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Rutgers University Hillel used to hold small celebrations for its incoming and outgoing student boards, but the growing amount of leadership opportunities for students has made larger events like the Student Leadership Appreciation Banquet a necessity.

On May 2 at the Cook Campus Center in New Brunswick, Hillel discharged its outgoing board and installed its incoming one, but also honored a multitude of students for their contributions to the organization both this year and throughout their college careers, in addition to recognizing several outgoing Hillel staff members.

"It takes an enormous amount of people to make a community," said Andrew Getraer, Hillel's executive director. "It takes leadership, and it takes a lot of different kinds of people."

"We realized we needed to expand our recognition of students," he said.

Three senior students received special honors at the end of the program. Hilary Neher, who served three semesters as Hillel president, received the Caren B. Heller Award, named after a student president from the 1990s whose peers insisted on naming an award for her. Neher took Rutgers Hillel "to a place where we are recognized nationally as a Hillel," Getraer said.

Sam Master, who attended the Hillel International Leadership Assembly, received the Outstanding Impact Over a College Career award. Master "has been a leadership role model for so many other students, for so many of you here tonight," Getraer said. Lauren Glassman, recipient of the Lax Key Award, specialized in bringing the three Jewish denominations together on campus in creative ways, Getraer said, through Shabbat dinners, Alternative Spring Break, mentoring first year students, and her new student group called Haircuts for Hope. Glassman did all of this with modesty, Getraer said.

"With that kind of humility and that kind of caring, this was a fairly easy choice," Getraer said of giving Glassman the award.

To all other seniors who were recognized, Getraer said "By virtue of the fact that you are here ... I know that you are all going to be the kinds of people in your lives who will be successful."

Reading off the names of students honored in the category of "Outstanding Contributions to the Overall Jewish Community," Rabbi Esther Reed, associate director for Jewish campus life, said the students "really devoted themselves to diverse projects" that ranged from yoga to Yiddish club to various gatherings and occasions.

"You've added to the richness of Jewish life on campus," Reed said. Students honored for "Outstanding Contribution to Publicity" came to Hillel once a week to design "captivating messages" for Hillel's dry erase board outside its building, a board that Reed called "the public face of Hillel" because that's how the general campus community learns about the organization.

The accomplishments of students honored for "Outstanding Commitment to Religious Communities" were important because "Hillel really prides itself on being a pluralistic environment where [students] can express their diverse ways of being Jewish," Reed said. The Conservative community, in particular, grew "both in size and in strength this year" with its services, Shabbat meals, and social events, she said.

Brittne Carlen, Hillel's engagement associate, spoke of the achievements of First Year Impact Fellows, who stoked freshmen's interest in Hillel through creative initiatives like postcards, T-shirts, and a luau program.

"Their devotion, humor, energy, and creativity never cease to amaze me," Carlen said.

Carlen was one of several outgoing Hillel staff members recognized during the program. Student Jessica Falk said that when she first met Carlen at Camp Ramah in Georgia, Carlen made a lasting impression.

"Brittne has a gift that makes everyone around her feel welcome and comfortable," Falk said, adding that Carlen makes Hillel a place where "Jewish students know they can come in and feel at home."

Also leaving Hillel, after three years, are Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus (JLIC) co-educators Rabbi Yisroel and Shoshana Porath, who are moving back to Israel. Through JLIC, a program of the Orthodox Union in partnership with Hillel, Rabbi Porath taught students the importance of being unified as "Am Yisrael" (the nation of Israel), Eretz Yisrael (the land of Israel), and the Torah, student Sammy Sacks said.

"You've shared your Torah with us and we have that connection, that kesher with you," Sacks told Porath.

Student Marianna Federenko said that when she met Shoshana Porath in the summer of 2007, "I knew it was going to be a good semester." The following fall Federenko learned with Shoshana one-on-one, and was also impressed with how she "opened up her home to all of us" on Jewish holidays and other occasions.

"She became not only my teacher, but my friend and also my role model," Federenko said.

Student Matt Nover recognized Jeremy Ruberg, who for two years served as a Jewish Theological Seminary rabbinic intern for Hillel. Nover said Ruberg helped the Conservative community with "putting our ideas into words," and also emphasized Ruberg's energy and enthusiasm.

"Within minutes of meeting someone, he's chatting with them as if he's known them for years," Nover said.

Hillel also recognized a group of new student initiatives over the past year, among them "The Great Debate" over latkes and hamantaschen and the formation of Rutgers United Against a Nuclear Iran. Hillel named Rutgers United Against Hate, a rally organized in response to the appearance of the hate group Westboro Baptist Church on campus last October, as the "Outstanding Event of the Year."

Rather than standing idly by and ignoring Westboro, a tactic used by many of the group's targets, Getraer said Hillel's proactive response was "What can we do? What do you want us to do?" About 1,200 students came out to the 8 a.m. rally. Reed recalled how Neher wisely handled a situation during a community meeting before the rally in which she allowed a vocal opponent of the rally to express his views, while at the same time ensuring that the student didn't prevent others from having a say at the meeting.

The outgoing Hillel student board included Neher (president), Shoshana Smolen and Julia Selznick (vice presidents), Jay Peters (treasurer), Sarah Morrison (secretary), Tali Rasis (Israel chair), Pam Slifer (education chair), Sarah Schanfield and Sharon Ahdout (community service chairs), Kim Schwartzman and Becca Fish (social chairs), Laura Silverman (Shabbat Chair), Mitch Leff and Jessica Bernstein (Kesher/Reform chairs), Nover (Koach/Conservative chair), and Mimi Mendelsohn and Michal Lieblich (Mesorah/Orthodox chairs).

The new Hillel board includes Morrison (president), Schwartzman (vice president), Martelle Spiewak (treasurer), Edye Lang (secretary), Slifer (Israel chair), Nover (education chair), Ilana Beck (community service chair), Danit Weiner and Ellie Mellon (social chairs), Elana Resnick and Shaina Stiefel (Shabbat chairs), Bryce Diamond and Katie Landy (Kesher/Reform community chairs), Juli Goodman and Sam Hollander (Koach/Conservative chairs), and Zeke Pariser (Mesorah/Orthodox community chair).

With the banquet falling on Lag ba'Omer, Getraer explained that the holiday symbolizes the unity of the Jewish people. In that spirit, he told the crowd that through Hillel, they have the ability gather the "disparate sparks of the Jewish soul" and "make an impact on the world that I don't think we will be able to measure."