The Heshe and Harriet Seif Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus (JLIC) of the Orthodox Union has already achieved great success by making its mark on some of the most prestigious college campuses in North America. Now, to get the message out further to educators, JLIC presents the First Annual Conference of Yeshiva Principals and College Advisors, to be held Monday, February 2, from 9:00 am – 4:30 p.m., at OU Headquarters in New York.
The JLIC program, now in its ninth year, features intensive study of Jewish texts, Sabbath and holiday observance, daily synagogue services, as well as mentoring and good companionship. It is dedicated to the enhancement of Orthodox communities on campus by promoting positive growth and identity among Jewish students, therefore serving as one of the incubators of the future of Orthodoxy.
JLIC is a fixture on fifteen college campuses, including Brooklyn College; Boston University; Brandeis University; University of Massachusetts/Amherst; Yale University; New York University; Princeton University; Cornell University; Rutgers University; University of Pennsylvania; Johns Hopkins, University of Maryland; University of Illinois; UCLA; and York University/University of Toronto in Canada.
This first annual conference will provide yeshiva principals and college advisors with information on each college campus where JLIC maintains a presence, as well as information on the various JLIC programs and classes that are offered at each school. JLIC and its staff can help school representatives advise their students and families about the different options available at these campuses, making their decision more informed. It will also help facilitate communication between principals and college advisors and JLIC couples who can provide firsthand information about the nature of Jewish life on campus.
Rabbi Ilan Haber, National Director of JLIC who will participate in the conference, declared, “As college bound seniors and juniors search for their ‘ideal’ campus – whether directly from high school or after a year of study in Israel – JLIC can provide a resource of knowledge as well as a familiarity with the quality and substance of Jewish life on different campuses.”
Rabbi Haber continued, “We are very excited about our initiative and about this latest opportunity to share our mission with yeshiva principals and college advisors to help young adults find a place that will help them grow spiritually and religiously, as well as academically.”
JLIC operates in coordination with Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life and the Torah Mitzion organization to support and tend to the spiritual needs of the students. Although targeted to the Orthodox, JLIC is open to all Jewish students, regardless of level of observance. It is based at Hillel,
The full-day conference is $50 per person, $100 maximum per school, which includes breakfast and lunch. To RSVP, and for more information, contact gellers@ou.org or jlic@ou.org.