Hillel at Miami University Press Release
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11 East Walnut Street, Oxford, OH 45056

For more information contact:
Andrea Meier
(513) 523-5190
meieraj@muohio.edu

Tugs Gruenberg to attend 2003 GA Conference in Jerusalem

(Miami University, Oxford, OH) Justin "Tugs" Gruenberg, from West Bloomfield, MI, has been selected as one of 55 student leaders in the United States to attend a special student track of the United Jewish Communities General Assembly in Jerusalem. Over 3,000 Jews throughout North America and Israel will attend the five-day event, November 16-20. The 55 juniors and seniors will stay at the Ramat Rachel Hotel Jerusalem, where they will begin the week. They arrive on Thursday, November 13, and will participate in a Shabbaton program to prepare them for the GA, and encourage them to think about the role they can play in the Jewish community after college. They will be meet and work with 50 other North American's and Israeli's who are currently studying in Israel.

Tugs is a senior psychology major and a member of the Pike Fraternity. He is the current Student President of Miami's Association of Jewish Students. However, he said he wasn't always involved in Jewish life on campus. "As a freshman, I set foot in the Hillel building once all year. Then I was selected to go on the Birthright trip with 19 other Jewish Miami students that summer. It totally changed my life. When the school year started, I began attending most programs and was appointed the Social Chairman of ASJ. I have often been referred to as the very reason Birthright was created. It changed me from someone uninterested in being actively Jewish to the student president."

The GA conference, "With Israel In Israel: Shaping Our Common Future", will offer work shops and day trips that aim to dissolve preconceived notions in the face of cross-cultural creativity during a day of dialogue, as participants look for uncommon solutions to common challenges. The students will also have the chance to interact with delegates throughout the state who work for the betterment of the future for the Jewish People.

Hillel at Miami University provides a wide variety of social, educational, community service, religious, and cultural experiences for students and the community of Oxford. There are many Jewish groups at Miami including Miami Students for Israel, the Association of Jewish Students, Greek-Jewish Council, and First Year Students of Hillel. Jewish High Holiday services are offered along with weekly Shabbat services, Shabbat dinner, and Passover seders. The Beerman Jewish Student Center is located one block from Miami's campus.

For more information please contact Andrea Meier at Miami University's Hillel Foundation.