LGBTQIA+ Archives - Hillel International

Reflections from a Hillel Intern on Pride Month

Author

Emma Mair and Liora Knizhnik

Date

June 24, 2024

This year, Pride Month coincides with the reading of Sefer BaMidbar, the Book of Numbers. At the outset of the book, we learn that God spoke to Moses in the Sinai Desert, a topic addressed by the rabbis in BaMidbar Rabbah, an 11th century book of midrash, or rabbinic allegory.

Why did God choose to speak to Moses in the desert, of all places? The sages taught the Torah was given through fire, water, and desert, because each of these three things are given freely to all of humanity. Thus, Torah, too, should be given freely to all of humanity.

When I came across this interpretation, I immediately thought of Hillel’s tagline, “All Kinds of Jewish.” Through Hillel, any Jewish college student is welcome to freely access Jewish tradition, culture, and community. Any Jewish college student should be able to walk into a Hillel building and feel not only like efforts are being made to include them, but that they belong just as much as anyone else. Gay, straight, trans, cis: Hillel can be your home away from home.

Over the past year, I have interned for the Center for Student and Staff Wellbeing at Hillel International, learning invaluable lessons about how validating and affirming one’s identity can affect well-being. Our holistic wellness is deeply important, and the ability to look at someone’s soul and affirm who they are and that they belong is crucial in today’s world. Research shows LGBTQ+ young people with at least one accepting adult in their life report significantly lower rates of attempted suicide. It is absolutely essential that LGBTQ+ college students find accepting adults at Hillel, peers with shared experiences, and programming that supports their well-being and equips them to tackle the challenges of their world.

When I first interviewed for the intern position, Hillel International Associate Director of Student and Staff Wellbeing Sarah Cohn asked me how I practiced self-care. At the time, I was chair of the Jewish Student Union at my college, working multiple jobs, completing a double major, and applying to rabbinical school, all while being generally heartbroken by the state of the world – and feeling the weight on my shoulders to repair it. I told Sarah that I didn’t need a self-care practice, since the work I was doing was fulfilling, meaningful, and important to me and others. As you might imagine, this was not the best response during an interview for a position on a wellness team. Sarah called me on it, and I am profoundly indebted to her.

The Center for Student and Staff Wellbeing team helped me realize just how essential an individual wellness practice is. It should not be secondary to our lives, something we do only when we have the time. It is foundational, and it’s how we learn to flourish and thrive – especially in a world that often wants to keep us subdued.

It’s been a privilege to work at Hillel International for the past year and see the many kinds of important work that Hillel does for Jewish college students, including:

The Center for Student and Staff Wellbeing offers grants to help campus Hillels bolster their well-being programs, hire mental health and/or wellness professionals, and create spaces dedicated to improving wellness.

The social impact team offers microgrants to help campuses become engaged in social justice work. This could be anything from facilitating LGBTQ+ interfaith spirituality groups to volunteering with marginalized populations. Working across identity and talking across difference is how we build a world in which we all become liberated.

Several years ago the Center for Jewish and Israel Education adopted a policy lovingly called the Kranjec Test that increases the voices of women and other minority genders on our source sheets. For millennia, Jewish texts and our study of them have been dictated by men. Hillel is at the forefront of pushing for change in this arena, so many brilliant voices that have been left off to the side for too long can be brought into the center.

Ari Levy, Hillel’s associate vice president of diversity, equity, and inclusion recently completed Keshet’s Shivyon Project, a year-long, cohort-based project of training, consultation, and learning. Keshet conducted an internal assessment, hosted a full-day of learning, worked with Ari to create a sustainable plan for action, and established tools for ongoing work to support LGBTQ+ staff at Hillel. Ari’s support and the institution’s support of LGBTQ+ personnel is essential, and I am grateful for it.

This past year has also been my first as a rabbinical student at Hebrew College’s Rabbinical School, not to mention a painful and immensely challenging year for the Jewish people. My queer and Jewish identities have always intersected, and I am deeply committed to promoting LGBTQ+ belonging in Jewish community and tradition. To train as a spiritual leader while working for Hillel International and witnessing the culture that Hillel promotes has been an incredible privilege. It gives me hope for the future of mainstream Jewish society, one in which “All Kinds of Jewish” are accepted and belong.

This Pride Month and every day moving forward, may Hillel continue to be a leader in cultivating communities in which all can freely access Jewish tradition, culture, and community because they feel affirmed and a deep sense of belonging.

Emma Mair is a rabbinical student at Hebrew College, located north of Boston. She likes to celebrate Jewish joy, ask bold questions, and facilitate meaningful experiences for all kinds of people.

