New alternative spring break program supports loportunitiac for acts of tikkun olam Iter Thanks to a $15,000 grant from the Max M. and Felix Shoihat, MSU Hillel's community shaliach- Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation, a new alternative the Hebrew word for emissary—will lead the trip, spring break program will give Jewish students at helping to make connections between MSU Hillel's Michigan State University an opportunity to travel to 15 participants and Israel's Jezreel Valley College Israel and enhance the community through acts of students before, during, and after the program. tikkun olam, or community service. the personal connections between Israeli students Federation of Metropolitan Detroit's Israel and living in the region and MSU students," says Audrey Overseas Department, the Destination Israel: Bloomberg, MSU Hillel's director of Jewish student Alternative Spring Break in Israel program will life. "With the use of technology and social media, connect college students with Detroit's Partnership these connections will create a lasting impact on 2000 region in Israel's Central Galilee. both groups of students." Efforts by U.S. and Israeli students to tutor each Israel, perform community service, have a cultural other in English and Hebrew during break week will experience, and build community with their Israeli continue afterward via video chatting. peers," says Cindy Hughey, MSU Hillel executive director. institute , "The most beneficial part of this new program is Led by MSU Hillel with support from the Jewish "This will be an opportunity for students to go to • ta4is,aunil=t tr 44, MSU Hillel has led alternative break trips, which focus on volunteerism, for more than six years. The trip will provide students with an immersive Taglit Birthright Israel trips have been offered for experience in Israel, from creating connections 12 years. 0 with the sister community in the Central Galilee to exploring social justice issues. MSU Hillel was one of two of more than 500 Hillel foundations on college and university campuses to receive the Indispensible Campus Partner Award at the Hillel Professional Staff Conference in St. Louis, Missouri, in August. The award recognizes MSU Hillel for its outstanding strategic alliances with Michigan State University. MSU Hillel staff pictured from left are: Audrey Bloomberg, director of Jewish student life; Cindy Hughey, executive director; Robyn Berkowitz, director of engagement and campus initiatives; Dirk Roberts, program associate; and Felix Shoihat, community shaliach. Young playwrights' work comes to life at MSU Michigan high school students don't have to wait for their dreams of writing and producing plays to become a reality. The Wharton Center for the Performing Arts Young Playwrights Festival invites students to submit original one-act plays for a Partnership enhances study abroad in Jerusalem Michigan State University has partnered this year with Hebrew chance to be produced and performed by the MSU Department of Theatre. "The goal of the program is to incorporate the arts University to establish an MSU Semester Program in Jerusalem that into academics," says Kent Love, director of commu- will have a broader selection of course offerings in English than has nications for the Wharton Center. "Students see how been offered in the past. writing has a real-world application." The application deadline for the first version of the program, Now in its 16th year, the festival offers 12 semi- scheduled for spring 2012, is November 15. The program will include finalists the opportunity to work with mentors in the a core course, Making of the Israeli State, as well as a menu of professional theatre community to refine their courses in finance, journalism, psychology, public affairs, and scripts. A jury will select six finalists to work with a literature. Students will complete an Ulpan Hebrew course before director to see their written work performed by MSU the semester. Continued language study in Hebrew or Arabic, as theatre students. well as an internship in Jerusalem, will be optional. "Working with a mentor is a great opportunity and The goal of the MSU Semester Program in Jerusalem is to help make gives young people a chance to go behind the Israel a study abroad destination for MSU students in a wide range scenes and experience the process of bringing a of programs and also to attract non-Jewish as well as Jewish written work to life on the stage," says Love. "It's also students. a grooming process for students who want to pursue As one of eight universities named winners of a MASA award to expand study abroad in Israel, MSU a career in the arts." received funds to help plan and develop this new initiative. MASA, an organization of the Jewish Victoria Jackson, a 2010 finalist from East Grand Agency for Israel, works closely with the Israeli government and universities. Rapids, says her participation in the festival opened Kenneth Waltzer, director of MSU's Jewish Studies Program, accompanied a delegation of MSU faculty and staff to negotiate the new program at Hebrew University this past February. They toured her mind to new experiences. "The process is brilliant," she says. "I learned so much the recently completed student village where students will be housed and met with leading about the individuals involved and what goes into academic officials. playwriting." The new semester program is sponsored by six MSU colleges: College of Arts and Letters, Eli Broad This year's deadline for entries is November 18, and College of Business, College of Communication Arts and Sciences, College of Social Science, James semifinalists will be selected in January. The works of Madison College, and the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities. the six finalists will be performed for the public in For more information, contact Cindy Chalou, associate director of study abroad, at chalouc@msu.edu . May. Each finalist receives a $200 award and semifinalists each receive $100. For more information, visit whartoncenter.com/ypf.