Hillel Ontario

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Dear First Year Me

by | May 1, 2018 | Jewish Life at Ryerson | 0 comments

Dear First Year Noa,

Here are 10 things you should know upon entering your first year of university.

  1. That other new student sitting beside you in class? They’re just as nervous as you are! Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself, and hopefully make a new friend. You can never have enough people to exchange notes with, especially around finals.
  2. Get to know your professors! Just saying hello and thank you at the beginning and end of class is a great way to start. Let them help you do your best, and build that relationship in case you have any problems during the semester. They’re also a great resource when you start exploring what you want to do after you graduate – it happens faster than you think!
  3. That class you’re thinking about skipping? Don’t do it. Get in the habit, from the beginning, of thinking about university as the job you have to do now – you’re a student! You wouldn’t want to skip out on work, don’t skip out on school.
  4. Don’t be afraid to use your connections! University is the best time to start working on those networking skills – your new friends and profs will be more than happy to be part of your journey.
  5. Thinking about studying abroad? Do it! Take this chance to explore a new place, culture and language, with the added bonus of an awesome support structure at your host university.
  6. Get involved! That can be anything from attending an event or joining a planning committee. There are so many amazing organizations both on and off campus who are looking for someone with the skills only you have. Show them what you’ve got!
  7. You know how great pulling an all-nighter looks in movies? It’s almost never worth it. Keeping on top of your workload won’t always be easy, but maybe skip that party the week you have something big due. An amazing teacher of mine once said, better to keep up than to catch up. It’s even more true in university!
  8. Don’t be afraid to ask questions! You aren’t the first person to be  starting university, and you won’t be the last. Learn from the people around you, practice your writing and learn how to reference – it’s a skill you won’t regret.
  9. Not quite sure where you’re heading with your degree (or your life)? Find someone who you look up to! It doesn’t even have to be in the industry you think you’re interested in. People are more generous with their time than you might think – reach out! Worst case scenario, you don’t hear back but in the best case, you get a coffee with someone awesome and you can learn about how they got where they are.
  10. Most importantly, remember how lucky you are to be here! Though it may not always feel that way (read: tests and papers), enjoy this amazing opportunity to totally immerse yourself in your learning, and be a little selfish!
Parshat Vayishlach

Parshat Vayishlach

by | Nov 18, 2021

In this week’s parsha, Parshat Vayishlach, the Torah tells us about the famous story regarding Yaakov and the angel that he fought. One night, Yaakov went to sleep and in his dream, he finds himself fighting someone. The famous commentator Rashi states that this person that Yaakov fought was the angel of Esav, Yaakov’s brother. The fight lasts all night and ends with the angel tearing out Yaakov’s sciatic nerve and then blessing Yaakov, giving him the name Yisrael, because Yaakov struggled with both man and G-d and prevailed. At the end of this portion in the Torah, we are commanded not to eat the sciatic nerve, as a memory of Yaakov’s struggles.

The Sefer HaChinuch, a 13th century Jewish text that discusses the 613 mitzvot in depth, writes that the prohibition against eating the sciatic nerve is a commandment about Jewish survival. When we, as Jewish people, eat kosher food and refrain from eating the sciatic nerve, we are reminding ourselves of the struggles that Yaakov went through and despite all those struggles, he still survived. It is no coincidence that the Jewish people are called Bnei Yisrael, Children of Israel, which was the name that Yaakov was given after fighting with the angel throughout the night. We emulate Yaakov and use his name Yisrael to remind ourselves that despite any struggles, trials and tribulations, we will prevail and survive. Yaakov teaches us how to deal with struggles that we have with other people and with G-d and as long as we remember that we are the children of Israel, we should be blessed with a bright future!
Written by Ilan Shields
A Hillel Summer: Keeping Spirits High

A Hillel Summer: Keeping Spirits High

by | Jul 15, 2021

My name is Stacey Ianco and I am going into my third year at Ryerson’s Ted Rogers School of Management. Hillel has been my home away from home, and has helped me embrace my Jewish culture, enhance my Jewish identity, and meet new people.. 

This year has been like no other we have experienced. Throughout these challenging times, I have felt lucky to have remained connected with my fellow students – especially through my involvement in Hillel. 

Especially given the year we just experienced, Hillel has been vital to my Jewish campus life. That’s why I was so excited to hear that Hillel programming was going to continue during the summer.

Hillels Ryerson, York and UofT teamed up to create the Summer in the 6ix program, and I knew I wanted to participate. 

In addition to receiving some really cool swag, Summer in the 6ix connected me with activities and programming I

 could engage in alongside (virtually) other Jewish students across the GTA. We baked and decorated delicious sugar cookies over a Hillel Zoom meet, sharpened our knowledge and competed with other Hillel students in bi-weekly trivia games, and customized our Hillel t-shirts with tie-dye. In a summer characterized by distancing and separation, Hillel brought me closer to my community.

To be sure, this has been a difficult year for so many reasons. I am so appreciative of all that Hillel does for Jewish students across the province. Especially this year.

I will continue to be an active member of Hillel for all my years of university and the future. Hillel has given me the confidence I need to be a proud Jewish woman and has enhanced my university experience in many ways. 

I look forward to being able to create more special events to include and connect every Jewish student in Ontario for many years to come.

Stacey I., Hillel Ryerson Student Leader

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