Jewish mentors meet at Penn

When they created their organization eight years ago, members of Jewish Heritage Programs never guessed that the mayor of Philadelphia would eventually appear at one of its events. The past weekend's 2001 conference marked the largest in the organization's history, drawing nearly 200 students from 11 different college campuses across the Northeast, including Penn, Drexel, Swarthmore, the University of Virginia and New York University. "This is the largest retreat the organization has ever had," said College junior Ross Fieldston, one of three Penn students who planned the event. "It is a sign of the prospects for JHP's continued development." The theme of this year's retreat was "Being a Jew in College," calling upon college students to explore how cultural and religious aspects affect their personalities and everyday lives. In addition, the program included a career component. JHP invited several professionals from Philadelphia-based organizations to conduct panels, ranging in scope from financial services and public relations to teaching and non-profit work. David L. Cohen, chairman of Ballard, Spahr, Andrews and Ingersoll, accompanied Philadelphia Mayor John Street during Friday's opening address. Both noted the success of JHP programs throughout the region, citing the importance of such events. "I am a great fan of mentoring programs," Street said. "Mentoring programs give us a chance to come together and talk about the difficulties we have and figure out how to overcome them." When founded at Penn in 1993, JHP's goals were to bring Jewish students together on campus, as well as link Jewish students from other campuses in what they hoped would become a nationwide network. Rabbi Menachen Schmidt, JHP's executive director, attributes much -- if not all -- of the group's growth to student involvement. "We have been able to expand with the help of our members, sponsors and, most of all, our interns," Schmidt said. Interns, who make up the root of the organization, are responsible for event planning and recruitment. "Most of our efforts to get people involved [are] through word-of-mouth by our members," said College freshman Angelika Zilberman, who joined the organization this semester. "We recruit students to do social, cultural and religious activities with students on campus," said Rachel Baum, JHP's chief fellow, who coordinates the interns. Friday's session at City Hall was a tremendous success according to students. Rebecca Alvandi, a freshman at NYU, recently joined JHP and said she was excited about the spring retreat. "I definitely plan to continue working for JHP and hope to get more involved as the semester progresses," Alvandi said. University President Judith Rodin spoke at a Shabbat dinner Friday night in Stouffer Triangle, emphasizing her support and admiration for such organizations on Penn's campus.