2000s Timeline

A New Era

The 2000s led to a huge transition and growth in Hillel history. Until then, many Jewish students were afraid to identify openly as Jewish because they were a minority and would often be questioned on a range of issues by people, many of whom had never met a Jewish person before.

In 2001, Jason Rubin became president both of Hillel and Alpha Epsilon Pi, a Jewish fraternal organization. His enthusiasm, passion, and leadership helped to drive both organizations – Hillel events often featured several dozen attendees.

In December 2002, the first ever full time Director, Sue Kurtz, was hired for Hillel at Virginia Tech. From that point forward, Hillel began to expand in number and influence every year.

Volunteer Student Board Teaches Students to Thrive for Life

“As an out of state student (from Texas), it was important to me to find a place where I could meet new people and have a place to celebrate the Jewish holidays.”
Samantha Smith

Samantha Smith became the holiday chair on the student board, where she organized events including apples and honey for Rosh Hashanah 101, Break the Fast, Hannukah parties, dreidel tournaments, Purim parties, Passover Seders, Prince of Egypt and Matzah Pizza night. Some of the events were themed such as Hannukah Hoedown, Purim Costume Party, or Going Green.

The Hillel Passover Seder hit over 100 attendees and took place at the Inn at Virginia Tech ballroom. To help standardize the program and organize this event for the future, Samantha compiled a Hillel Haggadah which combined multiple Haggadot into one book that allowed for adaptability when leading a seder.

As a leader on the Hillel student board, Samantha was able to execute and build on her supervisory and management skills. She joined the Board of Directors in 2019 and continues to use those skills by organizing the ‘Fire Pit’ and its campaign and the Timeline materials and installation along with its unveiling to the public. Both of those are historical documentations in line with Samantha’s passion for understanding history and leaving a legacy – L’Dor v Dor.

How Hillel Changed Me: Mara Seidel’s Story

Mara turned 18 on Rosh Hashanah her freshman year. Although she knew no one, she attended the Hillel service. While sitting in the pew of the BJCC, she met Sue Kurtz who was in her first few years as director. “I’m new here, too,” said Sue. She gave Mara a hug for her birthday, and the two began a lifelong friendship.

Mara was recruited to teach Sunday school at the BJCC. She and her friend Becky Porter Barnett would carpool to the BJCC on Sunday mornings to teach the children the little Hebrew they knew and whatever they could about Israel. Sue signed Mara up for Birthright, along with fellow students Jay Reid and Joe Nizhnikov. They were essentially the first group from Virginia Tech to go – and it was Mara’s first trip to Israel. In fact, she didn’t even have a passport and didn’t want to bother to apply. But Sue insisted, and Mara was on that bus.

Friday night dinners at the time consisted of take-out Chinese food in a random room in Squires. Back then students couldn’t have dreamed of having their own Hillel house. Hillel students would take turns leading Kabbalat Shabbat and sit in a circle of maybe 5 to 10 students.

Mara describes the moment when she truly left her comfort zone – she was encouraged by Sue to lead a Passover Seder with fellow student Sean White during her junior year. With 200 students in attendance, it was the biggest event Hillel ever had. She had to practice the kiddush (blessing for the wine) with her dad on the phone long distance in order to get it right.

“Hillel was my safe space. It was my home away from home. It was where I met my closest friends,” she recalls. During her senior year, Virginia Tech Hillel hired its first Jewish Engagement Fellow – someone paid to do Jewish communal work. Mara didn’t know such a job existed, and when she graduated, she applied to become an engagement fellow her spring semester at a different university. That experience changed her life.

Her growing interest in Judaism and Israel led her, a few years later, to move to Israel and make Aliyah, where she is now a professional tour guide and Jewish educator.

