Lenny Steinberg-Of Oregon's Hillel

 Nadene Goldfoot                                              

Yesterday morning, a University of Oregon student found flyers on campus with the photo of Lenny Steinberg, Executive Director of Oregon Hillel, calling him an "enemy of the people" and falsely accusing him of supporting genocide and demanding "Hillel off campus." This direct attack on a Jewish communal professional is unacceptable. First, he is mixing false reports of political news about Israel with the religious beliefs of Judaism which Hillel is concerned with.  He is using Steinberg as the scapegoat for all his problems of high gas prices and food prices. 

 The U of O's directive about Steinberg may be coming from their President,  Karl Scholz, who serves as the institution's 19th president.

All Oregonians should be deeply disturbed by this. Hillel is a home for Jewish students, a place to gather for Shabbat, celebrate holidays, find community, build lifelong friendships, and, most of all, spread Jewish joy. When that home and the people who lead it become targets of open hostility, the message to Jewish students on campus is unmistakable.

Hillel International is the largest Jewish campus organization in the world, serving hundreds of thousands of students across more than 850 colleges and universities. 

We are grateful to those who have spoken out already, including strong words from Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, and Congresswoman Val Hoyle who together posted: “Antisemitism continues to rise in Oregon, and we call on all Oregonians to reject it strongly. Our state has stood up against hate time and again and must do so now. Hate, intimidation, and antisemitism have no place on our college campuses, in our state, or our country.” 

Hillel:  Mission and History

Founded: Established in 1923 at the University of Illinois by Rabbi Benjamin Frankel.  Mission: To enrich the lives of Jewish undergraduate and graduate students so they may enrich the Jewish people and the world. Scope: Operates chapters globally (including the U.S., Canada, and other countries) to build inclusive communities.

• Hillel is stronger than ever. We measure our strength by our growth and impact in supporting Jewish college students — not by the off-base assessment of one of thousands of former Hillel staffers. The figures here are clear: This past academic year, we set a new record for the number of students we engage in Jewish life—189,000—for the third year in a row. Jewish students are coming to Hillels in droves because Hillel has unique expertise in delivering joyful, meaningful, and inclusive Jewish experiences; in fostering welcoming and warm Jewish communities; and in protecting Jewish students when they encounter anti-Jewish hate, bias, and discrimination.
• We have a clear and compelling vision for moving forward: Contrary to Tolle’s assertions that the Hillel movement is lacking direction, our 2025-2028 strategic plan clearly expresses our roadmap for ushering in a bold new era of Jewish belonging on campus — growing Jewish joy and connection, addressing antisemitism and promoting Jewish pride and resilience, and catalyzing the largest-ever cohort of new community leaders in Jewish history. 

The bottom line is that our mission, our values, and our work with Jewish students on

our values, and our work with Jewish students on campus every day are the best response to the many distortions in many articles and TV reports.   Such misrepresentations will not distract us from the critical work we are doing across our movement every day to foster vibrant Jewish life on campus, and strengthen the Jewish people today and for the future.
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                           oregonhillel

 

We’re excited to announce and warmly welcome Lenny Steinberg as our next Executive Director, starting on June 24th. As we conclude what has been a challenging year for Jewish students on campus, we couldn't be more excited for the fresh energy, leadership, and vision he brings to our community.

Lenny will be returning to the Hillel community, as he started his career as a Program Associate for Hillels of the Florida Suncoast. Since then, Lenny has gone on to cultivate extensive expertise as a nonprofit professional, especially within the Jewish communal world. He has served in roles with the Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee with their Teen Leadership Mission to Israel, Mittleman Jewish Community Center, Alzheimer's Association of Oregon and Southwest Washington, and most recently Alpha Epsilon Pi.

At the same time, we wish to extend our deepest gratitude to Interim Executive Director Andy Gitelson, who has led our community for the past 12 years.

I want to share these comments from Lenny with you:
“I am honored to return to the Hillel community, this time in
Oregon, where I feel a deep personal connection to what the
organization is doing for Jewish students during a tenuous
time. Engaging with students has been among the highlights of
my career, and it is extremely meaningful to return to this work
by continuing to foster a vibrant, thriving community for future
generations on Oregon Hillel’s campuses.”

