News

Building Belonging and Inspiring Leaders at the Florida Student Leadership Gathering

Author

Paige Simunek

Date

February 21, 2025

What happens when you bring together Jewish college students from 10 Florida campuses for a weekend of leadership, bonding, and learning? You get a room full of energy and pride. You get shared moments filled with joy, meaningful connections that spark inspiration, and a renewed sense of purpose for Jewish leadership. Most importantly, you get student leaders who leave feeling deeply connected to their Hillels, confident in their leadership abilities, and ready to shape Jewish life on their campuses.

Recently, 80 Jewish student leaders gathered at the University of Central Florida to build relationships, gain leadership skills, and express their Jewish identities with joy and belonging. These students were each nominated by their campus Hillel to participate in this pilot program from Hillel International that aims to empower student leaders with the skills and relationships to lead effectively, create meaningful experiences for their peers, and foster collaboration across the region. 

With ideas and input from a leadership council that represented eight Florida Hillels, the programming was designed to be interactive and inspired by students. 

One of the most exciting sessions was “Silent Disco Talks” – a new initiative inspired by silent disco parties, but with a leadership twist! Instead of music, when students put on their headphones, they tuned into skill-building workshops featuring experts from across the Hillel community who shared insights into topics like imposter syndrome, leading with strengths, and the power of storytelling and active listening. 

Students then took these lessons into interactive workshops, which gave them a chance to put these new skills to life, feeling empowered and confident. 

In addition to building critical leadership skills, the students learned to strengthen their relationships with each other. And which activity sparks instant collaboration? Escape rooms! 

Students were separated into teams and tasked with getting out of a room within a specific timeframe. Some faced live actors,  some faced challenging puzzles, but every group had to rely on teamwork, communication, and quick thinking to escape. When students returned to the hotel after the escape rooms, laughter and joy echoed throughout the lobby.

Through it all, Jewish learning and leadership values were woven into each of the programs, beginning with a group intention and d’var Torah, or word of Torah, each day. 

One of the student leaders shared a powerful d’var Torah, where he described the challenges that the prophet Moses encountered early in his leadership journey. When Moses voiced insecurity about his leadership abilities due to his speech impediment, God responded by saying that Moses’ brother Aaron would be his spokesperson and partner. The student reflected on how Moses’ story might mirror the experience of leaders today, reminding the group that leadership isn’t about going at it alone, but instead embracing the strengths of those around us. 

“Everyone here in this room today possesses a unique skill set that makes you a leader,” the student said. “But [the Torah] teaches us that true leadership is forged from collaboration. It’s about bringing people together, understanding how working as a team amplifies our individual strengths.”

This gathering of Jewish student leaders was a powerful example of the very idea shared in the d’var Torah:  it came together through the partnership of student leaders, Florida Hillel staff members, and the Hillel International Student Engagement, Experiences, and Leadership team. Participants left with a deep sense of pride in embracing their Jewish identity, and excitement about leadership opportunities on their campuses. Through this weekend together, students built an experience where they each felt empowered and proud to shape Jewish life on campus together.

Paige Simunek is the director of student leadership at Hillel International.

The post Building Belonging and Inspiring Leaders at the Florida Student Leadership Gathering appeared first on Hillel International.

News

BBYO Today, Hillel Tomorrow

Author

Hillel International

Date

February 20, 2025

Over Presidents Day weekend, the Hillel International Student and Alumni Marketing team traveled to Denver, Colorado for BBYO’s International Convention (IC), the largest gathering of Jewish teen leaders worldwide. Over 3,600 high school students from across the country and around the world braved sub-zero temperatures and blizzards to experience several days of learning, leadership training, celebration, and service.

Our favorite moments from the weekend included:

1. Free swag!

Who doesn’t love free Hillel swag?!? We gave out branded tote bags and fanny packs, fuzzy socks, stickers, and more — plus freedom tags to display our continued commitment to bring home the hostages held by Hamas — so students could show off their Jewish and Hillel pride throughout the conference and back home.

2. A Puppy Pawty

We had the joy of partnering with the cutest puppies from Lifeline Puppy Rescue. Students got to spend some quiet time during the conference cuddling with five adorable (and adoptable!) pups. Hillel understands the importance of mental health and wellness, and we hope this was a welcome break for the students and staff who stopped by.

3. Traveling to University of Denver and University of Colorado at Boulder

The Denver area is home to the multi-campus Hillel of Colorado and Hillel at the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU Boulder), which has one of the largest Jewish student populations in the country. The University of Denver Hillel was the perfect location for BBYO to host “The Jewish Kitchen: A Culinary Exploration of Our People,” where students went on a culinary journey through the diverse flavors of the Jewish diaspora with hands-on cooking sessions led by Jewish and Israeli food experts Micah Siva, Skye Estroff, and Jake Goldberg.