Sigma Alpha Chapter Official in Spring of 2000

When Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Virginia’s largest state institution of higher education was opened to fraternities, a local calling itself Sigma Alpha forwarded a petition to Alpha Epsilon Pi. On May 25, 1969, with Supreme Scribe Nathaniel Krumbein in charge, the colony was granted official status. A small house was obtained, and the colony grew soundly for two years. Supreme Master Krumbein presented the charter on April 3, 1971 with SLM Harvey Jacobs and brothers from Pi Zeta at Old Dominion present to assist. David Cantor was the leader in the organization. The chapter has suffered its ups and downs. By 1978, it had initiated eighty-two brothers.

In the 2000’s the Virginia Tech chapter of AEPi was re-established from original charter in 1970 by 11 students: Jason Rubin, Chad Waldman, Boris Perelman, Steve Tartakovsky, Aaron Teich, Jacob Lake, Alex Nizhnikov, Dmitry Gurvits, Adam Morris, Sean White, and Mike Feldman. Starting from nothing, this ragtag group of young men gathered in the basement of the Blacksburg Jewish Community Center (BJCC) to plan events and form bonds among Jewish men on campus.

In the early days, brothers partnered with Hillel to form a reputation as the campus’s Jewish fraternity and tap into the organization’s growing membership. Part of the hard-won negotiation to erect a sukkah at the center of campus on the iconic Drillfield (2001) required the structure be moved to a less central location after three days. Undeterred by the unusal request, AEPi volunteered to perform the move. The image of AEPi brothers blocking traffic and marching the giant, fully assembled sukkah across campus cemented its reputation as *the* Jewish fraternity at VT and reinforced the bond between AEPi and Hillel.

Showing the Colors

Alumnus Gerry Elkan (‘58) flew the VT flag at the North Pole in 2001 while aboard a research trip. This was the second time the VT flag had made it to the North Pole. The flag was also there when Ens. Jordan Bliss ’18 flew it while surfaced near the North Pole on the USS Toledo SSN-769 (pictured).

Photo by Lt. Cmdr. Gieorag Andrews.

Each year our Hillel students bring the Virginia Tech flag on their Birthright and Perspectives trips to Israel – honoring our campus and the tradition of bringing Hokie pride everywhere we go.

Malcolm and Diane Rosenberg

In 2003, Sue Kurtz had the honor of meeting Malcolm and Diane Rosenberg for lunch at the Hotel Roanoke. That resulted in weekly meetings for Sue and Malcolm to set a strategy and vision for the future of Jewish life at Virginia Tech. Malcolm was an amazing and visionary philanthropist who taught Kurtz how to think strategically and set and achieve goals she had never envisioned. Malcolm remained a mentor and friend to Sue. His memory is forever cherished at Hillel.

A Boost in Programming

Through the vision and strategy untapped during those weekly meetings between Malcolm and Sue, Hillel became more active in the community. We hosted yearly events such as Daniel Pearl Music Day, Jewish Film Festivals, and Leadership dinners.

Ellie Wiesel Sells Out Burruss Hall Auditorium

As part of Virginia Tech’s recognition of Holocaust Awareness Week, Hillel at Virginia Tech partnered with Multicultural Affairs, Virginia Tech Union, the President’s Office, Judaic Studies, the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, the Holocaust Committee,
Pamplin College of Business, and Virle and Al Payne Lecture of Glade Church and other organizations from Virginia Tech and the community to bring Nobel Peace Prize winning author Elie Wiesel to speak “Against Indifference” in Burruss Hall Auditorium. The event sold out, the first time a speaking engagement has sold out in the auditorium.

“Last year, the Holocaust Awareness Committee was looking to make a larger impact on Virginia Tech’s campus,” said Jay Reid, Virginia Tech student, Holocaust Awareness Committee member, and Hillel representative. “To do this we wanted to get a premier speaker on this issue. We all brainstormed, and one name came to mind: Elie Wiesel. There isn’t a more moving and powerful Holocaust speaker than Elie Wiesel.”

The event brought diverse groups of people together around the topic of indifference and changing the world for the better.

Creating a Better World

Since 2006, Hillel has worked with students on alternative break trips to participate/engage in community service work. In 2008, a group of students went on a service trip to hurricane damaged New Orleans led by Julie Wind. Julie was passionate about social action. She continued this engagement after graduating by working with a social justice organization in New Orleans. Since then, Virginia Tech Hillel has worked with and visited the same community in New Orleans every year – to this day.

