Agency: Brody Jewish Center, Hillel at University of Virginia

 

Project: 150 Community Machzors-- Funding Need: $4,650

 

Project: Stock the Snack Pantry -- Funding Need: $4,500

 

What it’s all about:

150 Community Machzors

With an estimated 1,000 Jewish undergraduate students at the University of Virginia, there are 1,000 different ways students express and celebrate Jewish traditions - and the High Holidays are no exception. Traditionally to accommodate this, the Brody Jewish Center has offered separate Conservative and Reform services for students during both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. And while it was nice to offer options to students, the split services were neither equally attended or cost effective. Students appreciated the ability to attend conservative services, but missed the opportunity to connect as a full Jewish community with their peers and with Hillel’s Rabbi Jake Rubin, who traditionally leads Reform services. In years past, Hillel has hired in Conservative rabbis to lead conservative services, and though these rabbis are talented, they don’t have the same ability to draw on the distinct campus climate at UVA or give context to students through their personal experiences on Grounds.

 

To address this tension while remaining committed to maintaining an inclusive and pluralistic community, The Brody Jewish Center looks to provide an all-encompassing full community service for the High Holidays for the school year 2020-2021.

 

To make this full service possible, Hillel at UVA seeks $4,650 for 150 new Machzors (Machzor Eit Ratzon) that would allow Rabbi Jake Rubin to combine elements from Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist services in ways that fulfill the varied needs of Jewish students at UVA. Machzor Eit Ratzon is not affiliated with any movement, and includes elements from a variety of traditions including full, traditional prayers as well as transliteration, alternative readings, and commentary on prayers.

 

This new, hybrid form of services during the High Holidays will provide hundreds of students with the opportunity to not only celebrate the High Holidays, but celebrate with a larger, more unified community that embraces the diversity of our students’ personal Jewish traditions.

 

Stock the Snack Pantry

Over the past year, the Brody Jewish Center has been busily raising funds for a $3M Capital Campaign to revitalize the historic 1914 home of Hillel at the University of Virginia. With the project nearly completed and staff and students enjoying the new space - a few areas of need have popped up around the new 24-hour nature of the study and lounge space.

 

In just the first few weeks of the Brody Jewish Center opening its doors 24/7 for students to study and hang out together, the students of Hillel’s Jewish Leadership Council have spent more than $300 of their annual budget to make kosher snacks and coffee free and readily available to students.

 

Instead of students using their programming budgets on snacks, the Brody Jewish Center seeks a donor to sponsor a year’s worth of snacks for the building.

 

It’s no secret that free snacks are often the way to the heart of students. By being able to provide that extra draw during the first year of the building’s shifted function, we hope to solidify the BJC’s place as a welcoming, well thought out, and student-centered place to spend time. By providing snacks and coffee that are free and easily available to students, we hope students feel them the comfort of a home away from home when at Hillel.

 

If finals are any indication of future building use, hundreds of students will study, meet, and relax in the building’s renovated side in the upcoming year. We would also be happy to display a name or logo in the student kitchen as a way to thank the donor who supports this funding opportunity.

 


For more information, please contact Danielle Buynak at danielle@brodyjewishcenter.org or 434-295-4963. To make a donation, please visit the Donor First portal to log into your donor-advised fund.