B'nai Brith Hillel Foundation at Princeton

Shabbat dinner - cjl hosts shabbat dinners --- our signature program attracting 150+ students nearly every friday during the academic year. Shabbat dinners are an important experience for cjl's religiously observant students and provide a weekly opportunity to engage with jewish students from diverse backgrounds. Cjl is known for our themed shabbat dinners including jewish latinx shabbat and jewish asian shabbat, which increase attendance even further. Cjl is committed to using shabbat dinners as opportunities to expand engagement, particularly to students with limited prior jewish experience.

Engagement - student engagement is a cornerstone of the cjl's mission, with a particular focus on one-to-one peer engagement efforts. In fy23, our student engagement interns connected with 80% of all identified jewish students at Princeton through coffee meetings, lunches and social activities held at cjl and around the Princeton campus. Additionally, programming focused on health and wellness expanded over the previous year as well as outreach to new affinity groups such as the jewish athlete's initiative and the middle eastern jewish association.

Holiday observances - the celebration of jewish holidays religious and cultural is a core programming priority of cjl. The centerpiece of these observances is the jewish high holidays, held in the fall which usher in the jewish new year. Cjl conducts multiple religious services and festive holiday meals during the high holiday season that includes rosh hashanah, yom kippur and sukkot. These activities require significant involvement of our rabbis as well as many logistical arrangements in partnership with our student leaders. Second to the high holiday season is extensive holiday programming at passover including student and staff- led holiday meals (seders) and themed events throughout the 8-day holiday observance. Additional cjl holiday programs led by staff and students are held throughout the year.

Travel experiences - cjl's international trips resumed after a 2-year pause during the covid-19 pandemic. 15 students and 1 staff member participated in israel tiger trek in january 2023, a week-long immersive experience which explores israel's high-tech sector and provides students with opportunities to connect with israel's top and emerging entrepreneurs. All participants rated this experience as highly impactful. Cjl also resumed participation in the birthright israel trip with 20 students traveling to israel over winter break 2023.

Cjl's award-winning educational fellowships (jlf) enable students to take a deep dive into topics that matter to them through a jewish lens. In fy23, 94 students participated in 10 fellowships, 4 in the fall and 6 in the spring. The jlf experiences are highly rated and continue to enable students to integrate judaism and their academic and personal interests, including social justice and israel. In addition to jlf, cjl hosts popular lunch and learn sessions weekly with its rabbinic staff that draw dozens of students during the year to engage in small-group, jewish learning.

General community building - the cjl building is a popular hang-out space for jewish students of all backgrounds. The diverse range of programs and events, coupled with the commitment to inclusion and openness leads to a never-ending stream of students both jewish and not jewish enjoying visiting cjl and establishing it as their "home away from home" at Princeton.