This Friday, Temple’s chapter of Jewish fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) will host the Mid-Atlantic Conclave, where brothers from all over the east coast, a number estimated in the hundreds, will gather at our school. The conclave will begin with a Shabbat dinner on Friday night that will be co-hosted by Hillel and open to the public. The dinner will be followed by a basketball tournament held in Temple’s Pearson Hall, where chapters will challenge each other for a Conclave trophy.
Saturday’s activities will begin at the Holiday Express in Center City, with workshops taught by the region’s most successful brothers. The president of Temple’s chapter, Marc Prine, will be teaching a course on succeeding as a rush chairman, the head recruiter, a position he held last year.
“The workshops span to a variety of things such as the different positions in the house, risk management, and how to use your experience in AEPi to benefit your life after graduation,” Prine told CampusJ in an interview.
After the workshops, those who are unfamiliar with Philadelphia will be given a tour to include consumption of Philly’s famous cheese steaks, and visits to the Liberty Bell and the National Museum of American Jewish History.
After this the brothers will gather for an awards ceremony at which “Awards are given out for the largest delegation, the one individual who has expounded the most knowledge and is the best delegate,” Prine explained.
The final day of the Conclave is called “World Perfect,” a seminar that will discuss the history of Jewish persecution, and how today’s assimilation is worse, as there are fewer Jews around today then there have ever been. It will feature the film, Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West
The Conclave will finish with a Philadelphia alumni event, and a closing lunch. Brothers who are attending for the first time are being given a half price discount.

Thursday marks the first day to register for the Taglit-Birthright Israel summer trip, for which both Hillel and the Jewish Heritage Program are organizing groups to go on the free bi-yearly ten-day trip. The Israeli government, local Jewish communities, and Jewish philanthropists pay for the Birthright Israel program, which aims to make participants embrace Israel’s importance as a place rich in Jewish history and culture, and their personal Jewish heritage.
“I love Birthright, Birthright is the most enriching and educational Jewish experience ever,” said Darren Jacobs, who went on the trip last year.
Birthright features excursions to Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, the Northern Coast, Galilee, and other areas, in which participants are introduced to both modern Israel and the ancient history of the land. The sacred Western Wall, the Tel-Dan Nature Reserve, the Bar Kochba caves, and the site of Israel’s May, 1948 birth are only a few of the places Birthright participants are likely to see.
The official Birthright Israel website offers a packing list, sample itinerary, videos made by people who’ve gone, and even a guide to understanding Hebrew to assist new applicants. An information session will be held for those who are interested at Hillel on Tuesday from six to seven p.m. Hillel will also be offering assistance to applicants on the second floor of Temple’s Tech Center on Thursday between two and four p.m.
Registration begins on Thursday on the Birthright website.

Interviews began Monday for Hillel’s prestigious Jewish Life Fellows program. The Jewish Life Fellows are leaders in Temple’s community, responsible for organizing events for students in their residence hall, fraternity, sorority or major.
The events will allow other students to “find comfortable ways to explore Judaism,” according to the pamphlet. These programs can be anything from field trips to see plays or museums to a Shabbat dinner or barbeque, or even just a study break.
Fellows will be introduced to the program through an orientation meeting and are responsible for attending biweekly meetings with Jewish Life Fellows from other campuses and the program coordinator, Judah Ferst. They will also be given a stipend and opportunities to go to leadership trainings, workshops and conferences, and be expected to maintain a budget,
The Jewish Life Fellows program, while not new to Philadelphia, is brand new for Temple’s campus, and only six students will be picked.

I’m originally from North Jersey, and half been attending Temple for two years. I’m a senior journalism major, and though I’m not Jewish, I’m very excited to be reporting on Temple’s Jewish community. I don’t know very much about Judaism, so the next few months will be a learning proccess for me.