And at CU Boulder, Hillel student leaders led campus tours and participated in a panel discussion for nearly 300 BBYO teens where they shared their insights into preparing for college and getting involved with Jewish student life on campus.

4. Connecting seniors to their campus Hillels

As many high school seniors prepare to head off to college in the fall, Hillels on campuses across North America will be ready to welcome them to their Jewish home away from home for the next four years. And as seniors make their college decision, we encourage them to sign up for the Hillel Graduation Giveaway! We also partnered with our friends at the Jewish fraternity AEPi to host a meet and greet for high school seniors with Jewish students from CU Boulder to learn about Jewish life on college campus.

5. Highlighting Hillel’s mission

Two Hillel International Springboard Fellows, Melanie Silver from Hillel at Washington University in St. Louis and Samantha Brody from Boston University Hillel, were invited to speak during a summit on pluralism at the Adult Experience Track of IC. They discussed their work on campus to connect with all kinds of Jewish students by bringing a spirit of genuine openness and inclusivity.

Find your Hillel and learn more about Jewish life on campus at Hillel’s College Decision Hub.

The post BBYO Today, Hillel Tomorrow appeared first on Hillel International.

News

At the Super Bowl Black-Jewish Unity Summit, Connection is the Winner

Author

Hillel International

Date

February 20, 2025

Super Bowl Sunday drew millions of eyes to New Orleans for the biggest football game of the year. That same weekend, at historic Xavier University, well-known athletes gathered with Black, Jewish, and Black and Jewish students for a powerful conversation about their roles in fighting hate. 

This Unity Summit was a continuation of the Black-Jewish Unity Dinner series, created in partnership by Hillel International, the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), and Robert Kraft’s Foundation to Combat Antisemitism (FCAS). These gatherings, now in their second year, bring together Jewish students and students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), to build on the historical bonds between Black and Jewish communities. In doing so, they create opportunities for a new generation of college students to connect, communicate, and build relationships. 

“We know that antisemitism and racism are very real challenges that the Jewish and Black communities face, and by coming together to learn about how we are all impacted, we can work to build a better future. ,” said Dani Levine, director of social impact at Hillel International. “It is crucial that we acknowledge our histories, learn from one another, and unite in our efforts to fight hate and discrimination.”

With a  dedicated focus on the power of college athletes to serve as campus leaders, the Unity Summit included a panel discussion with notable sports and media figures, including, Dearica Hamby, WNBA Champion, two-time WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year, and forward for the Los Angeles Sparks, Nancy Lieberman, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer and two-time Olympian silver-medalist, Leonard Fournette, professional football running back and Super Bowl champion, Greg Joseph, NFL place kicker and one of the only active Jewish players in the 2024 NFL season, and Jake Retzlaff, the first-ever Jewish quarterback to play at Brigham Young University. Some other special guests stopped by throughout the event, including Malcolm Butler, Meek Mill, and Gayle King.

Attendees spent time together in small-group conversations, while on-site content creators created real-time content to share with their communities. More than 100 Black and Jewish college athletes were in attendance, representing Xavier University, Tulane University, Dillard University, and Loyola University.

“Athletes have to come together across difference everyday to work towards a shared goal. Student athletics are some of the most diverse spaces on college campuses, and we were grateful that so many student athletes were able to share their experiences with each other and apply the lessons they’ve learned from the sports world to the important work of fighting bias. ” Levine said. ”

The event also highlighted the special microgrant opportunity offered from Hillel International that invests in the ongoing connections and collaborations between Black and Jewish students. Students who attended the Summit or any Unity Dinner were eligible to receive up to $1,000 in microgrants to host a follow-up event of any kind — the only requirement being that it is organized by at least one Jewish and one HBCU student. 

As of February 2025, Unity Dinners have engaged hundreds of students throughout Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Houston, and New Orleans. We’re excited to continue the series later this year with students from across the country. Learn more about past Unity Dinners.

The post At the Super Bowl Black-Jewish Unity Summit, Connection is the Winner appeared first on Hillel International.

