The hand-picked ensemble of students, who included Jewish Heritage Programs regulars, Lubavitch House leaders, and members of College Republicans and College Democrats, were escorted Jan. 21 through the White House’s executive office corridors by David Copley. Copley, a 2005 graduate of Penn and a former Pennsylvania state chair of College Republicans, works in the White House Office of Management and Budget.
Penn Students Visit the White House
Washington DC — A select group of 11 Jewish student leaders from the University of Pennsylvania took part in a special tour of the West Wing two weeks ago, thanks to the efforts of a Penn alumnus and Rabbi Levi Haskelevich, associate director of the Lubavitch House at Penn.
The hand-picked ensemble of students, who included Jewish Heritage Programs regulars, Lubavitch House leaders, and members of College Republicans and College Democrats, were escorted Jan. 21 through the White House’s executive office corridors by David Copley. Copley, a 2005 graduate of Penn and a former Pennsylvania state chair of College Republicans, works in the White House Office of Management and Budget.
After the tour, the collegiate delegation attended a meeting with Ron Dermer, Israel’s minister for economic affairs in Washington, himself a Penn graduate.
Taking part in the day’s events was Rabbi Menachem Schmidt, executive director of Lubavitch House and Jewish Heritage Programs.
“We all had a real good time,” said Haskelevich, who visited the West Wing once before in 2005 on a similar outing. “Dave explained every piece of artwork on the wall, all the ins and outs of what’s going on there.
“For me, it was a way to give the students a good time,” he continued, “to give them a perk for being involved.”
