Monday, January 19, 2009
Alumni Spotlight on Hart Levine
Hart Levine is a Junior at the University of Pennsylvania and has started the most exciting student initiative on campus I’ve seen in a long time. If you are in college and want connect with your fellow Jews email him at levblev@gmail.com and ask about the Shabbaton at University of Pennsylvania Feb. 14th.
He grew up in downtown Manhattan, went to Ramaz and learned at Yeshivat Hakotel. One of his siblings is in Yachad and thus he became an advisor on a bunch of Shabbatonim. “One of the things I’ve come to value from seeing and participating in Yachad events is how important it is for those of us who have been blessed with more to share our time, energy, and excitement with people who are yearning for just that.”
In college, he saw a similar scenario – where there are unfortunately thousands of Jews who are not connected to Judaism in any meaningful way, and often are not comfortable or willing to seek out guidance. “I feel that as active, learned, and passionate Jews, we have the obligation to share our time, knowledge and excitement with those who might be looking for just that. At Penn we started some initiatives, creating awareness and venues for committed Jews to share personal experiences with other Jews on campus. The results have been astonishing – I’ve seen simple meals, discussions, and greetings go a long way in connecting numerous Jews to Judaism. It’s such a idea and really something that all of us could be doing – sharing the beauty of what we have with those who could benefit from it, all through simple interactions.”
In the hopes of helping spread this message to other campuses, Hart and his partners have planned a Shabbaton on February 14th for college students to get together and brainstorm ideas, share stories and inspire one another. If you’re a college student interested in being a part of this, email hart at levblev@gmail.com.
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