Nov 18, 2005 -- The place to be at the 2005 UJC General Assembly global Jewish Marketplace in Toronto was Yeshiva University’s booth, where delegates played “Jewpardy.” The GA, the largest gathering of Jewish professional and lay leaders, took place Nov. 13-15. Photos from the GA can be found here. A take-off on the popular long-running quiz show "Jeopardy," the exhibit challenged participants to answer Jewish trivia questions covering topics from Jewish recipes to Jewish geniuses, and Biblical figures to comedians, on a mock set with the familiar jingle playing in the background. Another section of the booth included a Shabbat table inviting people to join YU students in discussions of Jewish interest, replicating conversations that take place in Jewish homes on Shabbat. Participants at "Jewpardy" included Jewish communal leaders Avraham Infeld, director of Hillel International; Eli Rubenstein, national president of the Canadian Friends of Yeshiva University; Ruth Messinger, director of American Jewish World Service (AJWS); Mark Wilf, UJC national campaign chairman; and Emmy Award-winning actor and writer Ben Stein, who addressed the opening plenary. Delegates hovered around the YU exhibit and got into the spirit of the game, cheering the players on as they competed for virtual dollars. “Our students brought their unique brand of enthusiasm and activism to the GA and represented Yeshiva University in the best possible light,” said YU President Richard M. Joel. “It is also important that our students understand the breadth of the Jewish community and the dynamics of the federation system and its contributions to Jewish life.” This year’s effort was led by Rabbi Moshe Bellows and Rabbi Josh Joseph from YU’s Center for the Jewish Future (CJF). Rabbi Bellows, director of social and leadership training at CJF, recruited and trained more than 40 students to showcase the best of YU and to appreciate the diversity of Jewish life. The group included 10 Presidential Fellows and several semikhah (rabbinical) students. Rabbi Josh Joseph, director of special projects at CJF, conceptualized “Jewpardy” and helped plan special student activities. Also attending and leading GA sessions were Rabbi Kenneth Brander, dean of CJF; Rabbi Jacob J. Schacter, senior scholar at CJF and University Professor of Jewish History and Jewish Thought at YU; and Rabbi Ronald Schwarzberg, director of Jewish career development and placement at the CJF. Rabbi Schwarzberg was elected chairman of the Rabbinic Cabinet of UJC at the GA, which has a membership of 1,000 rabbis. Dr. David J. Schnall, dean of the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration, participated in a session on conflict administration. “YU’s presence at the GA reinforced the importance of our mandate to help build Klal Yisrael [the Jewish community] and to interact with the larger Jewish community with mutual respect and tolerance,” said Rabbi Brander in addressing the students. Students met privately with GA North American Chair Joe Kanfer and UJC National Campaign Chair Mark Wilf. Both leaders spoke of the importance of giving back to the community regardless of what career paths they chose. “I felt privileged to have access to leaders of this caliber. It enhanced our entire experience at the GA and solidified my decision to go into communal service and that this is the path for me,” said Michal Kalinsky, a junior at Sy Syms School of Business. “It makes me feel more exhilarated about my career choice.” Prior to the official opening of the GA, YU students spent Shabbat with 350 Hillel students from around the nation. Friday Shabbat services were led by Menachem Menschel, a senior at Yeshiva College, at the Orthodox minyan. Throughout Shabbat there were sessions geared to YU and Hillel students. On Motzei Shabbat the group met with Susan Jackson, one of Canada’s leading outreach and community development professionals, and David Koschitzky, a prominent Canadian lay leader. “The GA provided me with an excellent opportunity to meet young student leaders from around the world and engage in open dialogue on subjects of mutual interest,” said Michael Rosman, a Presidential Fellow. “Additionally, YU’s student contingent raised awareness about what YU has to offer the Jewish community at large.”