The Wake

Over Labor Day weekend, while most were settling into dorm rooms, getting to know new roommates or dealing with moving trucks, Hillel, the Jewish student center, was holding an event to help others in need. Blanket the World with Kindness was held Sept. 3 and Sept. 4 at both the Superblock and Middlebrook, respectively, and allowed students to take a break from packing to get involved with the community and a campus student group.

At the event, tie fleece blankets were made for a local homeless shelter and went to children in need, says Ariella DePrenger-Gottfried, Hillel community service representative and co-organizer of the event.

Hillel has held similar events to this one on Northrop Mall in previous years as part of Jewish Culture Week and this event was a continuation of that, says Eve Shapiro, community service representative and co-organizer. “The board collectively thought it would be a good thing to bring back,” DePrenger-Gottfried says.

The event did have some difficulty in getting people to attend and participate. “Not as many [people attended] as we had hoped, but of the 10 or so people that did come, most of them stayed a significant amount of time and were able to make quite a few blankets,” DePrenger-Gottfried says. “It may have been sort of a bad time,” she says, adding that most of the people who approached the event were too busy moving or finding classes for the first day of school.

Despite the struggle, the event was still for a good cause and allowed students to meet members of the Hillel. “The blankets were a lot of fun to make, especially when there were a couple new people to chat with,” Shapiro says.

“It was really cool to hear reactions to the project,” DePrenger-Gottfried says. “I think it was a good opportunity for freshmen to be able to help the community on their first few days on campus and realize how many activities go on during the year,” she says.

Hillel is the Foundation for Jewish Campus Life and has been at the University of Minnesota since 1940. The group is a member of the largest Jewish campus organization in the world. While their focus is to enrich the lives of Jewish undergraduate and graduate students, they welcome all students at their events throughout the year.

If you’re interested in getting involved with the Hillel or attending their events in the future, visit www.ujews.com or stop by for a visit at 1521 University Ave. SE.