Dollars at Work

Jewish Identity & Community, Israel Education & Civic Engagement

“The conference taught me the importance of partnering with groups to eradicate and defend other groups from hate. I am very excited to use what I learned to help repair the world.”
– Benjamin Schoenfeld
SUNY New Paltz, 2018

In early October 2016, our Combat Hate Conference brought more than 50 undergraduates to Philadelphia, PA. Attendees heard from community leaders, activists and academics about coalition building between chapters and other student organizations and making a positive impact on campus. They also learned techniques to combat anti-Semitism, racism and anti-Israel sentiment on campus through the examination of past instances of overcoming hate.
“Shabbat Across AEPi brought our two chapters closer together and left us with a heightened sense of Jewish pride and community. We really appreciate USF Hillel and AEPi International for all they do to help our chapters grow in strength and numbers.” – Jesse Davidson (South Florida, 2017)

Each year, the Shabbat prior to Founders Day is celebrated by brothers all around the world. In 2016, more than 100 chapters participated. The University of South Florida (Psi Phi) and the University of Tampa (Tau Alpha) chapters hosted their Shabbat dinner together at the USF Hillel center.

Two separate program tracks were offered at the 2016 Hineni Jewish Identity Enrichment Conference: Jewish Identity and Tikkun Olam. Attendees in the Jewish Identity track reflected on their Jewish identity and discovered ways to strengthen their chapter’s connection to Judaism. The Tikkun Olam track empowered undergraduate brothers to take the values of AEPi and the Jewish people into their community to help the less fortunate while making their community a better place.

Individual brothers are awarded Israel education and advocacy training scholarships to attend conferences and educational programs in Israel.

One of AEPi’s newest initiatives, the second annual Israel Summit program, brought more than 100 North American brothers to Washington, D.C. to discuss Israel engagement on their respective college campuses in January 2016.

AEPi is dedicated to Jewish identity and Israel education unlike any other organization
in the fraternal world. Today, AEPi is the world’s largest membership organization
for Jewish college students.

As chapters celebrate the holidays throughout the year, they are provided Jewish identity micro-grants to host holiday programs such as Shabbat dinner, Chanukah celebrations and Passover Seders. In 2016, 90 chapters participated in Sukkot programs.

On Yom HaShoah, our undergraduate brothers silently walk in a line around their campuses wearing signs reading “Never Forget” as a part of the We Walk to Remember program, which honors the memories of all lost in the Holocaust.

Jewish and Leadership Programming Department (JLPD)
Dedicated to working with the chairmen for Israel Engagement, Jewish Identity and Philanthropy, the JLPD department has expanded yet again for the 2016-2017 academic year.

Joshua Sushan (DePaul, 2016) Director of Leadership Development
Zach Schenk (IDC, 2015) Jewish Programming Associate
Ben Nachtigal (URI, 2016) Jewish Programming Associate
Garrett Heller (Houston, 2016) Jewish Programming Associate
Jason Selby (Oregon, 2016) Israel Engagement Associate

The Communications department handles both internal and external communication and marketing for the fraternity and welcomed a new associate for the 2016-2017 academic year.
Perry Chencin (Florida Gulf Coast, 2016) – Communications Associate

Our High School Engagement department aims to build a bridge between high school and college for Jewish students. The HSED added a new associate for the 2016-2017 academic year.

Scott Magat (James Madison, 2016) – High School Engagement Associate

In the quest to develop tomorrow’s Jewish leaders, AEPi strives to provide our brothers with the most innovative and best-in-class leadership development and educational opportunities available. Thanks to support from donors like you, we are able to do just that.

More than 700 undergraduates and alumni from around the world attended AEPi’s 103rd International Convention in Fort Lauderdale, FL in August 2016. Scholarships and travel subsidies are provided to brothers to attend this annual gathering.

Thanks to the generous support of Brother Michael Leven (Tufts, 1959), the Leven Leadership Institute prepares our undergraduate brothers for life after college by strengthening leadership and business skills. Read David Shabotinksy’s (IDC, 2017) account of the 2016 Leven Leadership Institute on page 46.

Each spring, AEPi brothers gather on campuses across the United States for weekend long Conclave retreats to further their understanding of the fraternal experience and celebrate their membership in Alpha Epsilon Pi. Check out the 2017 Conclave schedule at www.aepi.org/conclaves.

In fall 2016, our international brothers respectively attended European Conclave in Oxford, U.K. and Canadian Conclave at the University of Guelph. Read more in the AEPi International spread on page 12.

AEPi’s Civic Engagement Initiative hosts summer and winter How to Run a Campaign conferences for brothers looking to learn the intricate workings of running campaigns for student government and how to successfully navigate them.

“From slates to platforms to everything in between, AEPi’s How to Run a Campaign Conference gave me the tools to run a successful campaign. The amount of knowledge I gained in such a small amount of time is incredible.” – Simon Isaac (Brooklyn College, 2018)

Chapter masters gather for regional retreats to discuss leadership methodology, management, strategic planning and community relations.

AEPi’s team of Educational Leadership Consultants provide chapters with workshops on organizational sustainability, fiscal responsibility and educational programming.

Need-based financial aid and merit-based scholarship awards are awarded to brothers seeking undergraduate and graduate degrees.

Educational grants are made for risk management seminars that educate AEPi undergraduates on healthy living while in college.