Couple from Israel joins Rutgers Hillel staff

By Sarah Morrison
The Jewish State

Rutgers students have a few new faces to help them in their religious life on campus.

Rabbi Yisroel and Shoshana Porath, a young and energetic couple ready and willing to serve Rutgers students, came all the way from Israel for JLI, Jewish Learning Initiative, to join the dedicated and extensive Hillel staff.

JLI, an organization that helps Orthodox students and the community at large, presents a religious outlet for Jewish college students. Together with Hillel, the Orthodox Union, and Torah M'Tzion, an Israeli-based organization that sends couples to college campuses, they create and sustain Jewish programs for students who are looking for religious life on campus. So far, JLI has been established on 13 college campuses, including NYU, Penn, Brandeis, Johns Hopkins, University of Maryland, Cornell, and UCLA, as well as on campuses in England.

"JLI approached us and asked us to come," Shoshana said. "In Israel, Yisroel and I met a Rutgers student who told us about Rutgers Hillel and the student body who wanted a program like this. We just clicked."

"This campus is the perfect place to bring JLI," Yisroel added. "This is a very warm and excited community. The students are proactive and very Zionistic."

Indeed, campus Zionism has been on the rise since 2003, when the pro-terrorist organization, the Third National Student Conference of the Palestine Solidarity Movement, tried to hold a conference at the Louis Brown Athletic Center on Rutgers' Livingston Campus. After protest from students and faculty alike, the conference was canceled. Since then, Rutgers Hillel has been the host of many different Zionistic conferences and activities on campus.

The Poraths, who both lived in Israel, are very happy to be working with such a Zionistic body of students.

"Every campus has a couple that brings something special," Yisroel said. "We bring a love and an appreciation for Israel, and love for the Jewish people."

As the "newbies" on campus, the Poraths' main goal for the time being is to meet and get to know every Hillel student. Right now, they are looking to bring people in. Plans are in the works for Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot. For the High Holy Days, the Poraths are organizing for students to attend services at nearby Congregation Poile Zedek, where the congregation is offering free seats to any students who come. The popular "Study With A Buddy" program is continuing on Thursday nights. Plans for a women's Rosh Chodesh program are in the works. However, their main concentration is to develop relationships with the students and make themselves available.

"We want to do something besides formally teach," Shoshana said. "We want to be a warm and friendly face for the students. We're not limited to any branch of Judaism; we're here for everyone and anyone who needs it. We're here to support the students wherever they are. We open the door for anyone who wants to explore Judaism more as well."

"Our home is on campus and it's open to anyone," Yisroel added.

The Poraths hope to work with other Jewish organization on campus once they establish their place in Hillel. They're looking forward to working with Chabad and Maimonides, an outreach program on campus.

"We had a number of couples interviewed for the position," said Executive Director of Hillel Andrew Getraer. "I was very impressed with everyone who applied, but when the Poraths met with students, they made an instant connection with them. They're youthful, they're energetic, and they made that crucial connection with the student body. They shared a meal with students; doing an activity with them is part of the interviewing process. The crucial feedback from the students who met them was very positive. We're very happy to have them."

The Poraths, along with their six-month-old daughter, Eliana, have even taken extra measures to move in a few blocks away from Hillel to bring that homey feeling as close to campus as possible.

"The Rutgers community is our community," Shoshana continued. "We want to be there for the students at Hillel, whether that means they need a place to stay for Shabbat and holidays, they come for a meal, or they come for an oneg."

"The chance to work together as a couple helps us learn from each other as well as deepen our own connection," Yisroel said. "We're very lucky in that sense."

Having an infant daughter doesn't hurt, either: "She brings so many people in, maybe we should give her half our salary!" Shoshana joked.

However, this couple doesn't need a baby to bring students to their programs. The Poraths, genuinely warm and friendly people, are naturals for a job that deals with college students.

"We're bringing our excitement for Judaism," Yisroel concluded. "We hope we can inspire anyone who wants it."