As well as words from Adam Lehman, President and CEO of Hillel International: “Lenny’s deep experience in the Jewish communal space has been remarkable, and I know he will be a tremendous asset in his new role at Oregon Hillel. We could not be more excited to welcome him back to the Hillel community during a particularly challenging time for Jewish students across the country.”

As we continue building a vibrant, thriving community for future generations on our campuses, we know Lenny’s leadership will be invaluable.
Please join us in extending a warm welcome to Lenny along
with his wife, Megan, and dog, Mojo, as we embark on this
new journey together
Some History: Original Hillel: Hillel the Elder; of Babylon, founder of "the
House of Hillel school of Tannaim"d: 10 CE. Rabbi Hillel the 
Elder's three famous maxims (from Pirkei Avot 1:14) are:

• "If I am not for myself, who will be for me?" (Emphasizing self-respect and personal responsibility)
"If I am only for myself, what am I?" (Emphasizing community, empathy, and responsibility to others)
"And if not now, when?" (Emphasizing immediate action and living with purpose without delay)
The golden rule in Judaism is famously formulated by the 
first-century sage Hillel the Elder as: "What is hateful to 
you, do not do to your fellow man; that is the whole Torah, 
all the rest is commentary." 


Students can be proud to belong to Hillel, named for a famous Rabbi in Jewish literature/History.  

Resource:
Instagram
https://www.hillel.org/college/university-of-oregon/#:~:text=Established%20in%201923%2C%20Hillel%20International,200%2C000%20college%20students%20each%20year.
The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia

The Son of Solomon; Rehoboam of Judah

 Nadene Goldfoot                                            

Rehoboam, King of Judah (933--917 BCE) son of Solomon by his Ammonite wife, Naamah. He was also the grandson of King David, and he served as the last monarch of the United Kingdom of Israel and the first king of the southern Kingdom of Judah at age 41.  

Reign Duration: Ruled for 17 years in Jerusalem (approx. 931–913 BCE).
Family: Married 18 wives and 60 concubines, fathering 28 sons and 60 daughters. Four of his wives were:
Mahalath: She was Rehoboam's cousin, the daughter of David’s son Jerimoth and Abihail (the daughter of Eliab, Jesse's son). She bore him three sons: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham. 
Maacah: She was Rehoboam's favorite wife (the granddaughter or daughter of Absalom). She bore him four children: Abijah (who succeeded him as king), Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith.
Abihail: Listed in 2 Chronicles 11:18 as the mother/grandmother in Mahalath's lineage, though some interpretations view Abihail and Mahalath's lineage details as overlapping or representing another relative tied to Jesse's family. 
Naamah: She was an Ammonite woman and one of his wives (frequently noted as his wife and the mother of his successor, though sometimes categorized specifically as his mother in other early contexts).
                            Good Works
King Rehoboam did several practical and military actions that helped protect and consolidate the southern kingdom of Judah, though his reign was also marked by spiritual decline. 
• Fortified 16 Cities: He built and reinforced 16 defensive stronghold cities across Judah and Benjamin (including Bethlehem, Lachish, Hebron, and Zorah) to protect against invasions and civil war. 
Stockpiled Military Supplies: He placed military commanders, food, oil, wine, shields, and spears in these fortified cities to make Judah physically secure. 
Obeyed God’s Command to Avoid Civil War: When he mustered an army of 180,000 men to attack the rebellious northern tribes, he listened to the prophet Shemaiah and called off the war, accepting the division as coming from God. The Event with Shishak (2 Chronicles 12): When King Shishak of Egypt marched against Jerusalem with a massive army, Shemaiah the prophet came to King Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah. Rather than telling them not to fight, Shemaiah delivered the message that God had allowed Shishak to attack because Judah had abandoned Him.[They had started to worship like the northern tribes were doing.] When the king and leaders humbled themselves, God told Shemaiah that He would not completely destroy Jerusalem.
Provided a Refuge for the Faithful: As the northern king Jeroboam set up idolatry, priests, Levites, and faithful worshippers from across Israel fled south to Jerusalem, strengthening Judah's religious foundation for the first three years of his reign.
Humbled Himself in Crisis: When Pharaoh Shishak of Egypt invaded Jerusalem, Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah humbled themselves upon prophetic warning, which averted the total destruction of the kingdom.
                       Cutting Israel In Half

 As a result of his refusal to accede to a popular demand for relief from taxation, the kingdom split in two shortly after his crowning, with only the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and most of Benjamin remaining loyal to him.  

