The Italian consulate commemorated the Italian National Holocaust Remembrance Day in Cambridge for the first time this past Sunday. The Cambridge event, co-sponsored by the American Jewish Committee, the Dante Alighieri Society and the Consulate of Israel to New England, celebrated the life of Giorgio Perlasca, an Italian gentile who helped save thousands of Jewish lives during the Holocaust.
Perlasca was an Italian citizen and a fascist ideologue, who posed as an Italian diplomat and smuggled Jews to safe havens abroad. “He risked his life to save life … It’s important to show that ideology must not prevail when something more important is at stake – a human life,” said Italian Consul General Liborio Stellino. “This is a day to remember together. The law asks all Italian institutions to contribute and commemorate this day. It seemed natural in Boston to organize a joint event.”
The event on Sunday featured talks by Stellino, AJC Executive Director Larry Lowenthal, Israeli Consul General Nadav Tamir, UMass Boston Professor Spencer DiScala (who is an expert on fascism) and a presentation by Carlo Cipollone, the Italian consulate’s general officer, of his Israeli stamp collection. The main event of the day was a screening and discussion of the film Perlasca: The Courage of a Just Man.

Liberal and pro-Israel activism go hand-in-hand, argued 2000 College of Communications graduate Matt Lebovic Monday night. In an event co-hosted by BU Students for Israel and Spectrum, Lebovic spoke about the Israel government’s approach to gay rights.
Lebovic explained that though Israel does not certify gay weddings, this is only because only Orthodox weddings are certified by the government. Like many heterosexual couples who don’t want or cannot have an Orthodox ceremony, gay couples seeking to live as married couples in Israel can have the ceremony elsewhere. Many gay and straight couples marry in the nearby country of Cyprus because the Israeli government recognizes weddings performed in other countries.
Lebovic also said that unlike the United States military, the Israeli military accepts openly gay citizens. “You can say a lot about a society by how it treats its gay people,” he said after his speech.
“He debunked a lot of myths about Israel,” said Spectrum President Katie Uva, a College of Arts and Sciences freshman. “He confronted both the good and the bad about it. It would be great if we had this kind of debate [about political issues] regularly.”

BU Hillel is hosting two career workshops for graduate students and undergraduates over the next two Sundays.
For Graduate students, the program will take place Sunday, February 4, 2007 from 12-2:00 pm.
For Undergraduate students, the program will take place Sunday, February 11, 2007 from 1-3:00 pm.
From the Hillel newsletter:

Our alumni, Robin Barsky and Ira Ziff, work professionally in the area of personnel for several Fortune 100 companies. They would like to give back to Hillel by helping the next generation of Jewish students. Get What You Set (GWYS) is an integrated system of practical career planning and job seeking tools that is simple in its approach and transformative in its results. GWYS reveals the proprietary secrets of a seasoned recruiter who has partnered with Fortune 100 clients and represented thousands of candidates over the past decade. GWYS removes the confusion and mystery from the job search process and positions students and recent grads to be irresistible candidates so they can actualize their career aspirations.
Both of these seminars are limited to only 40 participants, but we would like to extend this seminar to all area Hillels. Students need to RSVP to the e-mail address. We will serve a light Bagel Brunch too.
Please call Kip at 617-353-7200 with any questions. To RSVP, contact Kip Lombardo at kip60763@bu.edu

Starting January 30th, Hillel’s Rabbi Avi Heller will be leading classes at Hillel about what Judaism says about relationships between women and men, entitled “Judaism in a Nutshell.” These discussions will be on Tuesday nights at 7:00 pm on the first floor of Hillel.
The schedule and titles of the events are:
Jan. 30 — Women and Jewish Law;
Feb. 6 — Guided Tour of a Jewish Wedding;
Feb. 13 — Healthy Jewish Relationships.

From the BU Hillel Happenings:

2nd Annual Student Art Exhibition: “the power of the diminutive”
January 19-March 11, 2007
Opening reception & award ceremony: Thursday, Jan. 25, 7-9:30 p.m.

The Rubin-Frankel Gallery, located on the second floor of the Hillel House at Boston University, celebrates the power of the diminutive in its 2nd Annual Student Art Exhibition on display from January 19 to March 11. Students, undergraduate and graduate alike, submitted their visual interpretations of what small means to them in their lives. Participating schools included Boston University, The School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Massachusetts College of Art, and Art Institute of Boston. An expert panel of professors and artists made the selections for this intimate show, ranging from oil paintings and drawings to mixed media installations. The opening on Thursday, January 25, from 7 p.m. - 9:30 p.m., features a Catered Meet the Artists Reception and Awards ceremony. The Rubin-Frankel Gallery is located at the Florence and Chafetz Hillel House at Boston University, 213 Bay State Road, Boston, MA 02215. Contact Holland Dieringer, Gallery Coordinator, with any questions at 617-353-7200.