New Leader Aims to Unite Hillel with Harvard

Newly elected Harvard Hillel president Joshua I. Rosenbloom ’05 said yesterday his goal is to make the Hillel a more “inviting place” and to more closely integrate the Jewish community with campus life in the coming year.

Rosenbloom, who beat out three other candidates for the office in Monday’s election, said he hopes to broaden the reach of Hillel beyond just the Jewish community.

“I want to make sure that Hillel and Jews on campus really were engaged with Harvard—engaged in dialogue with other student groups and not just with Hillel itself,” he said.

He also emphasized the need to re-evaluate the educational program, making it more comprehensive and more accessible to students.

Five vice presidents, in charge of different committees, were also elected in the election. About 50 students gathered at Hillel Monday night to elect the new steering committee, with a handful of students voting by absentee ballot, according to outgoing president Benjamin P. Solomon-Schwartz ’03.

Solomon-Schwartz said reaching out to a broader community was a recurring issue raised by candidates in the election.

“Many candidates talked about trying to engage the Jewish community as a whole rather than just those who felt comfortable coming to Hillel,” he said.

He added that he has high hopes for the incoming steering committee.

“I’m really excite d about the new people,” said Solomon-Schwartz, who is also a Crimson editor. “They’ve all suggested some really important and exciting directions to take the community. I’m ready to stay involved but step back and watch all the great things they’re going to do for the community.”

Others elected include Arielle J. Cohen ’04, vice president for community building; Julia B. Appel ’04, vice president for community relations; Shoshana M. Lew ’05, vice president for education; and Michael Grunfeld ’04, vice president for communications.

Noam A. Osband ’03 will continue as vice president of Shabbat and holidays for the rest of the academic year.