20 UB Hillel Students To Visit Israel In January

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Twenty UB students affiliated with Hillel of Buffalo will visit Israel Jan. 5-16 as part of Israel 2000, a pilot program funded through Birthright Israel, a group of philanthropists, Hillel and the Israeli government.

Hillel of Buffalo was one of only 80 chapters of the campus-based educational, cultural and religious organizations selected to participate.

Local program director Jamie Solomon will accompany the Buffalo students, none of whom have visited Israel before on an organized, peer-group tour.

The trip will include tours of ancient and modern sites punctuated with interactions and discussions with Israelis at an archeological dig at Beit Guvrin, the ancient port in the old city of Jaffa, a kibbutz in Northern Israel, the Knesset or parliament, Jerusalem and the museum and memorial of the Holocaust, Yad Vashem.

"Hillel's mission today on campus and through programs such as Israel 2000 is to take a more proactive role, introducing and encouraging our students to become more involved in their religion, culture, heritage and history," explains Susan Goldberg Pardo, Hillel's executive director.

Hillel, which in the past has provided and sponsored a variety of activities and programs for students, recently consolidated its locations on both campuses to one on the second floor of The Commons on the UB North Campus.

This location centralizes activities and programs, and includes a resource center for students, faculty and visitors.

Members of the Jewish community are encouraged to meet students by attending Hillel-sponsored special events, lectures and programs on and off campus.

For more information on Hillel activities and events, call 639-8361.