Letter to parents from Hillel member Hannah Rothman

Dear Parents,

My name is Hannah Rothman and I am a rising senior here at Wake. I am from the Riverdale-Kingsbridge section of the Bronx in New York City, and was raised an orthodox Jew. The decision to come to Wake Forest was the most difficult decision I have ever made. I knew that I wanted a change, but had no idea how drastic that change would be. Moving from a very Jewish neighborhood to a campus without a synagogue in walking distance was a huge step for me. There were adjustments I had to make that I am not sure I was prepared for. In retrospect, coming to Wake Forest was the best decision I have ever made.

Here, I have had the blessing of lending to the growth of Hillel. Had I gone to a school with a very large student population, I question how much I would have clung to my Jewish heritage. The difference between the Jewish students involved in Hillel here compared with the Jewish students involved with Hillel on other campuses is that the Jewish students here at Wake, absolutely love to be Jewish and are willing to go out of their way to help other Jewish students and observe Jewish customs and traditions.

Next year I will be residing in Polo Hall, which is an upperclassmen dormitory in a townhouse style arrangement. I will be the first student on campus to have a full fledged kosher kitchen that I cannot wait to share with other Hillel members. I look forward to sharing Shabbat dinners and mentoring younger Jewish students.

Like many other campuses, the Jewish students at Wake Forest are true campus leaders. In past years we have had top students in the Sociology department, pre-medical field, and Calloway school for business and accountancy. This year we have students who are in charge of freshmen recruitment and campus tour guides, active President's Aides, the Vice President of recruitment for the Pan Hellenic Council, the President of HOPE (an organization for helping children overcome disabilities), and officers in the Intramural sports programs on campus.

We would be thrilled to have your son/daughter join us as Hillel continues to grow in size and dominance on campus.

We hope to see you as a Demon Deacon come fall of 2011!

B'hatzlacha
In good luck,

Hannah Rothman