Issue date: 11/26/08 Section: ARTS & LIFE

The NT chapter of Hillel sits down for a group exercise at its annual Sukkot Retreat. The retreat was held in Waco this year to honor the Jewish holiday Sukkot. The retreat lasted from Oct. 17 until Oct. 19.

Although NT is a diverse campus, it may be difficult for some minority organizations to dispel myths and stereotypes about their cultures and lifestyles.

Members of NT's Hillel can testify.

"I've been asked if I celebrate Thanksgiving," said journalism junior Robyn Siegel, the Jewish student organization's secretary. Siegel said she hopes to create more "organization for the organization's future members."

The NT chapter was founded in spring 2000, and the group now has more than 120 members.

"We are always looking to up the ante," Hillel president Susan Perry said. Perry said she wants more people to join because she wants the group to reach out to more people on campus.

Chemistry junior Elizabeth Ridl said some people don't join Hillel because they don't know what to expect.

"Some people are uncomfortable about it," she said.

Another Hillel member, art sophomore Kate Rifkin, also believes that misconceptions about the Jewish faith and the organization hold students back from joining Hillel.

"People think it's all about the religious part, but we do a lot of fun social stuff, too," she said.

Hillel members participate in a variety of social events. This semester, Hillel hosted a root beer social, visited the Dallas Holocaust Museum, participated in Homecoming tailgating activities and had dinner with a Muslim student group.

In addition, Hillel also participates in community service projects like Adopt-a-Block, and one to two times a month, the organization holds Shabbat services.

Shabbat is the day of rest in Judaism and is observed sundown on Friday until the appearance of three stars in the sky on Saturday night. Services include singing and lighting candles after services. Shabbat dinners are also held afterward.

The main Hillel event scheduled for the spring is the annual Israel Fair.

This year, the fair was held on the campus green and featured a live rock band and a fake green screen for pictures.

Perry said she hopes to make the event bigger in the spring.

"Last year, we reached about 500 to 1,000 students, and for this year's event we are hoping to reach double that," she said.

Ridl is a transfer student from the University of Oklahoma, where she was also a member of Hillel. She said OU had an Israeli block party in the spring to celebrate Israel's birthday, and she is anxious to compare the NT Israel Fair to the OU Israel block party.

One of Hillel's biggest goals for the spring is to not only gain more members, but to reach out to more people and educate them more about the Jewish faith.

"You don't have to be Jewish to join," said Siegel.

Siegel invites people to come out to the meetings not only for religious purposes, but also to meet new people.

"It is a constant battle to educate people, but that's we're here for," Perry said.

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