News

Nearly One-Third of American Jewish College Students Feel Faculty Members Have Promoted Antisemitism or Learning Environments Hostile to Jews: New Survey

Author

Hillel International

Date

February 18, 2025

Survey also found 43% of Jewish college students avoided expressing their views about Israel on campus or to classmates because of fears of antisemitism 

Nearly one-third (32%) of American Jewish college students report feeling that faculty on their campuses have promoted antisemitism or fueled a learning environment that is hostile to Jews, according to new data from American Jewish Committee (AJC) and Hillel International. As part of AJC’s State of Antisemitism in America 2024 Report, AJC and Hillel International partnered to document Jewish students’ experiences during their time on campus. The report details how American Jewish college and university students are experiencing antisemitism, both in and outside of the classroom.

The data points to a troubling trend: many Jewish students feel they cannot trust all faculty to foster the educational environments they deserve – free from anti-Jewish and anti-Israel bias.

“How are Jewish students supposed to show up and engage in class or have trust in their educators if they feel that their professors are creating a hostile environment for Jews on campus?” said AJC CEO Ted Deutch. “If students feel that they need to just keep their head down and earn their grade, they are not fully participating in the educational experience that they have a right to and deserve. Educators and administrators need to take action to ensure that their classrooms and campuses are places free from hate, bigotry, and harassment so that all students – including Jewish, Israeli, and Zionist students – have the opportunity to grow and thrive.”

AJC’s State of Antisemitism in America 2024 Report comes on the heels of the encampment protests that erupted on campuses across the country during the 2023-24 school year. Of the Jewish students who witnessed anti-Israel campus protests or demonstrations and/or pro-Palestinian encampments after October 7, 2023, half (51%) said that these protests or encampments made them feel unsafe on campus.

Additionally, roughly one-third (35%) of current American Jewish college students and recent graduates report having personally experienced antisemitism at least once during their time on campus, with 20% reporting that it happened more than once. One-fifth (22%) of Jewish students report feeling or being excluded from a group or an event on campus because they are Jewish.

Further, nearly one-third (32%) of American Jewish students said that they have felt uncomfortable or unsafe at a campus event because of their Jewish identity. These results point to many Jewish students feeling that they cannot fully be themselves and they, like the majority of American Jewish adults, are changing their behavior out of fear of antisemitism: more than three in 10 (34%) students said they have avoided wearing, carrying, or displaying things that would identify them as Jewish, and 43% avoided expressing their views on Israel on campus or to classmates. 

“As Jewish teens and their families make decisions about where they will spend their college years, it is crucial that they know they will be safe and able to fully express their Jewish identities,” said Adam Lehman, president and CEO of Hillel International. “Jewish students should feel safe to express their Jewish identities no matter where they are on campus – whether at Hillel or in the dorms, the library, or the classroom.”

The survey also asked U.S. adults about the encampments and 63% of U.S. adults expressed concern about the encampments on campus – with one-third (33%) saying that they should not be allowed and 30% saying that they need stricter regulation from universities – because some of them fostered antisemitism, blocked students from getting to class, or broke campus rules. Only 11% of U.S. adults said the tent encampments on campus were acceptable and should be allowed and the remaining 26% said “I don’t know enough to say.”

Importantly, reports of antisemitism on campus are playing a role in Jewish high school students’ college decisions. Roughly two-thirds (68%) of American Jews who are parents of a high school student said reports of antisemitism on campus are very (51%) or somewhat (17%) important in deciding where their student will attend college or university. 

“Academic freedom is foundational to higher education. However, academic discourse and debate can and must take place in an environment that is free from bias and discrimination. Our data, and work with students across the country, unfortunately show that American Jewish college students are feeling a pervasive lack of trust in their institutions and professors to maintain an atmosphere that is not biased against them. And we know that students who feel threatened cannot learn,” said AJC Center for Education Advocacy Director Laura Shaw Frank, Ph.D. “We are working directly with campus administrators to help them foster educational environments that prioritize critical thinking and viewpoint diversity which, in turn, also foster greater inclusion for Jews, Zionist views, and all students on campus. Educators must recognize that a significant majority of American Jews, including young American Jews, say caring about Israel is an important part of their Jewish identity.”

The surveys of American Jews and U.S. adults were conducted for the nonpartisan American Jewish Committee by the independent research firm SSRS. The Jewish American survey collected data from a nationally representative sample of 1,732 Jews, ages 18 or older from October 8 – November 29, 2024. Most respondents participated via a self-administered web survey and the remainder were interviewed on the phone. The U.S. adult survey collected data from a nationally representative sample of 2,056 general population adults, 18 or older, from October 10 – November 25, 2024, via the SSRS Opinion Panel. The margin of error for Jewish respondents is +/-3.3 percentage points and for total U.S. adult respondents is +/-3.0 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.

The post Nearly One-Third of American Jewish College Students Feel Faculty Members Have Promoted Antisemitism or Learning Environments Hostile to Jews: New Survey appeared first on Hillel International.

