Guest Column: Celebrating, educating on Jewish history during Jewish Heritage Week
Courtesy of Aubrey MacIntosh. Central Michigan University Hillel President Aubrey MacIntosh (left) talks to Holocaust Remembrance Day Speaker Irene Miller and CMU President Neil MacKinnon during Jewish Heritage Week.
Aubrey MacIntosh
President of Hillel at CMU
Hillel at Central Michigan University had the honor of collaborating with the university to host the 3rd annual Jewish Heritage week that took place from Jan. 27 until Jan. 31. In these five days, Hillel shared Jewish history, culture, tradition, celebration and community service with the campus.
Hillel is run by the Chapter President (Aubrey MacIntosh), Vice President of Educational Programing (Ethan Olds), Vice President of Engagement (Ryley Steuer), Vice President of Social Programing (Hannah Wormsley), and their advisers from the Hillel Campus Alliance of Michigan.
Wormsley created the graphic design and assisted with our marketing. Olds assisted with marketing and event coordination. Steuer assisted with photography and event coordination. MacIntosh lead business operations and collaboration on Jewish Heritage Week.
Members of CMU Hillel pose with Central Michigan President Neil MacKinnon during the Soup and Substance event held by CMU Hillel at the University Center Rotunda, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. Central Michigan Hillel President Aubrey Macintosh (left of President MacKinnon) gave opening and closing statements at the event. (CM-Life | Mark Hoover)
On Monday Jan. 27 was Holocaust Remembrance Day. Holocaust Survivor and Speaker Irene Miller shared her story to over a hundred people on our campus.
On Tuesday, Hillel collaborated with Central Paws for our Mitzvah project where we made dog toys and blankets to donate to our local shelter. This event was planned by Steuer.
On Wednesday Hillel hosted their “Jews in Hollywood” event where MacIntosh gave a presentation about the Jewish Impact in the entertainment industry. She also performed her own Klezmer composition titled “Celia Lena” that was named after her Bubby (grandma) with her colleagues Hannah Loiselle and Aidan McLaughlin.
On Thursday there was a Shakshuka cooking class where students learned how to make this dish with our chapters Israel fellow.
On Friday, Hillel hosted a campus wide Shabbat dinner to end the week.
Our chapter's goal is to create a sense of community and belonging for Jewish students and their peers. In a time where antisemitism is at an all time high on college campuses, it meant a lot to our members that the university and our community showed up to support us.
As the Hillel chapter president, it is my mission to ensure that nobody feels alone and that students know they have a community that supports them. That is why planning Jewish Heritage Week is incredibly important to me.
Hillel at Central Michigan is looking forward to continuing to educate and celebrate the rich Jewish History with our campus. We would like to thank President MacKinnon for his effort and support in ensuring that Jewish students feel seen and heard on our campus. We would also like to thank the support of our advisers, Central Michigan University and our community. To everyone involved, we could not have done this without you.
