Shabbat before classes with Hillel? If you are interested in a Pre-College Shabbaton, please send an email to hillel@ithaca.edu.
More Information:
If you would like more information about Hillel, Jewish life on campus, or really just anything related to Ithaca College, feel free to get in contact with any member of the Hillel executive board or the Hillel Director Michael Faber. Our email addresses and bios are located on the About Us page. We would love to talk to you and answer your questions!