News

500 Days After October 7, the Hostages are Still in Our Hearts

Author

Hillel International

Date

February 16, 2025

Content Warning: This piece contains reference to the October 7 terrorist attacks, including mentions of kidnapping and murder. Please read with care.

It has been 500 days since October 7, 2023. Hamas still holds 70 hostages in unspeakable conditions. Jewish people and their allies around the world are working for their release, telling their stories, and saying their names. Lidar, a Jewish Agency Israel Fellow based at a university in California, shared this story about his friend Sasha Troufanov, who was a hostage in Gaza for 498  days before being released this past weekend. 

For Lidar, advocacy for his friend Sasha Troufanov, taken captive by Hamas on October 7, 2023, and released this past weekend on February 15, 2025, has become an important part of his work with Jewish college students. Sasha’s story also has become an inspiration to Lidar’s students at a time of increased antisemitism and isolation in their classes and on campus.  

Lidar and Sasha became friends as young adults. “I was a little intimidated by him when we first met,” Lidar said. “He’s a big, tall, strong guy, and I was the new guy, and he wasn’t really talking to me. But then we went to an event together, and we started to talk, and I realized he was just the nicest guy. He was always smiling, always funny.”

Sasha’s parents lived on Kibbutz Nir Oz, which was brutally attacked on October 7, 2023. A day earlier, Sasha and his girlfriend, Sapir, had gone to visit his parents for Shabbat. The next morning, Hamas terrorists unleashed terror upon the kibbutz, murdering Sasha’s father, Vitaly, and taking Sasha and Sapir hostage, along with Sasha’s mother, Yelena, and grandmother, Irena. The three women were freed during the first hostage-release deal in November 2023, but Sasha remained in captivity until this weekend, with very little known about his condition.

“There were two videos of him released last year, but we didn’t know anything more, and none of the hostages who came home talked about seeing him,” Lidar said. 

Sasha’s friends and family were given new hope recently when they learned that Sasha was on the list of hostages to be released in the first phase of this current hostage release and ceasefire deal, but  they remained anxious about his condition. “Seeing Sasha come home alive was everything I could have hoped for over the last 16 months,” Lidar said. 

In reflecting on Sasha’s time in captivity, Lidar said that he made sharing stories about his friend part of his daily routine. “One of Sasha’s habits was that every day at three o’clock, no matter what was happening or what he was doing, he’d have a coffee break,” Lidar said. “No matter what, three o’clock is coffee time. After he was kidnapped, some of his friends in Israel started doing ‘coffee for Sasha’ every day at three o’clock, and I started doing it here on campus.  It was  a way of pausing together and bringing some of his personality and his warmth everywhere we went.”

Thinking about how long Sasha was in captivity – and about the many hostages who remain in Gaza today –  is difficult. “I remember the first Yom HaZikaron (Israel’s day of remembrance for fallen soldiers and victims of terror) after October 7, we all thought that there was no way we’d get to a year without the hostages coming home,” Lidar said. “And now it’s been 500 days, and it’s just not on people’s minds in the same way anymore.”

Lidar hopes that people around the world will continue to keep the remaining 70 hostages in their hearts and prayers, tell their stories, and work to secure their release.  “While they’re still [in Gaza], we can’t fully breathe,” he said. “We all need to keep talking and remember that they’re still there, and we need to do everything in our power to get them back home.” 

Hear from Israel Fellows across the country about their experiences in the aftermath of October 7 and how they are sharing their stories with Jewish students on college and university campuses. 

The post 500 Days After October 7, the Hostages are Still in Our Hearts appeared first on Hillel International.

News

Hillel International’s Campus Climate Initiative Gathers for Regional Training on Improving Campus Life for Jewish Students

Author

Dr. Mara Lee Grayson

Date

February 14, 2025

On a sunny, cold day in January, senior administrators from California colleges and universities gathered to participate in a regional summit hosted by Hillels of Silicon Valley and Santa Clara University in partnership with Hillel International’s Campus Climate Initiative (CCI). The event featured a full day of training on antisemitism, Jewish identities, and practical strategies for supporting Jewish students. 

CCI partners with college and university administrators around the United States to improve the campus climate for Jewish students which has deteriorated rapidly since October 7, 2023 with 83% of Jewish college students reporting that they have experienced or witnessed antisemitism in the last 16 months. Its flagship Campus Cohort Program has engaged more than 100 campuses to participate in a curriculum that combines education, data collection and assessment, and action plan development and implementation. 

