Letter: Hillel on its efforts to diversify

To the Baruch College Community,

Hillel at Baruch College has come a long way since it's inception in the 1930s. We embrace an open-tent philosophy that welcomes Jewish students of all backgrounds and students from other faith and cultural traditions. We are truly blessed to be part of the most ethnically diverse college in the country and be an active part of the creative and entrepreneurial culture at Baruch College.

One particular highlight from last year was "Shalom, Salaam, Peace," a program that brought together the Muslim Student Association, Women in Islam and Hillel to talk about the shared values of community service and faith between the Muslim and Jewish religions. Also, last semester we invited all the clubs and organizations to drop by and use the eighth floor "sukkah," a structure that is built each year to celebrate the holiday of Sukkot. We have also sponsored ads in The Ticker highlighting prayer service times for some of the faith-based groups on campus.

This semester we will partner with USG, SOCA, CSA and the BSA to help raise vital funds and supplies for victims of the tragic earthquake in Haiti.

Construction will soon begin to consolidate our existing space on the third floor into one unit, "Hillel at Baruch-The Ruth and Sam Perelson Suite." Ruth, a member of the Class of 1958 and Sam, of the Class of 1956, were both editors-in-chief of The Ticker. They are excited that this gift will brighten the campus community.

We look forward to using our new space to bring together the entire Baruch community through co-sponsored activities that help fulfill Abraham and Sarah's vision of an open tent. We cordially invite you to come to the suite whenever you can for coffee, tea and chocolate from Israel, to learn more about Hillel, and to celebrate Ruth and Sam's gift to the campus with us.

With Shalom, Salaam and Peace,
Hillel at Baruch College