In commemoration of Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass propogated by the Nazis in Germany on November 9th 1938, the Holocaust Education Committee at Penn lined Locust Walk with propped up mirrors, sprinkled with hot glue to create a shattered effect. The members of the committee placed posters above the mirrors with pictures of the event and various tidbits of information about the pogrom that marked the first government-initiated act of anti-semitic terror in Nazi Germany.
The images included destroyed synagogues and painted Jewish stars designating Jewish stores. The texts contained statements like, “Mobs of SA men roamed the streets attacking and killing about 100 persons,” and “within two days hundreds of synagogues and homes were burnt down.”
The prominence of the display, with over fifteen mirrors and its centralized location maximized the effectiveness of the committee’s awareness campaign.
“I think it’s great,” admired Jenny Gutmann, a Jewish sophomore at the University. “The way it is set up really attracts attention…I noticed alot of people looking at the mirrors and reading the posters.”
Many students expressed appreciation for the display, saying that it achieved its message of communicating the message broadly, while doing so in a way that preserved a respect for the event.

This week, Penn Hillel invited the renowned Rabbi Menachem Leibtag to speak Tuesday night at 8PM in the 2nd Floor Library of Hillel. A beloved Orthodox Bible scholar, he is the founder of the Tanach Study Center, a site that offers online access to his innovative lectures. A resident of Alon Shevut, Gush Etzion, he teaches at Har Etzion, Midreshet Lindenbaum, MMY, and Orot College for Women. The regularly-scheduled Hilchot Kashrut shiur and the Characters in Tanach shiur were cancelled in honor of his shiur: “A Promise of Land or A Promise of Slavery(?) - What’s the Catch in God’s Covenant with Abraham?”

While Halloween costumes on Penn’s campus are not famous for their discretion, for many Saadi’s costume was pushing the the envelope too far. Images of engineering senior Saad Saadi costumed as a terrorist bomber are currently circulating campus and the Web, causing intense reactions.
The most controversial of the photos shows Saadi with a smiling University President Amy Gutmann at her annual Halloween party, where he also posed with University Chaplain William Gipson. Although Saadi and Gutmann appreciated the ostensible humor in his choice of attire, many students are offended that University officials would condone such an offensive outfit.
Other photos include Saadi emulating various Jihaadist activities, such as pointing a gun at an Indian student dressed as a Jew, pretending to execute a hostage, and posing with a young boy dressed as Superman with the caption, “Influencing a future Mujahideen.”
Saadi insists that his costume was meant as a joke. On his website, where he originally posted all the pictures, Saadi removed the pictures and replaced them with the following apology:

My friend, Jason, and I express our condolences and sympathy to all affected by our costumes. We wish to make it clear that we do not support terrorism, violence, or anything that is against society. There is no agenda or statement associated with our behavior shown in these pictures. The costumes are meant to portray scary characters much like many other costumes on Halloween. Additionally, we strive for all societies to instill healthy and non-violent values.

Meanwhile, news stations have been swarming Penn’s campus and trying to assess the reaction of the Jewish community. Jessica Sullivan, a Penn student who works behind the desk in the Hillel, said that NBC has been particularly aggressive as it has tried to elicit responses from the students. When upon questionting she, Isaac Dayan and Andrew Mener all refused to comment, Sullivan said the cameraman dismissed them as ‘’a bunch of apathetic college students.”
Although many Jewish students are very disturbed and shaken by the event, many have expressed the opinion that they don’t want to make a big deal out of the affair and incite a possible backlash. Rabbi Howard Alpert told CampusJ that while he dissaproves of Saadi’s lack of tact, he understands that it was done in the light-hearted spirit of Halloween.
Ezra Billinkoff, president of the Penn Hillel, sent out an e-mail to others on the Penn Leadership listserv stating that “there is emerging interest from local, national, and international mediaâ€? about the event and reactions of Jewish students, adding “Some of you may be contacted for quotations of perspective… I, the staff, and a number of students are actively generating a response about the matter.”
The Student Executive Committee of Penn Hillel issued an official statement stating that:

While some may dismiss these actions as straightforward Halloween amusement, many perceive this student to have displayed a disturbing disregard for the sensitivities of others.
[…]
The intended joke is not only offensive to Jewish students, but to all humanity.
Hillel student leaders have met with the University Chaplain and President’s assistant. We are satisfied that they understand why the photographs taken at the President’s house were offensive to many students in the Penn community.
We join with the student leaders of other Penn constituencies in expressing offense at the regrettable incident.
It should be noted that the student involved has apologized.
[…]
The staff and student leadership of Penn Hillel encourage the community to engage in dialogue about this matter and continue to welcome comments from all students.