This summit included administrators from five local colleges and universities: Santa Clara University (SCU), San Jose State University (SJSU), De Anza College, West Valley College, and Foothill College. Participants included the presidents of SCU, SJSU, and De Anza, as well as senior  administrators and faculty members. 

“We are grateful to our host, Santa Clara University, for partnering with CCI to share the knowledge, strategies, and resources they gained as a participant in CCI’s recently completed fifth cohort with their  colleagues on neighboring campuses,” said Lisa Armony, CCI executive director. While each campus requires unique actions that are aligned with their particular environments, collaborative opportunities enhance this work by bringing administrators together to learn with and from one another.

The day opened with thoughts from Santa Clara University President Julie Sullivan, who emphasized the need to support Jewish students and improve campus life for all students. Hillels of Silicon Valley Executive Director Sarita Bronstein and Santa Clara University Senior Director of the Office for Diversity and Inclusion Dr. Raymond Plaza also offered opening remarks.

Dr. Mara Lee Grayson, director of content development for CCI, and Tina Malka, director of antisemitism, research and education for Hillel International and IAP West Coast director, shared recent data on antisemitism on campus, demonstrating the scope of the problem and its impact on Jewish students. Since October 7, 2023, more than 2,800 incidents of antisemitism, including more than 1,000 instances of hate speech, and close to 100 physical assaults, have been reported to Hillel International by college and university students. These numbers reflect the broader increases in antisemitism in the past 16 months.

Then, administrators reflected on their own identities as a starting point for understanding Jewish students’ lived experiences and shared their reactions to the first two videos in Hillel International’s Understanding Antisemitism series. 

Later, Dr. Grayson, a former professor of rhetoric and composition, explored the tropes and codes of contemporary antisemitism, as well as the relationship between how Jews may be perceived or depicted as members of a racial group based on physical or biological characteristics and campus antisemitism. For example, while some students have been targeted because of perceived physical markers of Jewishness, others have been excluded from support initiatives due to the perception that Jews are white. These sessions were designed to provide administrators with the skills to recognize coded antisemitism and communicate productively about it with their colleagues and students.

Together with facilitators, participants then viewed the newest video in Hillel International’s Understanding Antisemitism series. Malka, the co-creator of the three-part series, introduced “Antisemitism Today,” which examines how antisemitism manifests today on college campuses and in broader society following the horrific attacks in Israel by Hamas on October 7, 2023.

This summit was the third in a series of recent collaborative intensive training sessions for administrators at U.S. universities. These additional workshops and trainings  are an important part of CCI’s efforts to provide administrators at colleges and universities across the country with the knowledge and tools needed to improve life on campus for Jewish students and all students

As Bronstein reminded participants in her opening remarks: “Addressing antisemitism is not only about protecting one community; it’s about safeguarding the values of democracy, inclusion, and mutual respect that underpin the health of our society.”

Learn more about Hillel International’s Campus Climate Initiative and its newest cohort. 

The post Hillel International’s Campus Climate Initiative Gathers for Regional Training on Improving Campus Life for Jewish Students appeared first on Hillel International.

News

As We Recover from the LA Wildfires, It’s Our Job to Show Up

Author

Dave Cohn

Date

February 13, 2025

Jewish tradition offers us an option of how to respond to moments when words otherwise fail us, one which signals the most essential message at times filled with confusion, pain, or uncertainty — hineini, I am here.

I am here has been a constant refrain among Hillel professionals over the past 16 months, as the Jewish community around the world has experienced tremendous loss, grief, and fear. Yet in an unexpected blessing, the work we’ve done to show up for our students since the devastating attacks of October 7 gave us new insight when we needed to show up for a tragedy much closer to home. 

As the Allen & Ruth Ziegler Executive Director at USC Hillel, I’ve lost count of how many times we’ve said those words, I am here, in the weeks since the outbreak of the Palisades and Eaton fires here in Southern California. We’ve said it to family, neighbors, friends, colleagues, and students — those witnessing the devastation playing out from the fires across Los Angeles, those weathering hours of power outages, those anxiously wondering if they’ll need to leave their homes, and above all, those who have tragically lost their homes to this destructive disaster.

Somehow, it’s been over a month since the wildfires consumed entire neighborhoods of our city of Los Angeles, forever altering it. At a time of upheaval that felt so much bigger than any one of us, we were reminded that it’s the small acts of kindness that stand out as most memorable, and the value of Hillel’s role in offering comfort and connection to Jewish students cannot be overstated. 

“A Hillel cannot change the material reality of impacted families, destroyed property, or a city experiencing collective trauma,” our campus rabbi, Jocee Hudson, shared with me. “What we can continue to do is show up as the community of care that we are, wrap our arms around our students, provide a space of consistent and loving presence, refuse to shy away from asking about and listening to hard stories, and provide chances to give back and care for the larger LA community.”