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At FSU Hillel, Every Experience is Welcome

Hillel International — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 16:48:55 +0000

News

At FSU Hillel, Every Experience is Welcome

Author

Date

January 26, 2024

Every Springboard Fellow brings something unique and special to the fellowship that makes the impact of their work meaningful to their students.

For Urban Seiberg (they/them), a First Year Springboard Fellow at Florida State University (FSU) Hillel, their unique contribution is being a supporter of queer Jewish students on campus and being a safe resource in a state with laws that are increasingly hostile to queer students. Having a queer Jewish Hillel professional to look up to as an undergraduate made a huge difference to them, and they’re excited to be paying that forward. When Hillel staff encouraged them to connect with the Jewish community beyond the University of Southern California and get more deeply involved, Springboard seemed like the perfect fit.

Their first goal was to make it loud and clear that FSU Hillel is welcoming to queer and trans Jewish students. One of their most meaningful moments was a trans student coming up to a Hillel table where Urban sat with some rainbow flags to ask if Hillel was safe for trans students. Urban still remembers how overwhelmed the student was when they said yes. The Hillel building now displays a banner welcoming trans students.

Urban also brought their unique perspective to the intimacy section of the Jewish Learning Fellowship curriculum, an experiential, conversational seminar for students looking to deepen their understanding of Judaism. When they got feedback from students, there was a comment that said how impactful the intimacy section had been, especially in light of some personal trauma and pain the student had experienced in the past. As a new Jewish educator, Urban was blown away, and proud of their ability to make such a clear and immediate impact.

For Urban, the Springboard Fellowship has been a source of community and connection, especially in the wake of October 7. Their cohort bonded right away, forming a close-knit group that has lasted even after each fellow has settled into their individual campuses.

As their time in the Fellowship continues, Urban is looking forward to connecting Hillel students with the larger Tallahassee community. They hope to help students not just learn about Jewish values, but also have the opportunity to live those values and ideas in their daily life.

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Jewish Agency Israel Fellow Spotlight: Yonatan Eyov

Hillel International — Mon, 31 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Israel

Leadership and Career Skills

Jewish Agency Israel Fellow Spotlight: Yonatan Eyov

Author

Date

October 31, 2022

I was at a birthday party a few years ago and a friend said to me, “You should really apply to become a Jewish Agency Israel Fellow on a college campus in the States.” After studying at a mechina (military preparatory program), serving in the Israeli army, and graduating from college with a degree in communications, the last thing I wanted to do was commit the next few years of my life to another program. But I love Israel, and sharing that love has always been so important to me, so when my friend came back to me a few months later and told me that Stanford University was looking for an Israel Fellow at the last minute, I decided to apply. A month and a half later, I was settling into California life.

My love for my country and for the Jewish people was ingrained in me from when I was very young. I was born in Ethiopia, and the central heartbeat of the Jewish community there was a yearning for Jerusalem and a return to our homeland. When I was six, my family moved to Israel and experienced the joy of coming home. I grew up in Lod and served as a criminal investigator in the Israeli army. I have seen the problems Israel faces both internally and externally and with all its flaws, I love its story.

Bringing that love with me to Stanford has inspired me to share my unique Israel story with the students here, and as their Israel fellow, connect with them on a personal and communal level. I’m gay, and I created a space for Jewish queer students on campus so they can understand how their Jewishness and queerness contribute to their stories. I’m Black, and that often triggers important conversations with students about differences within Judaism, racism in America and in Israel, and the variety of experiences that Black people face all over the world. I’m Ethiopian and have introduced students to holidays like Sigd which they may not have experienced otherwise.

I am so grateful for this opportunity to work with an incredible team at Stanford Hillel who have been a family and a community for me when my own family and community are far away. Packing up my life in a month and a half and coming to Stanford to share my love of Israel with the campus community here was the best decision of my life.

Jewish Agency Israel Fellow

Stanford University

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I embrace my Jewish, queer, and Mexican identities whenever I walk into a space.

Hillel International — Thu, 03 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Israel

I embrace my Jewish, queer, and Mexican identities whenever I walk into a space.

Author

Date

March 3, 2022

“I am Jewish, queer, and Mexican. So often, trying to hold all three of these identities at once is challenging. But I didn’t have to try when I went on the queer Birthright Israel trip with Hillel International. I was able to embrace and celebrate every part of myself.

“One of my favorite moments from that trip was visiting the Western Wall. I wore a Star of David necklace with rainbow rhinestones, a gift from one of my close friends. I draped a Jewish-Israeli rainbow flag on my back and prayed. The flag was originally a tallit, a Jewish prayer shawl that you wrap around yourself during services. I felt so proud of my identities, and I realized I could play a role in helping other Jewish students embrace their intersectionality.

