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Suzy Sostrin, KU Hillel’s Executive Director, was making coffee when I walked into KU Hillel for the first time. She immediately came over to meet me and then introduced me to the other students who were hanging out at Hillel. From that first interaction with a Hillel professional, I felt like I was enough.
“I’m Jewish and I love to run” is the unifying passion shared by each student organizer of Ritzah: The Jewish Running Project. From across the United States and Israel, these enthusiastic runners came together in early 2022 to find ways to lift up other students who were searching for ways to integrate their Jewish identities with their love of running.
For the second year in a row, Hillel International joined BBYO and 3,500 Jewish teens for BBYO International Convention (BBYO IC), the largest BBYO event of the year, which took place over President’s Day weekend in Dallas, Texas.
Hillel taught me what it meant to have a community, a kehillah, that I could count on and trust to never judge me. I learned to find my voice and use it to inspire others. I have begun to trust myself and be proud of who I am and what I do.
Stretching from coast to coast, Hillels are reimagining Shabbat experiences to empower students to connect with Judaism and become Jewish leaders. Their creative efforts offer an alternative to traditional Shabbat services, which involve structured prayer in a synagogue.
Passover has always been our gateway to come together. A way to see how everyone has grown. But as I neared college, I knew that my seder was going to look different. At least temporarily. I needed to give myself space to find new Passover traditions with my Jewish community on campus.
American-Israeli baseball player Zach Weiss played in the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo. Weiss, now a relief pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels, says his experiences as a Jewish athlete go far beyond representing Team Israel in 2020. Here are the highlights from our conversation with Weiss.
At Hillel, I learned to walk into a room as my whole self, never leaving part of my identity behind. I was finally Jewish enough. For so many years, I created walls because I came from an interfaith family. Hillel taught me that my intersectionality was an asset in Jewish spaces, as it taught me to be open-minded, understanding, and compassionate.
More than 2,500 Jewish teens gathered in Baltimore from Feb. 17-20 for BBYO’s International Convention (IC), the organization's first global in-person event in two years. IC serves as the keynote event of the year when teen leaders from 40 countries join together along with educators, thought leaders, philanthropists, and others to celebrate, dream, and take action.
My dad was diagnosed with cancer in April 2019, and I leaned on Syracuse Hillel as I grappled with fears of losing him. Rabbi Goldstein offered compassion and support during weekly chats over coffee. Hillel friends constantly texted me with loving messages. My Jewish community was there for me — every step of the way.
