Daniel Aldrich: 2010 Jewish Community Heroes Semifinalist

http://www.jewishcommunityheroes.org

Jewish outreach and community development are not Daniel's profession. Rather, they are an avocation and an integral part of his, and his family's, life. Despite his full-time position as a professor in the Political Science Department at Purdue University, Daniel and his wife Yael have managed to create programs and opportunities for Jewish growth serving the Purdue student body as well as the larger West Fayette community. The Aldriches have raised all of the money for their works themselves - they work independently and do not have backing from any major outreach organization. Their openness, hospitality, productivity and enthusiasm would put many Jewish outreach and community development professionals to shame. Through his one-on-one learning programs, weekly classes at Hillel and on campus, and his lectures and talks to various groups at the university, Daniel seeks to spread a love of Torah and Judaism. He encourages unaffiliated Jews to do whatever they can to connect to their Jewish roots, be it putting on tefillin, keeping kosher, attending shabbatons or visiting Israel on Birthright trips. He has brought in Torah scholars from Israel - such as Rabbi Shaya Karlinsky - to speak to the community, and has taken students to weekend Shabbatons in Chicago. Daniel and Yael open their home every Shabbat to all Jews in the area, and the Aldrich household serves as a Jewish social hub, connecting young local Jews with their peers.

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Nonprofits & Activism

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