“When I returned to campus, I began organizing art events and holiday celebrations to encourage students, especially Jews of color, to share their own stories and traditions at Hillel. I helped promote a virtual rainbow tour of Tel Aviv to encourage queer representation, and I’m starting to help plan a Pesach event with different seder plates to recognize the origins of each Hillel student. We know Jews come from all over the world. We all practice Judaism differently, but regardless, we’re all a part of the same community. As a leader at Santa Barbara Hillel, I’m trying to help each student celebrate every part of their identity. Every part of who we are makes us whole.” — Alex Valdez, University of California, Santa Barbara

As told to Alexandra Goldberg, writer for the Hillel International Writers Program.

University of California Santa Barbara

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Bisexual Representation Matters: Jacob’s Story

Hillel International — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Hillel Leadership

Bisexual Representation Matters: Jacob’s Story

Author

Date

November 19, 2021

“I grew up attending a conservative synagogue. After my bar mitzvah, I lost touch with Judaism and shortly after that is when I realized I was queer. I’m bisexual and it took a really long time to come to terms with that. But, coming to college I stepped into both identities at the same time. I got involved with Hillel before school even started and really reconnected with my Jewish identity, where it turned into a really important aspect of my daily life.

“Hillel has really drastically brought me back to Judaism as both a religious and culturally important aspect of my identity. And also at the same time, since it was my first time away from home I really got to step into my bisexuality as well. I think that a college campus is one of the most thriving places for queer life. At moments, there’s definitely some conflict between the two. There are definitely moments within the LGBTQ community where I don’t feel accepted as Jewish, and within the Jewish community where I don’t feel accepted as queer. But what I think is really special about Hillel’s Nice Jewish Queers (NJQ), is that at the same time I’m really able to be accepted as both.

“Nice Jewish Queers is a niche group within Hillel that really emphasizes the necessity of both queer and Jewish life on a college campus. We really create a safe space for queer and Jewish students by emphasizing that anything we do is both queer and Jewish normative. I’ve also had the opportunity to bring NJQ into mainstream Hillel life and host a rainbow Shabbat dinner that brought in over 100 people.

“I’ve tried to get involved in other queer life on campus, but it just never felt like it was the place for me. However, being able to step into the Hillel Jewish community and know that it has a place for me as a queer student is the biggest support that anybody could ask for. Knowing that this is my home and that anytime I need something I can fall back on Hillel is really special.

“At a Hillel event, an incoming student pulled me aside and told me that when he sees a bisexual Hillel president, it makes him feel like he can do anything at USC. That was the most heartwarming moment for me because it really made me feel like being openly bisexual is an inspiration in a leadership position. Knowing that I could be here for people going into college and that they could look up to me is absolutely incredible.

“The nature of this work is impactful. No matter what I’m doing, whether it’s planning a program or hanging out in the building with someone who is having a tough day, just being a good human being is the nature of being a leader within Hillel.” — Jacob Miller, University of Southern California

As told to Alexandra Goldberg, writer for the Hillel International Writers Program.

University of Southern California

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Grappling with the Complexities of Black, Queer and Jewish

Hillel International — Thu, 22 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Antisemitism

Diversity and Inclusion

Hillel Leadership

Social Justice

Grappling with the Complexities of Black, Queer and Jewish

Author

Date

April 22, 2021

“My first Hillel dinner at school was when I was a prospective student. My host’s name was Dana, and she, along with the people I met that weekend, are the reason I’m here. From the moment I stepped into the admissions building to check-in, I felt welcomed and loved, and it continued throughout the rest of my stay. We went to services together, we ate together, and she woke up early to go to Saturday morning services with me. At the end of every interaction I had with a student, they would wave goodbye and say ‘Come to Brandeis!’ So I did.

“Since coming to Brandeis, I have also been impressed by the depth of political conversations we are having on campus. Jewish spaces can be complicated, however, and the debate as to how to protect our synagogues is a difficult one for me. Many white and white-passing Jews call for armed security and cops outside of their synagogues without thinking about the ways hired, armed guards will compromise the safety of Jews of Color. This is not to say we should not protect our synagogues. However, the fact that there are so many people who think police presence is beneficial and that the consequences are nonexistent frightens me.

“I think this debate is also emblematic of how the Jewish community continues to grapple with a multitude of identities within our community. As a Black, Queer Jew, I have faced the most conflict and push-back from people who do not respect the intersectionality of my Blackness and my Judaism. From people saying that Black Jews don’t exist to others claiming that I am not ethnically Jewish because my mom is a convert.

“Despite these challenges, I still feel at home at Hillel events at Brandeis and have mentors I value. It was actually our current Hillel Springboard fellow, Remy, who encouraged me to apply for the fellowship myself. The current assistant Hillel director here at Brandeis, Rabbi Stephanie Sanger-Miller, was the main reason I was able to bring the leader of the Abayudaya Jewish community in Uganda, Rabbi Gershom Sizomu, to campus a couple of years ago.

