Noa Kattler Kupetz

Life Editor

With a new name for the new year, the Jewish Life Board “JLife” (formerly known as the Jewish Leadership Board) has made its presence on campus prominent to every student.

This week, JLife is hosting Chag it Out, the second annual Sukkot Arts and Music Festival that takes place in the sukkah’s throughout campus. Collaborating with other student organizations such as Writes of Passage, JLife is aiming to transition Milken into a community where Jewish life is forwardly used as a tool for enhancing the campus experience. The Chag it Out schedule includes performances by student writers, poets, musicians, and DJ Narc.  It also includes a viewing of the spoof movie, “Spaceballs”— all activities planned to utilize Sukkot as a time for joy and togetherness.

Mazkira Arielle Mokhtarzadeh ‘14 has been working closely with JLife secretary Gavi Bernat-Kunin ‘13 and faculty advisor for Jewish life Ms. Mallor, in creating a new collaborative structure to the board. Jlife now has eight members on an executive board, overseeing a group of over fifteen kids who have self-selected a committee they dedicate their time developing.

“We want Jewish life to feel like it’s really interwoven into how we experience time and life at this school,” said Mallor.

The Wishing Tree Project, an idea developed by JLife member Emma Maier ‘14, kicked off the groups high goals of the year by encouraging students to write a short Rosh Hashanah resolution, then collected and hung artistically on a tree by members of JLife. With Chag it Out now in progression as JLiife’s second success of the year, the committees are gearing up for the excitement of their future projects that will include Dubstep and Dreidels for Hannukah, and a Shavuot ice cream fiesta.

“Our goal is to change the attitude towards Judaism on campus from something you have to do, to something you want to do,” said Mokhtarzadeh.

With the determination found in the board members JLife, Milken students will experience a year filled with a stronger force of integration between Judaism and socializing than present on campus before.