CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY STUDENTS SWEEP CAMPUS SUPERSTAR 2009

In front of an audience of over 1,300 students and community leaders at Carnegie Music Hall, for the first time ever in Campus Superstar competitions, students from one university, Carnegie Mellon University, swept the awards by taking 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place. The Hillel JUC will present Carnegie Mellon University with a check for $7,000.00 as scholarships to the winners.

Now in its third year in Pittsburgh, Campus SuperStar is a fundraiser run by and for the Hillel Jewish University Center of Pittsburgh.  The American Idol-like vocal competition features student talent from Pittsburgh area colleges and universities. The final event, held on April 5^th, 2009 at the Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland, showcased the top ten finalists from an initial group of 156 contestants who originally tried out for a spot to compete for the grand prize, a $5,000 scholarship award. To add to the excitement, each audience member voted for their favorite contestant. The show ended with a medley of Disney songs that brought the audience to their feet!

Big names added to the show, such as the guest emcee and native Pittsburgher, Jimmy McGuire, who is part of the Jeopardy! Clue Crew Team. The judges, all returning for a third year, included Jazz vocalist Etta Cox, Talk Radio’s Lynn Cullen, Arts Patron and actor Richard Rauh and KDKA’s own anchor Ken Rice.

While community tickets were sold to raise funds for the Hillel JUC, student tickets were sold for just $1. An anonymous donor will be matching the $450 raised in student ticket sales and all of these funds will be donated to the Squirrel Hill Food Pantry.

“The amazing thing about music is it gives us hope, and in the world we’re living in today we can use a lot of that,” said Aaron Weil, Executive Director of the Hillel JUC.

SAVE THE DATE: Our 4th annual Campus SuperStar will take place on Sunday, March 21st, 2010!

For more pictures and details on this year's show, check out these articles:

The Pitt News: CMU Winners Sweep Campus SuperStar

Post Gazette: Hillel JUC Sponsors "Campus SuperStar" Event

PASSOVER SEDERS REACH 300 STUDENTS

The Hillel JUC was proud to offer many options for students to enjoy Passover seder together! Here are the facts:

• 150 people attended the first night's seder at Hillel JUC.  9 students helped plan, decorate, and lead.  Our goal was to keep the seder as small as possible to create more of a family feel.   The leading and running of the seders was conducted entirely by students. This seder was attended by a few Hillel regulars and lots of new faces.
• There were two seders on the second night of Passover - one on each campus.   While Pitt's seder had about 25 people, CMU's seder (hosted by AEPi, with assistance  from Hillel) had about 70 people in attendance. The CMU students even did their own cooking!
• 35 graduate students and young adults celebrated together during J'Burgh's 2nd night Seder! Everyone had a great time and it is one of J'Burgh's most successful events to date. One participant said, "I had a great time tonight. It was my first seder in many years, and it was very enjoyable, meaningful, fun and moving. Thank you."

Check out the article in the Tribune Review for more information on Hillel's Passover activities.

HILLEL'S PITT STUDENTS WIN AWARDS!

The Hillel JUC and its students are very proud of the awards they won at the University of Pittsburgh's annual Blue Stars & Red Carpets ceremony:

AEPi AT CMU WINS BEST FRATERNITY ON CAMPUS 

HILLEL ALUM REMEMBERS RABBI JOE LEVINE, Directorship of Hillel ending in 1992

by Harold Shapiro, CMU Alum 1992 

When I came to Pittsburgh in 1988 as a freshman at CMU, one of the first places I visited was Hillel. Back then, Hillel was located on North Craig Street (past 5th Avenue). It was run by Rabbi Joseph Levine and Cindy Goodman-Leib. I met with Rabbi Joe one afternoon and I knew right away that he had a love for Hillel and loved working with the students. The first time I met with him I mistakenly told him about my synagogue skills. For the next 4 years, Rabbi Joe and I would lead the High Holiday services. I only knew the "typical" prayers, but Rabbi Joe would do the special High Holiday parts of the service.

Every time I went to Hillel, Rabbi Joe was there with a twinkle in his eye and a smile on his face. Every Shabbat, he welcomed students with open arms for services and dinner, and made a point to talk to everyone. For a few weeks, AEPi at CMU sold flowers on Friday afternoons and Rabbi Joe always bought some. He also taught classes at CMU and they were always well attended. In summary, you could always count on Rabbi Joe for anything!