Rabbi Hudson’s words were particularly relevant for all of us last month. The week the fires broke out, we had planned an immersive off-site professional development day for our team. Instead, we spent the day watching the news, checking on loved ones, and, of course, reaching out to our students across Los Angeles to ensure their physical and emotional safety. We messaged one another constantly with updates from the valley to the city. Students responded in droves — the majority, luckily, were okay, but a few reported that they’d lost their homes. 

We quickly mobilized as a team, sharing updates about resources that students could utilize even before the spring semester officially got underway, such as the Jewish Federation Los Angeles’ resource hub, which offered reliable information on volunteering, food for marginalized communities, mental health services, and more. We made sure our community was aware of important updates about things like air quality alerts, as well as information about transitional housing offerings available through a partnership between AirBnB and 211.

The Welcome Week programs we already had planned for the spring semester took on new importance as we worked to adapt to what our students needed: we offered open office hours with our campus rabbi and wellness director, a cozy hot cocoa drop-in with our executive board, increased marketing of our free therapy opportunities, and began a collaboration with a local buy-sell-trade app to collect fire relief donations.

Reflecting on our first program of the year, our managing director, Rachael Cohen, shared, “Students and parents showed up disoriented, overwhelmed and restless. But as the room buzzed with new conversations and connections, a sense of calm settled in. Even as chaos dominated the outside world, it was all going to be okay.”

Our students had found a sukkat shalom — a safe haven — a place where they could make a new friend, eat a good snack, and have a real conversation. We remain their Jewish home away from home, even when home is something out of reach. 

“We often say that Hillel is not an institution,” Rabbi Hudson recently told our community. “Rather, it is a community of people seeking to draw near and care for one another. Even when times are hard, indeed, especially when times are hard, we know just who we are and how we want to be.” 

And sometimes, that starts with saying, hineini — I am here.

Dave Cohn is the Allen & Ruth Ziegler Executive Director at USC Hillel. To learn more about supporting the Jewish community in LA in the aftermath of the fires, please visit the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles’ Wildfire Crisis Relief resource.

The post As We Recover from the LA Wildfires, It’s Our Job to Show Up appeared first on Hillel International.

News

Jewish Sustainability in Action: Hillel on the Farm

Author

Hillel International

Date

February 11, 2025

Taking care of the land we live on is more than just a Jewish tradition — it’s part of Jewish law.

Campus Hillels across North America are finding ways to tie together their Jewish connection to the land with sustainability and environmental practices. Check out these stories from three Hillels partnering with local farms to make a difference.

University of Vermont Hillel: Hillel Fresh and Seeds for Students

UVM’s Hillel Fresh program started as a way to combat food insecurity among students, and expanded significantly during the pandemic to ensure that students could have access to Shabbat meals even without Hillel hosting. Each student who signs up for Hillel Fresh receives a bag with all the ingredients they need for Shabbat, along with a Jewish learning text and a list explaining where all the food came from.

In the last three years, Hillel Fresh expanded to include its own farming plot on the University’s research farm. During the summers, the farm is managed by Seeds to Students interns who care for the crops while engaging in weekly Jewish learning around agriculture, land ownership, and sustainability. This year, all the produce from the summer was used during the fall semester in Hillel Fresh bags. 

Sophie Warth, a fourth-year student at UVM majoring in Food and Culture, is the Director of Hillel Fresh and Seeds to Students. Under her leadership, the program has grown to include medical and graduate students in its distribution in addition to undergraduate students, making a more significant impact in combating student food insecurity. In reflecting on her experience with these two programs Sophie said, “The most meaningful parts of working with Hillel Fresh and Seeds to Students have been combining my connections to my Hillel community with the relationships I’ve built with the local farms involved in Hillel Fresh. Being on the farm, working with the land, and taking a product from seed to harvest have also been invaluable experiences” 

Berkeley Hillel: Jewish Responses to Climate Change

Chance Reiniesch has made expanding Jewish programs around sustainability and farming his mission at University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) Hillel. Growing up on a farm, Chance spent a lot of time gardening and growing, and he’s been working to bring more programming around Jewish social justice, climate justice, and sustainability to his college community. 

