Students line up to stuff tigers as Mizzou Hillel hosts a “Build a Buddy” event in the MU Student Center on Nov. 18, 2024. Participants selected a tiger and filled it with stuffing and a plush heart. The event allowed students to create stuffed animal companions as the semester approached fall break.
Birth certificates lay surrounded by markers at the Mizzou Hillel “Build a Buddy” event on Nov. 18, 2024 at the MU Student Center. Mizzou Hillel aims to support Jewish undergraduate and graduate students by fostering experiences that enrich not only Jewish communities, but other communities too.A University of Missouri student opens a tiger to add fiber stuffing during the “Build a Buddy” event. The tigers were in such high demand that Mizzou Hillel ran out of stuffed animals in under 20 minutes.Students fill plush tigers with stuffing at the Mizzou Hillel “Build a Buddy” event. Mizzou Hillel works closely with Chabad Jewish Center of MU and Mid-Missoura religious center for Jewish students in Columbia, Missouri.MU sophomore Alex Offutt grabs a fabric heart to add to her stuffed tiger before sealing it closed. Students were able to grab a plush tiger, fill it with stuffing, add a heart, decorate a shirt to add and fill out a birth certificate for their tigers.MU sophomore Emma Swaner decorates a t-shirt to put on her stuffed tiger at the “Build a Buddy” event. Students were encouraged to build a tiger buddy as finals and classes ramped up toward the end of the semester.MU senior Hailey Gold, left, stuffs a tiger with her co-worker. Students from across the MU Student Center joined in on the event as they saw other students creating their plush companions.Students work on various steps of the tiger stuffing process during the event hosted by Mizzou Hillel. “Having a religious community is always super important to me, and [the “Build a Buddy” event] is not just for religious groups, it’s for anyone who wants a cute tiger,” Jewish Student Organization president Aaron Segal said.
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Copy edited by Ethan Palgon and Emma Short | eshort@themaneater.com
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Jack Andersen is an Assistant Graphics Editor and Photojournalist for The Maneater. He is currently working towards his bachelor’s degree in journalism and strategic communication through the University of Missouri Honors School of Journalism with minors in theatre and film studies. When not working in the classroom or newsroom, Jack can be found onstage in Mizzou Theatre productions, hanging out with friends, and covering the many events Mizzou has to offer.
