1987-1988 Rothberg Yearbook

Entertainment
Beit Hillel
Hillel is a part of many of our Jewish experiences at our North American universities. Here at
Hebrew U. Hillel continues to play a major role in our social and educational activities.
This year Beit Hillel brought the best of TV news and sports programs to the campus. Major
highlights included Ted Koppel’s special Nightline telecast from the Jerusalem Theatre, and the
CBS documentary on Israel, 48 Hours. On the lighter side, there were free movies every week,
ranging from Superman II to Hair.
Theatre was an important part of Hillel’s programming. They co-sponsored both Joseph and his
Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Fiddler on the Roof, as well as an English-speaking
workshop.
Hillel also arranged for weekly aerobic and modern dance classes, as well as an integrated Israeli-
Chulnik hiking club. These hikers traversed much of Israel’s countryside, from Mt. Meron to
Eilat and from the Northern Negev to Ein Gedi.
Hillel made holidays come alive on campus. Students participated in services and seminars for
many religious holidays. For Yom HaShoah and Yom HaZikaron Hillel planned programs to
personally involve students in these national memorials. These included seminars, a group visit
to Yad Vashem, and a tree-planting ceremony to honor all the Hebrew University students who
had died in the defense of Israel.
Along with religion, politics was the number-one issue this year. Hillel hosted a series of
lecturers, from U.S. Consul General Morris Draper to Carole Pollack, sister of Jonathan Pollack,
to members of the Knesset and of the press.
Through the diversity of its programs, Hillel did its best to involve us in life on campus and life in
Israel. The great success of the activities sponsored by Beit Hillel should motivate us to
participate in the Hillels at our home universities next year.
Rabbi Yosef Goldman, Director
Brenda Gardner, Overseas Students Program Coordinator
Ellen Cohn, Special Programs Coordinator
Michael Beals
Nightlife in Jerusalem
Some students faced the fact that shekels were indeed real money. With others, it was only after
a few felafels, a few bus tickets and a few loads of laundry that they were able to put away their
thoughts of monopoly bills. Soon everyone was cutting corners buying the red (under- 18-yearsof-age)
bus tickets, washing their underwear in the sink, eating lots of spaghetti and writing
home for advances on their birthdays.
It didn’t take much time to find that four shekels could get one down to the city and back with
enough to spare for a slice of Apple Pizza or a Carvel cone or a cup of coffee at Sefer V’Sefel.
Museum entrances were reasonable, and walking around was free. In spite of thin wallets,
dances, movies, and parties were all made part of the year in Jerusalem.
Students learned to convert shekels to dollars and back again without batting an eye, became
friends with the bank tellers in Foreign Exchange, and those who truly took the plunge had a
bank card—how many times was it eaten?
However expensive Jerusalem was, it was never too much to have fun. Whether downtown or in
the Moadonim, on Ben Yehuda or in the King David, Jerusalem proved to be the investment of a
lifetime.
Sarah Baker
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