points of view _31 • Springboard to Success Commentary A JVS Women to Work and David B. Hermelin ORT Resource Center Program 400 004rommoi Millennials Show A Rise In Jewish Attachments A 12-week course for women that combines Washington/JTA T job search assistance he older generation always thinks of the younger generation as los- ing its traditional values, wondering "Why can't they be just like us?" But in a time of expanding globalism, open social networking and greater geographical disbursement, a surpris- ing finding of a recent poll we conducted shows that Jewish conscious- ness among millennials - young adults in college and graduate school - is rising, not falling. As perhaps part of a global trend toward religion in general, we believe the survey indicates that the next generation of Jews may be increasingly into being Jewish and following Jewish traditions. According to a new survey of 600 U.S. Jewish undergradu- ates and graduate students con- ducted by Penn Schoen & Berland Associates, nearly half of all Jewish college students partici- pate in Hillel events - a 36 per- cent increase from the last time Penn Schoen & Berland did this poll in 2005. More than half of students said they would partici- pate in a Hillel event in the next month - up from only 36 percent seven years ago. And nearly 75 percent of students said they viewed Hillel and "Hillel people" favorably, an increase of more than 20 percent since 2005. The next most important Jewish institution on campus was Chabad, which is also growing in popularity with college students. The rise in Jewish activism also is tied to strong support for Israel. Fully 78 percent of Jewish students today say that support for Israel is important to them - virtually the same percentage that says social justice (and having a sense of responsibility for the Jewish people) is important. The success of Hillel is based on a six-year effort that started with the sophisticated deploy- ment of early social networking techniques. The idea was simple - to use snowballing student with Microsoft Office computer training Mon / Tues / Wed 9 a.m. — 12 p.m. .......... Beginning October 15 ........... FREE COURSE Jewish Community Center West Bloomfield ....................... • • • For more information, contact Judy Richmond at 248-233-4232 / jrichmond@jvsdet.org JVS www.jvsdet.org DAVID B. HERMELIN JEWISH WOMEN'S FOUNDATION RESOURCE CENTER Offering Microsoft Office and f. fal • t I t the David B. Herrnelin ORT source Center Intro to Computers Accounting Concepts 2 days (4 hours) Sept. 12 & 13 $79 2 days (6 hours) Oct. 16 & 18 $99 MS Word Beginner QuickBooks I 2 days (4 hours) Sept. 19 & 20 6 days (18 hours) Tues. & Thurs. Oct. 23 - Nov. 8 $79 $149* MS Excel Beginner 2 days (4 hours) Oct. 3 & 4 QuickBooks II 6 days (18 hours) Tues. & Thurs. Nov. 13 - Dec. 4 $79 MS Word Advanced 2 days (4 hours) Oct. 10 & 11 $79 $149* *Plus $59.95 for Materials & Student Guide DAVID B. HERMELIN A division of MS Excel Advanced 2 days (4 hours) Dec. 11 & 13 $79 RESOURCE CENTER Online courses also available on our websitel Call now to register: 249-432-5411 6600 West Maple Road I West Bloomfield, MI 48322 www.hermelinort.org I www.jvsdet.org 26 September 6 2012 iN • 777040 connections as the path to bring- ing in more students. Hillel took this insight from virtual to real - training and employing nearly 1,000 Jewish students to engage 35,000 uninvolved Jewish peers on 70 campuses across the globe. It turns out that peers not only can reach stu- dents in ways that insti- tutions can't, but they also can do it creatively and with lasting effect. Second, Hillel hypoth- esized that in addition to going broader, it also could go deeper. On 10 pilot campuses, it placed Jewish educa- tors and rabbis trained to engage students in study and conversation, encourag- ing them to ask the big questions that make college such a potent place for development and growth. As students progress in their education, they are more likely to participate in Jewish events on campuses; such participation reaches its zenith among graduate students. This increase in interest is across Reform, Conservative and Orthodox students as well as those self-defined as "just Jewish." The greater success of Jewish- based organizations on campus is no doubt the result of innovative work by those organizations, but it also signals some real changes going on underneath. Social net- working makes it easier for groups to come together and find their commonality; threats to Israel and the potential growth of nuclear weapons in the region give urgen- cy to that connection. Birthright Israel is also giving many an up- close and personal experience. So just when we all thought young people were most likely to blend in even further and abandon purely Jewish institutions, we are seeing them reassert their Jewish identity, their support for Israel and, perhaps most important, seek out connections with one another to feel part of a larger community they can call their own. Wayne Firestone is president and CEO, of Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life.