Media Credit: Katrina Perry Maggie McCloud weighs out eight ounces of challah bread dough Wednesday afternoon at the Texas Hillel Center for Jewish Life. Challah for Hunger, one of the White Rose Society's programs, allows students to volunteer their time baking challah, an eastern European sweet bread, to raise funds for the American Jewish World Services. The challah bread is sold on the West Mall every Thursday for a minimum donation of five dollars.

Media Credit: Katrina Perry

Editor's note: This is the second part of a series on the many religious centers and places of worship available to students on and near campus.

UT Jewish students baked challah bread in Texas Hillel's kosher kitchen Wednesday afternoon to sell on campus today for charity.

The solid-window exterior of the Texas Hillel Topfer Center for Jewish Life reflects the goal of the individuals who work inside the building, which is to provide a welcoming environment to any UT student, said Hillel Director of Development Scott Kammerman.

"The facility is really great and I love going to study there, but the best part is all of the people who constantly go there and those that come every so often," said government senior Leran Minc. "It's a great meeting place and a really great atmosphere."

There are approximately 4,000 Jewish students at UT, and Hillel reaches about half of them at some point during the school year, Kammerman said. The center is a place for Jewish students to get involved in campus outreach with social activities and weekly services.

The center, located on 21st and San Antonio streets, has served Jewish students on campus since the 1950s, but the new 18,000-square-foot building was finished in February 2006.

"The people who worked on the building of this center desperately wanted it to be open and I love that it is," Kammerman said. "It certainly can't compare to the old building. It's a beautiful building, but the students who come here are the soul."

Kammerman said the center has students from across the board and has grown on its own because students walk by and want to come in.

In a more modest building located a block away from Hillel, at 21st and Nueces streets, the Chabad House strives to be the "leading center" for Jewish life on campus, said Chabad House Rabbi Zev Johnson.

"Our goal is to reach out and affect every Jewish student in a positive way and to show them the warmth and the beauty of the Jewish heritage," he said.

Texas Hillel is a friendly next door neighbor to the Chabad house, Johnson said. They compliment each other and some students go to events at both places.

Johnson and Kammerman said they agree that all students, not just those who are Jewish, are welcome at Hillel and Chabad and each center provides a meal for students who attend their Friday night services.

Johnson said he thinks the services that each provide are similar, but the difference is Chabad has an interactive service with singing and dancing and hosts about 50 students, followed with a homemade meal his wife cooks.

UT nursing sophomore Jen Fagen said she worries about assimilation among Jewish students and a lack of distinction between Jewish and non-Jewish students on campus.

"We believe that no matter where you are, it's always important to educate Jewish people because we are a very small group," said Fagen, who is an outreach coordinator for the Chabad House. "For the religion to be strong, [Jewish students] need to understand their heritage."

Hillel hosts reformed, conservative and orthodox services at the same time in different parts of the building on Fridays for about 150 students, followed by dinner in the "only fully operational kosher kitchen in Austin," Kammerman said.

The conservative service has the largest attendance and there are many more students who come during the high holidays, he said.

"The Jewish community, in devastating and prospering circumstances, has faced imperatives to maintain and preserve our culture, values and religion," said anthropology senior Brandon Chicotsky. "Texas Hillel is our modern day institution of empowerment for the next generation of Jewish citizens around the world to take this imperative and build strength and success."

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