     Pharaoh Shishak depicted on a limestone Stele:  Limestone: The famous fragment of Sheshonq I's victory stele found at Megiddo is carved from limestone.  Shishak (identified with Pharaoh Shoshenq I) ruled Egypt in the 10th century BCE (circa 945–924 BCE). Jewish history is based on knowledge from the Torah and differs slightly from common eras for other places. Here, Rehoboam and Shoshenq share the very same era.   

Long before Rehoboam took the throne, Shishak acted as an astute political opportunist. He granted political asylum to Jeroboam, a capable leader who had fled from King Solomon. By protecting Jeroboam, Shishak maintained a powerful tool to destabilize the United Kingdom of Israel. Upon Solomon’s death, Jeroboam returned to lead the northern tribes in rebellion against Rehoboam, permanently fracturing the nation into the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah.  

Rehoboam’s harsh leadership choices alienated ten of the twelve tribes, leaving him with a vastly diminished and weaker Southern Kingdom (Judah). Shishak waited until the civil divide was finalized and struck in the fifth year of Rehoboam's reign. Recognizing that Rehoboam could no longer rely on the military forces or resources of a united Israel, Shishak launched a massive invasion.                                    

      I Kings 14-25-2;  2 Chronicals 12-2-, Libyo-Berber Ancestry: Pharaoh Shishak was of Meshwesh (Ancient Libyan) descent. The Meshwesh were a Libyco-Berber tribal group from North Africa who settled in the eastern Nile Delta. In ancient Egyptian art, populations from this North African and Mediterranean region were typically depicted with lighter, olive, or tan skin tones compared to the deeply pigmented complexions of populations further south, such as the Nubians

Pharaoh Shishak of Egypt exploited the opportunity to invade the country and plunder the Temple in the fifth year of his reign.  Pharaoh Shishak of Egypt invaded Judah and plundered the treasures of the Temple and the royal palace. 

        Notice:  Libya=PUT;  Ethiopia-CUSH, Jordan= AMMON, 

 Shishak marched out of Egypt with an immense multi-national coalition composed of 1,200 chariots, 60,000 horsemen, and countless allied troops, including Libyans and Kushites. He rapidly conquered Rehoboam’s outer ring of fortified defense cities with little to no resistance before advancing straight to the capital city of Jerusalem. 

4. Plundering the Wealth of Solomon

Instead of destroying Jerusalem completely, Shishak leveraged his military superiority to extort the young king. Rehoboam and his leaders humbled themselves, electing to surrender their massive wealth to survive. Shishak stripped and looted: 

The treasures of the House of the Lord (Solomon's Temple).
The treasures of the royal palace.
The famous gold shields crafted during Solomon’s wealthy golden age (which Rehoboam was forced to replace with cheap bronze replicas). 

 Reducing Judah to a Vassal State

Religious Decline: Although he initially fortified cities and supported the southern tribes, he later turned away from God's commands and practiced idolatry.  King Rehoboam practiced idolatry by leading the kingdom of Judah to build high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree, and by allowing male cult prostitutes in the land.

Pagan Shrines and Altars: The people of Judah built high places, sacred pillars (massebot), and Asherim (wooden poles or images dedicated to the goddess Asherah).
Immoral Ritual Practices: Judah engaged in the same repulsive and degraded acts as the nations that God had driven out before them, including the presence of male cult prostitutes (kadeshim).  This tells us what the previous countries had been into religiously.  

                        Naamah, an Ammonite princess
Family and Generational Influence: Rehoboam's mother was Naamah the Ammonitess, and his father, King Solomon, had previously turned his own heart away from God by marrying foreign wives who introduced foreign deities into the kingdom.  It had been his way of keeping the peace and not having to fight against those countries. David, his father, had done all the fighting.   
Divine Judgment: Because of this widespread apostasy, God allowed King Shishak of Egypt to invade Judah and plunder the treasures of Jerusalem.