Author: z.benami

This past Thursday I attended the Hillel at Baruch start-up tech fair.  This is an event held in the multipurpose room on the first floor, and was run by the Jewish campus organization known as Hillel.  They brought a bunch of tech-based start-up companies to have a panel discussion regarding their respective companies.  Not only was this an informative event, it also gave students a chance to get their names and resumes out there.  due to the fact that it was held in the multipurpose room, and it was not widely advertised around school, there were not an overwhelming amount of students at this event.  this gave the attendees more of an opportunity to personally connect with the business professionals that were there. Many students were walking around with resumes and cover letters, handing them to representatives at the booths of their companies.  It was an amazing experience, and gave many the chance to meet new business professionals, and possibly leave with an interview for a prospective job or internship.  And on top of all that, what really attracted me, was the food.  Right as we entered, there was a long table filled with tons of kosher food.  There were sandwiches of all different varieties, salads, snacks and refreshments.  That was a huge bonus for me, and was absolutely the deciding factor on wether I was going or not.  But above all, this was an awesome way to experience different career paths and job opportunities, and I now realize a lot more about sectors of business I never would otherwise have given a chance.

 

Today I visited a famous NYC museum known as the Tenement Museum.  This museum happens to be conveniently located, around the corner from my apartment, on Orchard Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.  This museum doesn’t strike you like the Natural History Museum or the beautiful Metropolitan Museum of Art.  I have personally walked right past this museum countless times without knowing what it was.  It is an unassuming five story apartment building right near the Williamsburg Bridge, and I am sure many people, myself included, have never checked it out and understood its significance.  This museum is extremely relevant to all New Yorkers as well as tourists; but there is also an added importance to me due to the fact that it strongly ties into modern Jewish history.  The museum honors, and focuses on the immigrant families that came to NYC from all over the world.  These such families include Chinese immigrants, Puerto Rican immigrants and Jewish immigrants escaping the Holocaust, and coming here to rebuild their lives after the war.  The tour guide explained how awful the conditions were in these buildings.  They crammed around seven thousand immigrant, working class families (half of whom were Jewish) from all different backgrounds into one five story apartment building.  And the tour involves visiting actual apartments from when they were inhabited, as well as in depth insight regarding the vast history that lives in the Lower East Side, and how it was generally a destination for all working class immigrants.  Now that I have begun my college journey at Baruch it seems fitting to be living in an area that has so much history with beginnings and with new adventures.  I highly recommend this museum to anyone looking to gain knowledge about the history of this fine city we live in.

 

 

On Thursday I attended a club at Baruch known as Hillel. This club is a common club found at many, if not most, colleges and universities across the United States.  Its primary focus is to provide a Jewish atmosphere to students.  As I walked in I was greeted warmly from people who I have never met, yet they were eager to meet me and talk to me about school, life and religion.  I was shocked to see the large amount of people stuffed into the small Hillel offices.  Immediately my attention was turned to their vibrant bulletin board filled with activities and events.  They had listed a schedule for the events of the week, including a visit by a famous Israeli musician.  They also had a list of other social and academic clubs that seemed interesting.  I saw a sign for TAMID- a club that works directly with startup companies in Tel Aviv, and I am now extremely interested in learning about TAMID, and potentially joining the club.  Aside from all the events and activities, they had something more important….FOOD!!!  Being a kosher keeping Jew, there are not many options for food close by school, so knowing that Hillel provides free food, as well as purchasable sandwiches is really amazing.  The best part about the Hillel is knowing that I always have a “kosher” place to go hang out, talk and meet new people; it gives me a sense of community and family in such a massive overwhelming setting like college.