Hillel Throws a Party

By: Chelsea Weiss

Posted: 4/11/05

The Hillel Block Party 2005, held Sunday, featured a bungee run, a Velcro wall, sno-cones, the UConn a capella group A-Minor and religious funk band Beyond Eden.

With songs from the Beastie Boys and others playing in the background, students and families gathered on the lawn of the Hillel House to "get the spring started right."

The event nearly spilled into the street as large inflatable obstacle courses jostled with students inside.

"We want to promote awareness of Jewish student life and do something fun for the campus community," said David Fain, a 6th-semester HDFS major and the Student Board president of Hillel.

A petition was available for students to sign in an effort to change UConn's policies for going abroad to Israel, according to Danielle Selber, a 4th-semester English major and the Grinspoon intern for Israel advocacy. The university isn't sending students to Israel because of a State Department ban due to the situation in the Middle East causing students to withdraw from UConn and reapply when they return. Students just hope the university will take the credits if they do go, Selber said.

"Last semester we didn't have an Israel group at all so we started one this year," Selber said.

The group plans to send the petition to University President Philip Austin "to show we all care about this issue, not just Jewish students. It's just setting a terrifying precedent," she said.

"The event isn't in the building where people might be scared to go. It gives people a chance to see Hillel in a comfortable setting," said Brian Phair, a 4th-semester communications major and the Israeli Programs vice president.

The block party also invited members of Israel at Heart, a non-profit organization that brings college age students to America to share their experiences living in Israel.

"The focus is on people who don't know about Israel," said Daniel Farber, an Israel at Heart member, "But the real focus is to spread the love."

"We want to let people to know about our lives because it totally similar to your lives, except for suicide bombers," said Israel at Heart member Yael Burtur, who lives in Tel Aviv.

Brandon Berke, a 9th-semester materials engineering major, crafted a new form of advertising for this year's block party. He wrote information about the event all over his minivan and drove it around campus at 15 m.p.h. Berke stopped at every dorm and honked the horn to advertise.

The a capella group A-Minor serenaded the Hillel House audience before Beyond Eden took the stage. They sang "Under the Sea" from the "Little Mermaid," Lifehouse's "Hanging by a Moment" and a Hebrew song dedicated to Pam Newman, the executive director of Hillel.

Beyond Eden came from Toronto to play for the event and said it was actually the first time they had ever played in a synagogue. The group began by playing The Who's "Baba O'Riley," sang in Hebrew, beatboxed and rapped in religiously toned lyrics. They also "brought love from the radio" and sang "Where is the Love" by the Black Eyed Peas.

The Hillel House is planning more events for the fall, including their annual Welcome Back barbecue held on the first Sunday after students return to campus. They will have a social within the first month of the next school year as well as a mock wedding.