Hillel Foundation, Rhode Island Chapter (Mss. Gr. 159)

Series 1. Board of Trustees
Box 1, Folder 1-14
The Board of Trustees series contains records generated by the governing board of the B'nai B'rith Hillel Foundation at URI. The Board serves to advise and consult in Hillel operations, receives regular reports on the progress of Hillel programs, and determines policies governing the budget and personnel of URI Hillel. The Board also functions as a liaison between the Rhode Island Jewish community and Jewish students and faculty at URI.

The Board has been comprised of members appointed by the Jewish Federation of Rhode Island, the Jewish Community Council of South County, and various chapters of the B'nai B'rith organization, as well as the URI Hillel Director and URI faculty and student representatives.

Materials in this series include records of the Board's Annual Meetings, which include the announcement of incoming officers and the annual awards ceremony. The general Board of Trustees files include correspondence, scattered meeting minutes and financial reports, and versions of the Board's constitution and by-laws. Records have been arranged alphabetically by folder title and chronologically within folders.

Series 2. Hillel Director
Box 1, Folder 1-23
The Hillel Foundation of URI hired its first full-time Director in 1968. The director oversees the management of Hillel activities, advises the Student Board, serves as a representative to the Board of Trustees, and serves as the Jewish chaplain on campus.

The bulk of the material in this series consists of the records of Rabbi Chaim Casper, Director of URI Hillel from 1980-1986. Comprised primarily of correspondence on a variety of topics, ranging from the management of Hillel activities to activism on the behalf of Ethiopian Jews, Rabbi Casper's records provide considerable insight into the functions of the Hillel director, the development of URI Hillel as an organization, and the concerns of the Jewish community on campus.

The records of the following director, Rina Sky Wolfgang, include correspondence, memos, scattered meeting minutes with notes, and copies of a personal Wolfgang family newsletter. Director Wolfgang also kept a file of newspaper clippings pertaining to her tenure with Hillel.

The records of Director Guy Bermel consist primarily of agenda, meeting minutes, and notes. His records for 1995 to 1997 include financial statements from 1994.

The records are arranged alphabetically by director's last name and chronologically within folders, with the exception of Rabbi Casper's records, which are arranged alphabetically by subject and chronologically within folders.

Series 3. Student Board
Box 3-4, Folder 1-25
The Student Board is comprised of elected student leaders who generate and oversee Hillel programs and activities and represent Hillel to the broader campus and Jewish communities. These records include scattered meeting minutes and election materials. The folder titled "General Materials" contains various memos, notes, and signed copies of a statement of Student Board members' responsibilities.

A considerable portion of this series consists of the records of Robyn Witten, the Student Board President from 1992 to 1993. These records include Witten's notes and materials pertaining to Student Board meetings and the development of Springfest, the Purim Carnival.

Records have been arranged alphabetically by subject and chronologically within folders.

Series 4. Subject Files
Box 4-10, Folder 1-128
This series consists of files pertaining to various aspects of the function and activities of URI Hillel. The records reflect Hillel's development as an institution at URI, including the accreditation process and versions of the constitution and by-laws, and provide information about a variety of Hillel's programs, such as Passover and High Holiday observance, Holocaust awareness programs, and various lecture series and cultural events. Information about various donation and scholarship funds is also included. The Subject Files also contain evidence of URI Hillel's connection with other Jewish organizations in Rhode Island, including the Jewish Federation of Rhode Island and the Jewish Community Council of South County.

Also of interest is the documentation of various aspects of Jewish life on campus supported by URI Hillel, including the institution of a kosher meal plan and the development of two courses in Jewish studies, Letters 151D and 151F, taught by Hillel Director Rina Sky Wolfgang. Overall, the Subject Files series provides a sense of the breadth of URI Hillel's involvement in Jewish life on campus and within the community.

The records have been arranged alphabetically by subject and chronologically within folders.

Additional information about URI Hillel's programs can be found in Series V, Programs.

Series 5. Programs
Box 11-13, Folder 1-18
The Programs series consists of materials reflecting the programs and activities offered by URI Hillel during each school year. The records include calendars and announcements of events, informational letters and brochures, promotional fliers for lectures, dances, fundraising events, and Student Board elections. A brief history of URI Hillel appears in the folder for 1993-1994. This series gives an vivid sense of the range of programs offered by Hillel and the role that the organization came to play in campus life.

Some of the materials in this series were originally arranged in folders labeled "Original Photocopies." These materials were removed from these folders and integrated into the chronological records.

The records have been retained in chronological order within each folder.

Series 6. Financial
Box 13-16, Folder 1-26
This series contains the financial records of URI Hillel, from its inception as the Jewish Activities Council to its development into a more complex organization. The records include materials relating to the budget and the allocation of funds, including an assessment by the Allocations Task Force of the Jewish Federation of Rhode Island. Monthly financial reports and financial ledgers are also included.

The materials are arranged alphabetically by type and chronologically within folders.

Series 7. Publicity
Box 16-17, Folder 1-18
This series includes materials relating to URI Hillel's publicity for its programs and events as well as its monitoring of local and national news media coverage of topics of Jewish interest. The folders entitled, "Cigar Ads and Publicity" contain notices and articles pertaining to Hillel events and activities published in the campus newspaper, The Good 5 Cent Cigar and in other local news media, including The Providence Journal, the Rhode Island Jewish Herald, and the Jewish Federation Voice.

Folders labeled "Newspaper Clippings and Press Releases" include articles clipped from various local and national publications relating to both Hillel events and subjects of Jewish interest. Press releases about URI Hillel events sent to area newspapers are also included.

Materials have been arranged chronologically within folders.

Series 8. Publications
Box 17, Folder 1-3
This series consists of issues of newspapers published by URI Hillel. Both A Nickel Stogie and a later publication, Ha 'Eton, served as vehicles for publicizing Hillel events and as a forum for Hillel members to write about local, national, and international matters of Jewish interest.

Copies of A Nickel Stogie (1980-1986, incomplete) have been bound and are available in the University Archives, call number LD 4706 .A8 N5