Meanwhile, Guttmann has issued her own statement:

Each year, the president hosts a Halloween party for Penn students. More than 700 students attend. They all crowd around to have their picture taken with me in costume. This year, one student who had a toy gun in hand had his picture taken with me before it was obvious to me that he was dressed as a suicide bomber. He posted the photo on a website and it was picked up on several other websites.
The costume is clearly offensive and I was offended by it. As soon as I realized what his costume was, I refused to take any more pictures with him, as he requested. The student had the right to wear the costume just as I, and others, have a right to criticize his wearing of it.

More than three thousand students, parents and others affiliated with Penn Hillel completed the national organization’s Back to School Survey, and an e-mail sent to the listserv recently said that the respondents’ top two concerns were Israel advocacy and increased integration among the diverse religious affiliations of Jewish student communities.
The results were released in an e-mail sent out by Keith Krivintsky, who wrote that Hillel is responding to them by spending the $25,000 raised in its High Holiday Campaign to “do more on behalf of Israel, provide Holiday services, Shabbat celebrations, and other cultural events for Jewish students away from home, and help Jewish students connect with each other and encourage them to make an enduring commitment to Jewish life.”
Since the release of the results, Hillel’s student groups are also making efforts in these areas.
- Fighting anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiment on campus is what 70% of respondents said should be Hillel’s top responsibility, and the Penn Israel Coalition, has launched a massive campaign to raise awareness of Israel’s political situation and help students form educated opinions about Israel. PIC has created dozens of sub-committees in order to involve as many students as possible in the effort, and is currently coordinating an “Israel Beyond the Conflict Campaign,” which aims to present Israel in a non-political light. In an e-mail sent to various members of PIC, AIPAC Campus Advocacy Coordinator Tali Yahalom explained that the goal of this campaign is to “post and clutter the campus with… different posters that show different aspects of Israel,” with statements like “Did you know Israel invented text messaging?” and “Israel is the only country in the Middle East where gays can live freely.”
- Hillel can best help Israel in its time of crisis by advocating on Israel’s behalf, according to 72% of respondents, and 70% also stressed bringing Israeli speakers to campus. Last Tuesday, PIC brought in Yossi Olmert, brother of Israel’s prime minister, to speak in Hillel about his opinions of the political situation in Israel. The PIC political committee also brought in Republican Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz to speak at Hillel Wednesday, October 11, and Republican Congressman Curt Weldon this past Sunday, to talk about Israel.
- The top campus life concern of 71% of respondents was connecting with other Jewish students, and 44% felt that Hillel should expand its outreach to unaffiliated students. Hillel’s social committees are thus offering activities that appeal across denominational lines while retaining Jewish themes. Rabbi Shmuel Lynn’s Yom Kippur “Explanatory Services” demonstrated this effort to reach out to Jewish students of varying backgrounds, and during Sukkot the Hillel tried to attract students with Dougie’s wings eating contests and “Hookah in the Sukkah.” Comedian Joel Chasnoff is coming to perform on the first Friday night of December after Shabbat services and dinner, in a program that the Social Committee hopes will attract more students to the services and unite the students in a fun, “kosher” Shabbat activity.

“Before you break your fast, break down Yom Kippur! EVERYONE WELCOME!� exclaimed the bright multi-colored posters that littered Locust Walk, the main artery of Penn’s campus, and plastered the walls of Hillel.
The Explanatory Services were led by Rabbi Shmuel Lynn, coordinator of the Maimonides Fellowship, in conjunction with the Jewish Experience Initiative at Penn (JEIP). During the Kol Nidre and Musaf services, Rabbi Lynn introduced the themes of the upcoming prayers and recited tales of rabbis and repentance in an attempt to provide the fasting crowd with a deeper connection to the nature of the holiday. Pamphlets were handed out for Kol Nidre and Viduy (confession), containing the Hebrew prayer, its English translation, and inspirational stories.
Around a quarter of the congregants were Orthodox. Many of those present had learned with Rabbi Lynn at Maimonides or elsewhere; the rest of the congregants came because of the flyers and word of mouth.
The history of Penn’s Yom Kippur Explanatory Services begins with medical student Hindi Stohl. As Shalhevet Roth, the current co-chair of the Orthodox Community at Penn (OCP) alongside Elie Gittler, described in an e-mail: “By breaking up the service with additional commentary and personal insights, Hindi’s Explanatory Services provided an opportunity for Penn students to participate in a traditional Orthodox prayer experience that was accessible to a variety of Jewish backgrounds.�
When Hindi left in 2005, a new generation of student leaders - Shalhevet Roth, Elie Gittler, Simone Geller, Yael Kessler and Daniel Shoenbrun - took it upon themselves to secure a space, launch a massive publicity blitz on campus, obtain graduate student Moshe Buchman as Chazzan, and persuade Rabbi Lynn to leave his family for the holiday and lead services. The OCP encouraged its members to participate in the Explanatory Services in order to assist those who may not have attended traditional Yom Kippur services in the past.