Your Representative on the front lines of the Jewish Future
Dear beloved fellow members of Harvard’s Jewish community,
I hope my message finds you, and those you love, well.
All this week, you’ve heard stories of our students’ world-expanding travel, their transformative experiences as student leaders, and the sheer joy of Jewish life and community at Hillel. And you’ve gotten a window into how Hillel builds a home, protects our students, and advocates effectively throughout Harvard – in countless ways, many of which will never make headlines, but each of which makes a real difference.
Reflecting on the sum of all this, I find myself again and again returning to one of the Talmud’s most beloved dicta, “A person’s representative is considered as the person herself” (shlucho shel adam k’moto). In legal terms, it means that when someone appoints someone for a task (including a crime) – it is as if you yourself performed it. It is also the principle by which a community can appoint an individual to represent it before G!?d in prayer: entrusting their prayers and needs to the piety and empathy of a single individual.
We, the staff of Harvard Hillel, are your representatives at Harvard, on the front lines of the Jewish future. We see ourselves as representing each of you, and all of you, in every action and in every interaction: counseling a Jewish student through a major life decision; helping student leaders plan welcome week for the class of 2029; negotiating with Harvard administrators about problematic material in a course or access to kosher food; teaching the beauty of Jewish tradition to Jewish students and curious non-Jews alike; diligently caring for the most central and prominent Jewish space on Harvard’s campus; and on and on.
For every facet of Jewish life that you care about: someone from Harvard Hillel is working on it, today, with dedication and skill.
Because of this, there is no more effective or efficient way to support today’s Jewish students, and the Jewish life of Harvard, than by supporting Harvard Hillel. Every dollar we raise materially expands the possibilities of Jewish life, thereby enriching the Jewish future. Your support right now can make each of the following possible:
- A full week of senior week events
- A fall retreat for first-year students
- Antisemitism trainings for Harvard staff and administrators, and targeted follow-up
- Life-shaping travel to Israel for students, Jewish and non-Jewish alike, who have never been there
Your support – financial and interpersonal – is the truest expression of the trust that this community places in our staff and our work at Harvard Hillel. Over the past years, so much trust has been lost and broken – and I hope that through it all, you know that we here at Hillel are faithfully representing you as we care for each and every Jewish student, and represent Judaism in every facet of the university. Thank you for placing that trust in us – we carry it with gratitude, and awe.
Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Jason Rubenstein
Executive Director