 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

