52 | FEBRUARY 20 • 2020 

for college students 
by college students

Grand Valley State 
University senior Zack 
Kirschner of Farmington 
Hills participated in BBYO 
alongside Gelsey. He also feels 
that experience pushed him to 
join Greek life.
“I don’
t think I would be 
where I am now without 
BBYO,
” Kirshner said. 
“The ability to be a part 
of something bigger than 
yourself is such a good 
experience, and I wanted to 
have something like that in 
college.
”
Kirschner is a brother in 
Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi), a 
Jewish fraternity. GVSU has 
350 Jewish students. 
“Being part of AEPi is 
probably one of the most 
meaningful things in my life,
” 
he said. “I’
m able to combine 
two things that mean a lot to 
me.
”
Kirschner says being part of 
a Jewish fraternity is special. 
The AEPi recruitment process 
seeks men who embody 
the same values and beliefs 
as the brothers do. He says 
this results in being able 
to surround yourself with 
quality individuals and create 
meaningful relationships.
Michigan State University 
junior Daniel Wolfe of Buffalo 
Grove, Illinois, is a brother 
in his school’
s chapter of 
AEPi as well. Wolfe said he 
wanted to make the most 
out of his college experience 
and was convinced to rush 
by a roommate. When he 
discovered AEPi, he said he 
felt a connection with the 
other brothers.
“If I hadn’
t found AEPi and 
it wasn’
t the Jewish fraternity, 
I don’
t think I would have 

joined a house,
” Wolfe said. “I 
cannot say how amazing this 
experience has been for me.
”
As an active member of 
MSU’
s Jewish community of 
3,500 Jewish students, Wolfe 
attends Shabbat dinners and 
other events at the school’
s 
Hillel, which he says has been 
awesome in helping him build 
friendships with others who 
share his Jewish values.
Wolfe also serves on the 
executive board of the MSU 
Jewish Business Association 
sponsored by Hillel.
During his sophomore 
year, Wolfe served as his 
chapter president and left that 
position craving even more 
involvement in the Greek life 
community. For him, the next 
logical step was to apply for a 
position at IFC.
All three men agree that 
being Jewish and being 
involved in IFC is a special 
experience.
“I think it speaks volumes 
to the values of Jewish 
leadership and the values we 
are all brought up with in the 
Jewish community,
” Wolfe 
said. 
While Kirschner and Gelsey 
grew up together, they applied 
for their respective IFC 
presidencies independently.
“I was talking to Zack on 
the phone one day and told 
him I’
m IFC president and he 
said, ‘
Me, too!’
” Gelsey said. 
“It’
s awesome there are so 
many Jewish people involved 
in IFC.
”
All three men said they 
hope to continue making a 
difference in both their Jewish 
and Greek life communities 
through their roles as IFC 
presidents. @

continued from page 50
Jewish a 
t OU

An outreach call started a 
journey of Hillel leadership.

W

hen I came 
to Oakland 
University as a 
freshman in fall of 2017, I 
had no idea what to expect 
from Jewish life at school. 
I was interested in Hillel, 
but because OU was a part 
of Hillel of Metro Detroit 
(HMD), I thought most of 
the programming would be 
in Detroit. 

In my sophomore year, I 
connected with Jewish life 
on OU’
s campus. Early in 
the semester, I received a 
Facebook message from a 
girl I did not know, saying 
she was a student intern 
with Hillel and would love 
to meet me for coffee. After 
that first meeting, I slowly 
found myself getting more 
involved. 
We restarted OU’
s 
Students for Israel (SFI) 
organization and, before 
I knew it, I was on 
the executive board as 
treasurer. This position 
led me to attend the 2019 
AIPAC policy conference 
in Washington, D.C., where 
I made fast friends with 
students involved at the 
other HMD campuses. It 
was also where I developed 
a passion for Israel 
advocacy (and met my 
boyfriend!).
This month, I performed 
as a nun in Oakland 
University’
s School of 
Music, Theatre and Dance’
s 
opera Dialogues of the 
Carmelites by Francis 

Poulenc. The opera is 
a moving tale of the 
martyrdom of the Carmelite 
nuns during the French 
Revolution. As a Jewish 
person, playing a nun 
helped open my eyes to 
different religions and life 
perspectives. 
As I approach the end of 
my junior year, I look to 
reflect on how far I have 
come as a Jewish student 
at Oakland University. Not 
only have I become a leader 
within SFI at OU, but also 
a leader within HMD — I 
now am Applebaum Family 
Engagement Intern, much 
like the intern who helped 
me begin my own journey 
within Hillel. @

Ilyssa Brunhild lives on campus at 

Oakland University in Auburn Hills. 

She is studying music education.

Ilyssa Brunhild } jewish@edu writer

Ilyssa 
Brunhild