AIPAC's Annual Community Event

JUST DAYS BEFORE THE VOTE...
AN INSIDE PERSPECTIVE ON THE 1996
ELECTIONS

with

Thilling' In At MSU

MSU's Hillel takes on a new director
and a fresh direction.

SENATOR RON WYDEN

Of Oregon

JENNIFER FINER STAFF WRITER

F

out for him. The MSU Hillel,
which has been without a per-
manent executive director for the
last year and a half, has experi-
enced more than its share of prob-
lems. Those involved with the
organization say programming is
not as strong as it should be, stu-
dent involvement could be high-
er, and the present Hillel house is
in need of renovations or replace-
ment.
`The challenges we face won't
be met this year," Rabbi Cohen
said. "It's a three-to-five year
process, and changes will come in
increments."
Before any serious building
plans can be made, Rabbi Cohen
and the Hillel board hope to con-
tinue implementing quality Jew-
ish programming.
"We need to establish strong
programs first, and then, in the
process, we will learn what we
want [in terms of a physical struc-
ture]," said Dr. William Rosen-
thal, president of the Hillel board

Thursday, October 24, 1996
6:00 p.m. • Cocktails & Hors D'oeuves
Temple Beth El

Minimum AIPAC membership $100
For more information call (312) 685 5595

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16 14,

and an MSU professor.
Rabbi Cohen's office, situated
in a small room on Hillel's second
floor, is decorated with stacks of
papers, books and pamphlets.
One of his functions, said Rab-
bi Cohen, is to empower the stu-
dents to get involved in Jewish
activities and give them a sense
of obligation to participate in the
community.
"You can't make them all lead-
ers, but you can touch each of
them Jewishly," he said.
Upon his East Lansing arrival,
the rabbi began busying himself
by getting acquainted with MSU
students and faculty and arrang-
ing fall programming, typically
the busiest time in any school-year
calendar. He also began working
with Saul Korin, a recent gradu-
ate of George Washington Uni-
versity who was recently hired to
circulate around campus and en-
gage as many students as possi-
ble in Jewish activities.
While focusing on the short

PHOTO BY DANIEL LIPPITT

SenatorWyden, the first Jewish Member of
Congress from Oregon won his seat in January
in the nation's first state-wide mail-in election.
The Almanac of American Politics calls him
one of the Democratic party's "most creative
legislators."

or the last few months, Rab-
bi Philip Cohen has been in
a lunch-buying mode. It's
the rabbi's way of learning
about the people he will be work-
ing with now that he is the exec-
utive director of the Hillel Jewish
Student Center at Michigan State
University.
Rabbi Cohen took the helm of
the East Lansing organization
three months ago. So far, the re-
sponse to the new director has
been positive.
"He is a good administrative
leader and an activist who has his
goals clearly mapped out," said
Jason Miller, a junior at MSU and
co-chair of the Council of Jewish
Student Organizations and of the
Jewish Student Union. "He re-
lates well to the students on sev-
eral levels. You can talk to him as
a rabbi, you can talk to him as a
professor, or you can talk to him
as a friend."
Still, Rabbi Cohen will be the
first to admit he has his work cut

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New hires: Rabbi Philip Cohen and Saul Korin.

