Welcome to our digital Impact Report for the 2019-2020 school year! We hope this virtual experience will tell the story of our school year and introduce you to the methods and experiences that make the Brody Jewish Center a standout Hillel, worthy of the Jewish students at the University of Virginia. Thank you for your support. You make all we do possible.
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To our community,
Wow. What a year! This has obviously been a year without precedent and not just in the most obvious ways. Clearly this year has been challenging and has required us to think differently and pivot quickly, but it also saw the opening of the new Larry W. Berman Student Center, the implementation of a new leadership structure, a record number of students engaged, and new signature programs. It’s in times of stress when you see the true measure of a community, and I am proud of our students and staff for their incredible creativity and resiliency throughout this year.
In addition to having amazing staff and student leaders, one of the reasons we had such a strong year was because we were clear about our objectives and core strategies. Over the past year we have been working to distill the essence of what we do and how we do it into three clear priorities. These values both illustrate the overarching goals of our work and give us a blueprint for how we can successfully deliver on our mission of empowering Jewish students to take ownership of their Jewish identity.
The priorities we focused on are belonging, learning, and growth. With belonging, our goal is for students to feel truly at home in Jewish community, where they can be their authentic selves, learn to balance their personal needs with the needs of a community, and feel comfortable to explore new ideas and practices. Learning is about rigorous engagement with Jewish history, texts, and ideas, developing an informed Jewish identity, and exploring where they fit within the larger Jewish peoplehood and narrative. Finally, growth is both about empowerment, taking ownership of their Judaism, and providing support to students during this crucial time of identity formation. These touchstone values give us a clarity of purpose and as we plan for an uncertain year ahead these priorities will be at the forefront of our minds as we design ways to seamlessly serve our community both in person and virtually.
As always, I want to thank you. We know this is a difficult time for many folks, and your support means so much to Hillel and Jewish students. You enable us to build a strong and vibrant community that gives students a place to truly belong, learn, and grow whether that’s on Grounds or beyond. We could not be more grateful.
Sincerely Rabbi Jake Rubin, Executive Director ‘02
Wow. What a year! This has obviously been a year without precedent and not just in the most obvious ways. Clearly this year has been challenging and has required us to think differently and pivot quickly, but it also saw the opening of the new Larry W. Berman Student Center, the implementation of a new leadership structure, a record number of students engaged, and new signature programs. It’s in times of stress when you see the true measure of a community, and I am proud of our students and staff for their incredible creativity and resiliency throughout this year.
In addition to having amazing staff and student leaders, one of the reasons we had such a strong year was because we were clear about our objectives and core strategies. Over the past year we have been working to distill the essence of what we do and how we do it into three clear priorities. These values both illustrate the overarching goals of our work and give us a blueprint for how we can successfully deliver on our mission of empowering Jewish students to take ownership of their Jewish identity.
The priorities we focused on are belonging, learning, and growth. With belonging, our goal is for students to feel truly at home in Jewish community, where they can be their authentic selves, learn to balance their personal needs with the needs of a community, and feel comfortable to explore new ideas and practices. Learning is about rigorous engagement with Jewish history, texts, and ideas, developing an informed Jewish identity, and exploring where they fit within the larger Jewish peoplehood and narrative. Finally, growth is both about empowerment, taking ownership of their Judaism, and providing support to students during this crucial time of identity formation. These touchstone values give us a clarity of purpose and as we plan for an uncertain year ahead these priorities will be at the forefront of our minds as we design ways to seamlessly serve our community both in person and virtually.
As always, I want to thank you. We know this is a difficult time for many folks, and your support means so much to Hillel and Jewish students. You enable us to build a strong and vibrant community that gives students a place to truly belong, learn, and grow whether that’s on Grounds or beyond. We could not be more grateful.
Sincerely Rabbi Jake Rubin, Executive Director ‘02