Tzedek
Bikkur Cholim
Good Sports
Hayerukim
Jewish Penicillin Hotline
JPOG – Jewish Perspectives on Globalization / Alternative Break
Relay for Life
VIA - Volunteers In Action
Challah for Hunger
Bikkur Cholim
The Bikur Cholim group strives to better the community by being inclusive to visiting members in the university hospital. Members of the Bikur Cholim group go to the hospital to sit, discuss, listen, form relationships, and wish patients well. As one of the more important mitzvot (commandments) that we can perform, visiting the sick has become one of the most enjoyable too. We accept new members at any time with the hope and understanding that what we do is timeless, and our actions are for the patients first.
To get involved, please contact Daniel at or staff advisor, Michael Spitulnik, at msputnik@umich.edu
Good Sports
Good Sports is a new community service project designed to help fund Detroit inner city youth sports programs for underprivileged youth. This initiative seeks to raise money through $1 donations made by Michigan students participating in Intramural and other sports activities. In addition to fundraising, Good Sports will be organizing field trips in the hopes of connecting its members with the children in Detroit they are serving. Because Michigan students are afforded the fun of sports participation as part of their college experience, we believe that students will feel personally connected to this project since it provides underprivileged children the same kind of opportunity.
For more information, please contact Jeff at or staff advisor, Michael Spitulnik, at msputnik@umich.edu.
Hayerukim
As a student group, Hayerukim's goal is to provide a forum for students to engage in environmental activism from a Jewish perspective. We provide students with the opportunity to work toward creating a more sustainable Hillel, University, and world.
We approach environmental stewardship through secular and religious education, political advocacy, behavioral awareness campaigns, community service, and the institution of environmentally-conscious practices at Hillel.
Some of our past events/accomplishments include cleaning up the Huron River by canoe, Green Caffeine (discussing environmental issues over coffee), text study, volunteering at local CSA farm, hosting an interfaith environmental event and instituting recycling and composting at Hillel. For more information contact Shif Whiteman at , Meirav Gebler at, or staff advisor, Tilly Shames, at tillys@umich.edu.
Jewish Penicillin Hotline
Sick, tired or stressed out? Then you can call on Hillel’s very own matzah ball soup free delivery hotline. The hotline is run entirely by students who feel passionate about the Jewish value of visiting the sick and helping out students on campus who feel under the weather and want to help brighten up their day.
Email Rachel at or staff advisor, Allie Conn, at alliec@umich.edu to volunteer to help deliver our Jewish Penicillin
Email for deliveries
JPOG – Jewish Perspectives on Globalization – Alternative Breaks
JPOG – Jewish Perspectives on Globalization – is a group formed to provide students with the opportunity to engage in alternative spring break (ASB) service trips through Hillel. They allow students to engage in service, and wrestle with the intersection between Judaism and social justice. Past Hillel ASB service trips have taken place in both Eastern Europe (the Ukraine) and South and Central America (Argentina, Brazil, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua). Additionally, Hillel students have participated in an annual Interfaith ASB trip to the Gulf Coast region as part of our continued commitment to rebuild the damage and devastation left by Hurricane Katrina. All of our ASB trips incorporate hard work and social justice, and provide a Jewish context to the work that we do. This year we are planning three ASB trips during U-M's spring break (2/26-3/7), including a Central American ASB working in partnership with the American Jewish World Service, a domestic ASB working in partnership with Jewish Funds for Justice, and the fourth annual Jewish/Muslim ASB.
To get more information about the American Jewish World Service ASB to Latin America please contact Laura Rapoport laurarapoport@gmail.com, Carly Gertler cgertler@umich.edu, or Jen Johnson at jensjohn@umich.edu.
To get more information about the Jewish-Muslim ASB trip contact Rebecca Gutman at rgut@umich.edu or staff advisor, Tilly Shames, at tillys@umich.edu.
And check out a video from last year's trip here!
More information about the domestic ASB with Jewish Funds For Justice is coming soon. For more information contact staff advisor, Michael Spitulnik, at msputnik@umich.edu
The deadline for ASB applications for all three trips is October 4!
Relay for Life
Raise money to find a cure for cancer in the most fun relay you will ever participate in! Plus no running necessary! Join Hillel's Relay for Life Team! Hillel will be sponsoring a few teams in this year's Relay for Life, which is a 24 hour gathering around the track on palmer field. And all the money raised goes to cancer research. This is a great way to volunteer and raise money and is also a lot of fun!
Chair: Becca Gallick
If you plan on joining or have any question please contact or staff advisor, Allie Conn, at alliec@umich.edu
Relay website http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?pg=entry&fr_id=14241
VIA - Volunteers In Action
Volunteers in Action (VIA) is the only Jewish community service group at the University of Michigan.
Based upon the Jewish principles of tzedekah and tikkun olam, VIA provides volunteer opportunities as well as educational and social programming aimed at creating a group of young people committed to creating a stronger community.
Come and learn about the amazing and rewarding service projects we will be involved in throughout the semester, including:
-Tutoring at-risk youth at the Peace Neighborhood Center
-Building homes at Huron Valley with Habitat for Humanity
-Visiting seniors at Glacier Hills Retirement Community
-Working at a Soup Kitchen (Food Gatherers).
We also host an array of events, including Mitzvah Madness, a full day of community service projects bringing together students from across the University.
If you have questions or would like to join, contact Brianna Freedman at brifree@umich.edu, Sara Cohen at saco@umich.edu, or staff advisor, Michael Spitulnik, at msputnik@umich.edu
CfH - Challah for Hunger
Challah for Hunger (CfH) raises awareness of and money for hunger and disaster relief through the production and sale of challah bread. Chapter volunteers gather twice a month to make creative challah from scratch, which they in turn sell to their communities. The organization promotes friendship, leadership, service learning, and teamwork—not to mention a delicious challah! For more information, email iwantchallah@umich.edu