NOVEMBER 19 • 2020 | 25
MSU Hillel adapts to
a very different fall
semester
As long as there are Jewish students—on
campus, on Zoom—there will be resources,
activities and fellowship to be found at the
Lester and Jewell Morris Hillel Jewish Student
Center in East Lansing.
It all looks a little different this year, but that is
a testament to the hard work and ingenuity of
the MSU Hillel staff, who spent their summer
reimagining everything, from study hours to
Shabbat dinners to the ever-popular Challah
for Hunger baking events.
For the remainder of the fall semester,
Shabbat-to-Go is serving up the Shabbat meal
and the tradition in a pandemic-friendly format.
Students have the option of stopping by Hillel
on Friday afternoons to pick up a fully
prepared boxed dinner, or preparing their own
Shabbat dinner at home for themselves and
their friends or roommates and being
reimbursed for the cost of preparing the meal,
up to $10 per person. Monthly Sunday
brunches are also being distributed to go.
Staff members are also trying to make a weekly
trip to the Detroit area for a physically
distanced in-person activity with Jewish
students who are studying from home. On one
such trip, they took Dairy Store ice cream to a
park in West Bloomfield for a meetup aimed at
freshmen.
Many formerly in-person activities have been
moved to Zoom—including baking for Challah
for Hunger—but students need not worry
about having the supplies they need in order
to get the full experience. For activities that
require ingredients or other materials, MSU
Hillel offers students the option to have a box
of everything they need shipped to their home,
or to come pick up a box at the center ahead of
the event.
And, like always, small group fellowship
activities and study hours are still taking place
inside MSU Hillel, just with a few added
precautions: attendees must sign in (for
contact tracing if the need arises) and have
their temperature checked at the door, and
masks are always required.
LEARN MORE on specific events and activities
being offered by MSU Hillel at msuhillel.org.
Rabbi Jenna joins MSU Hillel
This August, MSU Hillel officially welcomed
Jenna Stein Turow as the new full-time Rabbi
and Senior Jewish Educator.
Fresh out of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic
Studies in Los Angeles, CA, Rabbi Jenna—
who also holds dual bachelor’s degrees in
English and secondary education from the
University of Maryland—has previous
experience as a high school teacher and a
lifetime of experience attending and
working at Jewish summer camps.
She also brings a passion for pop culture,
experiential education and seeking
authenticity from within and without,
through creative expression and Jewish
spiritual exploration.
“I am excited to be working at Hillel because
it is home to the future of the Jewish
community,” Rabbi Jenna says. “Hillel makes
space for young Jews to build community,
and to connect to their Judaism in ways that
are most meaningful to them as they
discover and decide what values and ideas
will shape their future—and how those
values and ideas are present and related to
the lives they are already living.
“Being a rabbi to these students provides the
unique opportunity to help them on this
journey and to provide resources, insight,
guidance and a listening ear as they become
Jewish adults committed to lifelong Jewish
community.
“My rabbinic presence does feel particularly
crucial in these times as students try to have
the true ‘college experience’ during a
pandemic, as I am able to provide support
and an escape from life’s stresses. This is
particularly true for me in my role as Senior
Jewish Educator as I create learning
opportunities that are fun, exciting and feel
completely different from formal classwork.”
MSU students participate in a Zoom check-in via MSU Hillel.
Rabbi Jenna Stein Turow is a new face at
MSU this fall.
“Hillel has felt like such a safe space and has definitely given me a sense of
normalcy in the difficult times. I feel comfortable studying and going to the
building for an event, since everyone is strictly following protocol while
making me feel extremely welcome all at the same time.”
—JULES LEVY, ’21, President, MSU Jewish Student Union