Hillel JUC puts God on Trial, wins award

It all started by putting God on Trial.

When Carnegie Mellon University student Rachel… It all started by putting God on Trial.

When Carnegie Mellon University student Rachel Svinkelstin organized an event to illuminate the differences between various religions, she knew she was taking a risk.

“The idea was to break down stereotypes about Hillel,” said Svinkelstin, board president of CMU’s Hillel chapter. She organized the God on Trial event, an interfaith program that brought students of eight different religions together for a discussion about spirituality.

She never expected that risk to lead to an accolade, when Hillel International awarded the 2004 Joseph Meyerhoff Prize for Excellence in Jewish Education to the Hillel Jewish University Center of Pittsburgh.

“It was quite an honor,” said Aaron Weil, executive director of Hillel JUC. “This is an award that helps set the standard for Jewish education.”

The award was presented to Hillel at the end of the Hillel International Professional Staff Conference in Stamford, Conn. On Dec. 21., Hillel JUC was chosen from approximately 500 other Hillel programs throughout the world.

Weil said the award has put their program in the spotlight for the next year.

“People will be paying a lot of attention to what’s going on here now,” he added. “They’re looking for trends for the next generation in Jewish education.”

The God on Trial program was held at CMU, though the event was open to other students from the region. Svinkelstin contacted several different religious leaders from the community to represent varying faiths.

The program allowed the audience to “challenge” God with their personal issues concerning religion. Svinkelstin said topics ranged from favoritism to abandonment.

“God was acquitted, thank God,” she added with a laugh. “We would have had to have a retrial.”

She hopes the publicity garnered from the award will encourage others to take similar risks.

“We put God on trial — what Jew would do that?” she asked.

Weil said he is excited about the possibilities opening up for Hillel in the coming year.

“This year’s board has some big shoes to fill,” he said. “I hope they stretch the shoes for the next generation.”