Texas A&M Hillel is the oldest Hillel Foundation organization in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The organization was founded in 1920, three years before the national Hillel Foundation was organized at University of Illinois. Texas A&M

Texas A&M University

Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...

 Hillel began as the "TAMC Menorah Club" and was organized in 1916 by Dr. Jacob Joseph Taubenhaus

Jacob Joseph Taubenhaus

Dr. Jacob Joseph Taubenhaus, born in Safed, Palestine on October 20, 1884, was Chief of the Division of Plant Pathology and Physiology of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station at the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas from 1916 until his death on December 13, 1937...

 (the chief of plant pathology and physiology

Physiology

Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...

 at the Agricultural and Mechinical College in College Station), and his wife Esther Taubenhaus. In 1920, the group was transformed into the "TAMC Hillel Club" with assistance from David Lefkowitz (rabbi)

David Lefkowitz (rabbi)

Rabbi David Lefkowitz , an historic Texan rabbi, became Temple Emanu-El 's rabbi in 1920. He was rabbi until 1949, when he was replaced by Rabbi Levi Olan. He took a firm stance against the Ku Klux Klan. . The Perkins School of Theology houses the "Sadie and David Lefkowitz Collection of Judaica"...

 of Dallas.

In 1958, Texas A&M Hillel opened up a building of its own. During this period, some members of Temple Freda

Temple Freda

Temple Freda, built in 1912 , is a synagogue located on 205 Parker Street Bryan, Texas.-History:Temple Freda, a part of Brazos County, Texas history, is one of the three oldest religious buildings still in use in Bryan, along with St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church and St. Anthony’s Catholic Church....

 in Bryan, Texas

Bryan, Texas

Bryan is a city in Brazos County, Texas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 76,201. It is the county seat of Brazos County and is located in the heart of the Brazos Valley . It shares its border with the city of College Station, which lies to its south...

 left to attend services at the Hillel building in College Station, Texas

College Station, Texas

College Station is a city in Brazos County, Texas, situated in East Central Texas in the heart of the Brazos Valley. The city is located within the most populated region of Texas, near three of the 10 largest cities in the United States - Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio...

. Presently, Temple Freda's Torah

Torah

Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...

 is under the care of Texas A&M Hillel.

Texas A&M Hillel sponsors campus wide activities such as "Holocaust Week" and interreligious football Sundays, also known as "G-d's Cup." They offer bar mitzvah training, a Hebrew language

Hebrew language

Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...

 class, and a course of study called "Jews-by-Choice (JbC)". Texas A&M Hillel sponsors regular festivals and Shabbat

Shabbat

Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...

services. In November 2007, officers from the “Proactive Police Task Force” of College Station, who were studying under Rabbi Dr. Peter Tarlow

Peter Tarlow

Rabbi Peter E. Tarlow has since 1983 been the executive director of Texas A&M Hillel. He is a scholar in the area of tourism safety, a consultant for the tourism industry, and the founder of "Tourism & More Inc." He works for the city of Arlington, Texas as a security consultant in preparation...

, gave a presentation called “Know Your Rights” in lieu of a Shabbat sermon

Sermon

A sermon is an oration by a prophet or member of the clergy. Sermons address a Biblical, theological, religious, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law or behavior within both past and present contexts...

. Another service in November 2006 was dedicated to a presentation on "the culture

Culture

Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...

 of Hispanic

Hispanic

Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...

 Judaism

Judaism

Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...

." The organizaiton awards two scholarships annually. In 2008, Texas A&M Hillel was asked by a community in the Huánuco Region

Huánuco Region

Huánuco is a region in central Peru. It is bordered by the La Libertad, San Martín, Loreto and Ucayali regions on the north; the Ucayali Region on the east; the Pasco Region on the south; and the Lima and Ancash regions on the west. Its capital is the city of Huánuco.Huánuco has a rough topography...

 of Peru

Peru

Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....

 to come to Peru and help build a synagogue

Synagogue

A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...

.

Rabbi Dr. Peter Tarlow, an expert in tourism security, has been the executive director of Texas A&M Hillel since 1983.