Berkeley’s Hillel had a number of small partnerships and programs, but Chance saw room for growth. As the Social Action Associate, Chance expanded a program with University of California Gill Tract Farm, a local university farm that teaches people about indigenous land practices and donates food back to the community. He also helped launch the L’Shomra: Jewish Responses to Climate Change fellowship, where students examine their relationship with the world and their responsibility to protect it — and learn from contemporary sources and Jewish ancestral wisdom. Ben Witeck, a third year student at UC Berkeley, said, “My Judaism has always pushed me to engage in pressing areas of social justice. Connecting ancient and modern land-based practices as integral parts of my Jewish identity has been both a meaningful and powerful experience.”

Students also have the opportunity to take bi-monthly trips to other local farms, and to participate in weekly actions with Urban Adamah, a Jewish community farm dedicated to combating food insecurity in its area. 

One of Chance’s favorite parts of Berkeley Hillel’s sustainability work is the pollinator garden. Students were inspired to build out the garden, working with Hillel staff to plant different species and organize gardening shifts to help it flourish. To Chance, the garden speaks to Berkeley Hillel’s holistic commitment to environmentalism, and allows them to actively show connections between gardening and Jewish learning and ritual. Figs from the garden’s fig tree are used for the annual Tu B’Shvat seder — a sweet way to renew the community’s connection to the earth as responsible caretakers.

Colorado State University Hillel: RAM Kibbutz

CSU Hillel has a unique claim to fame: they’re the first student-led organization to be certified by Adamah. Starting from a farm-to-table program focusing on sustainability in sourcing and preparing Shabbat meals, CSU Hillel decided to create their own campus “kibbutz,” including a vegetable garden and a chicken coop.

Adam Fox, CSU Hillel’s Director of Jewish Student Life, took the initiative to expand the kibbutz beyond a sustainability initiative and added a component of student empowerment and wellness. Noticing that students having a bad day or struggling with the stress of campus life often came to the kibbutz to watch the chickens, he applied for a mental health and wellness grant from Hillel International to add ducks to the kibbutz family, and later received another grant to train student interns to care for them. Student leaders take on the role of “Chicken Tenders,” who are in charge of the care of new ducks Nibbler and Glenda, along with the kibbutz’s existing chickens. 

Adam sees the kibbutz not just as a key part of the Hillel community, but as a way to bring in students who might not otherwise be engaged by giving them an opportunity to connect through sustainability. Since October 7, he’s seen an increased interest in the kibbutz as more students looked for ways to connect to their Jewish identity and spend time in a supportive Jewish space. RAM Kibbutz offers a place and a community for students to connect to and rely on one another — just like a real kibbutz.

The post Jewish Sustainability in Action: Hillel on the Farm appeared first on Hillel International.

News

What is Tu B’Shvat?

Author

Hillel International

Date

February 11, 2025

It’s cold, it’s snowing, the trees are bare… in many parts of the world, that is. But in Israel, the earliest flowers are starting to bloom and it’s time to celebrate a Jewish holiday called Tu B’Shvat. Tu B’Shvat celebrates the Jewish people’s indigenous connection to the land of Israel through marking the beginning of the agricultural year in Israel and uplifting Israel’s seven native species, among other practices.

The name of this festival is actually its date: “Tu” is a pronunciation of the Hebrew letters that represent the number 15, and it falls in the Hebrew month of Shvat. Throughout history, Tu B’Shvat has taken on different meanings for the Jewish people in Israel and across the world.

Where do Tu B’Shvat Rituals and Celebrations Come From?

By the early modern period (16th century), rabbinic scholars in the city of Tzfat had developed a Tu B’Shvat meal similar to a Passover seder. This seder celebrated the seven native species of Israel: pomegranates, olives, dates, figs, grapes, wheat, and barley. 

According to Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism), all living beings hide within them a spark of divine presence. Similarly, fruits, nuts, and grains hide within them seeds of new life and potential growth. Human actions can release these sparks and help increase God’s presence in the world. On Tu B’Shvat, the Kabbalists would eat certain fruits associated with the land of Israel as a symbolic way of releasing these divine sparks.

Tu B’Shvat rituals grew and changed over time. By the late 19th century, early tree-planting Zionists used Tu B’Shvat as an opportunity to celebrate their agricultural work of “making the desert bloom” in Israel. Today, planting trees in and out of Israel is one way of celebrating Tu B’Shvat.

An important part of Jewish consciousness is rooted in environmentalism and ecological activism. Many people think about Tu B’Shvat as an ancient Jewish Earth Day and spend the holiday learning about the Jewish tradition of environmental advocacy and volunteering for efforts connected to the land and sustainability. 