Our Hillel students have participated in other alternative break service trips to Miami, Nicaragua, Argentina, Cuba, Louisana and
Israel. Robbie Fried, who traveled to New Orleans for Hillel’s first immersion service trip in 2008, remembers how that trip confirmed his plans to defer graduate school. He developed a business plan with his brother Bradford to create the Chinese Language Institute (CLI) in Guilin, China.

Previously he had traveled to China and fell in love with the country, but he found the local classes for learning the language and culture uninspiring. He envisioned a total immersion experience in Chinese culture where students could receive intensive one-on-one language instruction, participate in a variety of trips around the country and have the option of living in integrated housing with Chinese graduate students.

Since its inception in 2009, CLI has hosted thousands of students from more than 200 universities worldwide, including Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and Oxford. From Israeli diplomats to dozens of Peace Corps volunteers, a multi-linguist in his 70s, and students as young as five years old, CLI serves a diversity of clients.

Virginia Tech has entrusted Fried with more than 600 students and faculty to date. Needless to say that when COVID-19 hit, China and nearly all travel was curtailed. Robbie’s resilience allowed him to continue to operate virtually and revamp his business plan. He continues to build on his passion for open dialogue and learning with his entrepreneurial spirit and gives back whenever possible — values hesolidified during his time on campus at Hillel at Virginia Tech.

Student Organization of the Year

On April 20, 2006, Hillel at Virginia Tech won Student Organization of the Year at the annual University Student Leadership Award
Ceremony. This award exemplied the impact Hillel made on the entire campus.

On February 1, 2007, Hillel received further recognition with a Community and Partnership Award from the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. Shulamith Elster and Judy Novenstein, both strong advocates for Israel and Jewish life, were based in the Washington, D.C. area and were strong mentors and partners to Hillel at VT. They wanted the largest public university in Virginia to meet the needs of Jewish students.

Trips to Israel

In 2006, Hillel started sending students on Birthright trips to Israel, our homeland. Students Joe Nizchnikov, Jay Reid and Mara
Seidel were the first students to travel to Israel on another university’s campus bus. Hillel at Virginia Tech began their first own full buses of Virginia Tech students in 2007.

The Maccabee Task Force (MTF) was created in 2015 nationally to combat the disturbing spread of antisemitism on college campuses. Hillel at Virginia Tech joined the MTF group in 2020 receiving annual funds to bring about 20 non-Jewish and 5 Jewish students on a
trip to Israel to show the diverse perspectives of the voices of Israel.

In 2016, Hillel at Virginia Tech began to participate in the Onward Israel Program (inception of program 2012 by Israeli government). By 2023, we had 18 students spending their summer in Israel as interns with various start-up companies.

Malcolm Rosenberg – We Lose a Giant

On September 2, 2007, Malcolm Rosenberg passed away. He had not attended Virginia Tech but had in fact graduated from the University of Mami. However, Roanoke was his home. He had owned Oak Hall Cap and Gown, which had evolved into a major force in
the academic, choral, pulpit and judicial apparel business. Mr. Rosenberg pioneered the fabric souvenir cap and gown, revolutionizing the industry, which had been exclusively rental. As he focused on philanthropic activities, he was drawn to supporting the State of Israel and Jewish organizations such as Hillel. He served on the National Young Leadership Cabinet of the United Jewish Appeal, which preceded the Jewish Federations of North America. He also served on the Friends of Tel Aviv University Board and was a member of the 400 Club in Norfolk which is composed of leaders of the Norfolk Jewish community.

In 1996, Rosenberg endowed the Malcolm and Diane Rosenberg Judaic Studies program at Virginia Tech which enabled students to attain a minor in Jewish Studies as a part of their degree in the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies.

Later, when we outgrew our space and needed a new home, Diane Rosenberg made a major gift to support the purchase of land and construction of a new building, which was named for Malcolm Rosenberg.

