ISU Hillel prides itself on being an organization with a family atmosphere.

The ISU Hillel is a Jewish student organization that provides a place for students to become connected and involved within the Jewish community. The organization strives to educate and encourage service at Iowa State. 

“There’s a community here. One that is welcoming and that’s open,” Ben Kollasch, current vice president for ISU Hillel, said.

Kollasch wants to implement his goal of increasing awareness of the organization before he leaves office. 

“[Before I graduate] I want to do something for the whole community,” Kollasch said. “I want to make a presence for the [Jewish] community.” 

It’s a small community, but a close one.

“There [are] just not a lot of Jews in the world,” Kollasch said. 

Both Ashley Heath, the president of ISU Hillel, and Christina Hill, the group’s adviser, nodded at the comment.

“That’s why all the communities are tight-knit,” Hill said. “There’s something special about Ames. Everyone here comes together and takes care of each other.”

Kollasch and Heath were accustomed to being minority students in high school. When they arrived at Iowa State, both were seeking a community within their Jewish faith.

“I went looking for Hillel. I can say that in a heartbeat,” Heath said. “I was always the odd one out. People would talk about going to church on Sundays, and I would be like, ‘I went to my synagogue on Saturday.’”

“I was really excited to have Hillel and that sense of community,” Kollasch said.

Although ISU Hillel only has about 20 members, the energy encircling the group is exciting. Hill, Kollasch and Heath discuss future plans for the organization, including a Hillel house — a possible social with the other Hillel groups in Iowa and the Jewish culture as a whole. 

ISU Hillel meets at 5 p.m. every other Monday in the basement of Hach Hall. The group’s next meeting is this Monday. 

This week’s meeting will be elections for a new executive board, but the meetings aren’t always about business.

“We also just vent,” Heath said.

Hill said that having ISU Hillel isn’t just important for college students, but for the community as a whole.

“[My son] can see Jewish college students as role models,” Hill said. “[He] gets to see other young Jews.”

This semester, ISU Hillel will host events for Passover and social events throughout the term.