Ways to Celebrate Tu B’Shvat This Year:

• Host a Tu B’Shvat Seder, a ritual meal that celebrates different aspects of the holiday! You can find everything you’ll need in this resource from Hillel International.
• Participate in a beach or park cleanup. Tu B’Shvat is the perfect invitation to get your hands dirty by caring for our planet.
• Plant some seeds (indoors or outside depending on where you live) and watch them grow! Consider planting a Passover herb garden with parsley, dill, scallions, and other herbs you can use in your seder (Passover is only three months away!).
• Go to the grocery store and purchase some fruits or vegetables you’ve never tried before. Host a tasting for friends to determine which bite is the best.
• Make a donation to a local environmental organization, or volunteer your time to support their work in keeping your community healthy.
• Hang with some trees. If it’s warm enough where you live, enjoy some reading or snacking beneath the shade. If you live in a colder climate, take a brisk walk in a wooded area and enjoy the beauty of snow-covered trees.

Tu B’Shvat Resources:

• We Are All Trees: A Tu B’Shevat Seder by and for the Hillel Community: A guide to creating your own Tu B’Shvat Seder from Hillel International’s Center for Jewish and Israel Education & Meyerhoff Center for Jewish Experience.
• What Even IS Tu B’Shevat? A Quick Explainer: Learn more about Tu B’Shvat using this resource, created by Hillel International.
• Celebrate Tu B’Shvat With Your Hillel!: A guide to Tu B’Shvat created by the Hillel International Student Cabinet for students looking to organize sustainability programs at their Hillel in honor of Tu B’Shvat.
• Tu B’Shvat Program Guide: Learn more about creating a Tu B’Shvat Seder and other Tu B’Shvat programs with this guide from student leaders involved with Hillel International partner Adamah on Campus.

The post What is Tu B’Shvat? appeared first on Hillel International.

News

Sharing Symbols of Jewish Resilience Across California

Author

University of California Israel Leadership Network Cohort

Date

February 11, 2025

How do you introduce Jewish symbols of resilience to 300,000 University of California students spread across eight campuses? You gather a team of 30 Jewish student leaders who, through research, creativity, and social media savvy, bring these ancient Jewish symbols to life.

On January 29, Jewish students across the UC campuses, displayed Symbols of Jewish Resilience exhibits highlighting the meaning, history, and modern relevance of seven powerful Jewish symbols: the hanukkiah/menorah, the Star of David, the mezuzah, a dove and olive branch, chai, a shofar, and the yellow ribbon.

This collaboration of Jewish unity spanning the UC system was the first of its kind, made possible through Hillel International’s Israel Leadership Network (ILN)’s UC Cohort. This pilot cohort identified an outstanding student leader from each of the campuses to spearhead the initiative. 

“It was incredible to create such a powerful collaboration and to work together over the past several months to bring this project to life,” said Shir Diner, student at UC Irvine and the UC Trustee for ILN. “I am so proud of our teamwork, even when spread across California.”

The Symbols of Jewish Resilience program allowed Jewish student leaders to come  together to highlight their strength, proudly defining it based on their own stories. Shani Menna, University of California, San Diego student and chair of ILN, said, “Students approached us with curiosity instead of hostility for discussions about the Jewish people”.

In addition to physical exhibits on each campus, each group of students added to a digital Unity Wall, a collaborative space for the schools to come together.

Students at University of California, Davis and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) also chose to create unity walls on their campuses to further bring the project to life. 

The UCLA ILN representative Eli Sánchez said, “We saw a tremendous amount of connection from students who stopped by to draw what resilience means to them and learn about resilience in Judaism.” 

An incredible mural had a special double meaning at UCLA, where  students have shown resilience on a daily basis following the recent Los Angeles fires. To show their support for UCLA’s Jewish students,  each campus also displayed a resource that connected how the Jewish symbols highlighted relate to the ways these students are staying strong in the aftermath of the fires.  

The resource also included donation links to the Los Angeles Jewish community, the broader LA community, and the UCLA community. 

This collaboration across the University of California campuses brought together dozens of Jewish and Israeli student groups as they created a united network of students coming together with the goal of spreading Jewish pride across the state. “It was so powerful, having friends show up and celebrate our culture, then opening up my phone and seeing so many have the exact same experience across the UC campuses”, said Nadiv Meltzer, University of California, Santa Barbara’s ILN representative. 

“Jewish students continue to amaze me with their strength and resilience,” said Jon Falk, Hillel International’s vice president of Israel engagement and confronting antisemitism. “This display of unity, creativity, and Jewish connection from the Jewish students in the University of California system is an incredible example of those qualities in action.” 

To learn more about Symbols of Jewish Unity, visit the @uc_jewish_unity on Instagram.

The post Sharing Symbols of Jewish Resilience Across California appeared first on Hillel International.