Malcolm Rosenberg chaired the United Jewish Appeal fundraising efforts to support the fledgling nation in peace as well as in war. Malcolm visited with Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion in Israel.

Our Own Birthright Bus

Due to the growth of Jewish students and Jewish life on campus, in 2007 we had our own bus of 42 students attend a Birthright trip in Israel. This milestone has been repeated several times since, but it would not have happened without our growing dynamism and the support of organizations such as Hillel International, Israel on Campus Coalition and Israel on Campus Coalition of Greater Washington.

Hokie Birthright trips include support by IACT (Inspired, Active, Committed, Transformed) as  Hillel’s comprehensive strategy ensuring that every Jewish student has the opportunity to participate in a meaningful immersive Israel experience and be supported on a journey of Jewish discovery before, during, and, after the Birthright experience.

Our Hokie Birthright trip is also a Building Israel Connections Engagement Project (BICEP) enhanced trip in partnership with Marcy Gringlas and Joel Greenberg, Seed the Dream Foundation. Together with the Birthright Israel Foundation and Stand With Us these partners build a connected and committed campus community.

Sex Advice from Dr. Ruth

In March 2007, Dr. Ruth was the keynote speaker for the First Jewish Awareness Month Celebration. Brought to campus by Hillel thanks to a grant from the Student Budget Board and the support of many partners across campus, she spoke to students about being open and educated about sex. Student Hillel President, Rochelle (Low) Friedman led a marketing campaign for the event – the distribution of about 2,000 condoms on the drillfield saying “It’s Safe to Come! Join us to hear keynote speaker, Dr. Ruth!”

Hillel Splashes In Homecoming

In 2007, Hillel nominated their first candidate for the homecoming court, Rochelle (Low) Friedman. Rochelle’s strong leadership skills were on display – not only had she served as Hillel President for two years, but she put systems in place which continue today. She partnered with Dr. Dee Trudeau, director of the Residential Leadership Community, brought speakers, and created interesting leadership dinners for over 200 students. This gave other leaders the ability to think large, and it put Hillel on the map for more people on campus. In 2007, Hillel became an accredited Foundation thanks to Rochelle (Low) Friedman’s leadership.

A Terrible Tragedy Visits Our Campus

On April 16, 2007, a shooter killed 32 people on our campus. This was a terrible loss and a heartbreaking event  for the entire campus and surrounding community. In response, Hillel focused on providing counseling for students, faculty and administrators. The Jewish Federations of North America supported our efforts with an emergency grant.

The BJCC allowed Hillel to use their building 24/7 for all students. That allowed hillel to check in and feed all Virginia Tech students because campus dining halls were closed.

Sue Kurtz was invited to represent Jewish students at the convocation on March 17th in Lane Stadium alongside President George W. Bush. Later that year, Rochelle (Low) Friedman, Julianna Wind, Victor Kassoff, Andrey Andreyev, Jeff and Sue Kurtz attended the White House Chanukah party, at the invitation of President Bush.

Hillel International, recognizing that Israelis familiar with such awful violence could bring students some extra measure of comfort, sent
an Israel Fellow to campus the following year. This began a tradition of having an Israeli staffer dedicated to Israel related programming and education.

When it became clear that Hillel could play a far more active role on campus with a building of its own, several key individuals came together – Diane Rosenberg, Edgar Bronfman and Hillel International President Wayne Firestone – to announce that Diane Rosenberg was making a challenge gift of $1 million for the Malcolm Rosenberg Hillel Center. The gift spurred a fundraising campaign that led to our beautiful building.

Jewish Student Union

In 2008, Hillel helped to form the Jewish Student Union.

More Jewish Groups

In 2004 SAEPi began a chapter at Virginia Tech. In 2008, both the Jewish Student Union and Chabad were established. Established in in 2000, the Hillel at Roanoke College is a small but active group. Throughout the academic year, the group meets for Jewish learning, services and social events as well. Radford University Hillel is a student led organization in Radford, VA, providing all Radford students with the opportunity to learn more about Judaism through religious and social events on and off campus.