“Thus, I am grappling with the complexities of these identities and what they entail for both my fulfillment and safety. It is not my job to teach others, to be outraged for others in the face of persistent racism and antisemitism. Yet, I look forward to continuing to promote these essential conversations on campus as a leader, so that all of us can grow.” — Aviva Davis, Brandeis University

As told to Maddie Solomon, writer in the Hillel International Writers Program.

Brandeis University

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I have always felt welcomed and accepted — no matter what.

Hillel International — Mon, 05 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Jewish Identity

I have always felt welcomed and accepted — no matter what.

Author

Date

April 5, 2021

“I am a disabled, queer Jew with invisible disabilities such as ADHD — and I have faced a lot of challenges and successes with my identity. I struggled a lot with self-acceptance and finding a balance between my Judaism and two other identities that aren’t often discussed in the Jewish community. It took me a long time to figure out how they all interconnect and make me, me. I can honestly say, now that I have figured that out, I have never felt better and more complete.

“The Simmons Hillel community has supported me by accepting me as both a person with a unique perspective and as a member of our Jewish community. I have always felt welcomed and accepted no matter what, and felt like I was valued in that space.

“I would say my favorite Hillel memory is from one of the first events I went to at Simmons. It was a challah-making event and is still one of my favorite Hillel memories. The dough was pre-made but we braided, decorated, and baked it and it was a lot of fun.

“I think that I have grown more comfortable with myself and my identity in college. I would tell other queer Jews to find your people. It can be hard to navigate but you will find your own people who accept you no matter what and that is so important. And to other disabled Jews, I would tell them to believe in themselves. Being disabled in any way — invisible or visible — is incredibly difficult, but there’s so much waiting for you on the other side of whatever you’re going through right now.” — Sasha Green-Kaberman, Simmons University

As told to Maddie Solomon, writer in the Hillel International Writers Program.

Simmons University

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I was scared my Jewish community wouldn’t accept me when I came out as trans.

Hillel International — Thu, 02 Jan 2020 00:00:00 +0000

I was scared my Jewish community wouldn’t accept me when I came out as trans.

Author

Date

January 2, 2020

“When I first came out as trans, I was really scared that I wouldn’t be accepted by my Jewish community. There’s a passage in the Torah that says a woman should not dress up like a man, and a man should not dress up like a woman. That always concerned me because I’ve been dressing masculine for as long as I’ve been able to pick out my own clothes. But Judaism is open to interpretation. That’s the best part about Judaism. I interpret that passage to mean if you’re a man, be out and open as a man. And that’s how I live my life. Everyone has been so accepting at Clark University Hillel. I don’t feel like I have to leave part of my identity at the door. I’m so thankful to have a wonderful community who supports me and accepts me for who I am. And I am proud of who I am.” — Eli Cohen-Gordon, Clark University

Clark University

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Asking my Jewish community to use my new set of pronouns was frightening yet liberating.

Hillel International — Fri, 11 Oct 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Asking my Jewish community to use my new set of pronouns was frightening yet liberating.

Author

Date

October 11, 2019

“When I first came out as transgender, asking my Jewish community to use my new set of pronouns (he/him and they/them) was frightening yet liberating. Pronouns are very small words, but they’re such a large part of our identities. That’s why I appreciate moments when everyone is given the chance to introduce themselves and their pronouns. Before Shabbat services at Ithaca College Hillel each Friday, students say their name along with their pronouns. Informing others about which pronouns we use allows every single one of us — not only transgender people — to have the power of self-determination. For trans people, being the only person in a room to say their pronouns can sometimes be seen as a marker of transness. But when everyone says their pronouns, we start to build inclusive, welcoming communities. That’s why International Pronouns Day is so important. Teaching others to respect a person’s pronouns will raise awareness in our Jewish community about respecting everyone’s identity.” — Luis Jaime Valderrama, Ithaca College

Ithaca College

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I realized I can be Jewish and queer. One identity doesn’t negate the other.

Hillel International — Mon, 07 Oct 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Jewish Identity

I realized I can be Jewish and queer. One identity doesn’t negate the other.

Author

Date

October 7, 2019

“When I came out as nonbinary, I distanced myself from my Jewish community. I wasn’t sure how people would react. Through conversations with Ira Kirschner, the assistant director at KU Hillel, I realized that I can be Jewish and queer. One identity doesn’t negate the other. Now, I go by SD and use they/them pronouns. During one of the first events I attended at KU Hillel, we were asked to introduce ourselves by saying our name and our pronouns. Being asked to say my pronouns as part of a normal introduction completely took away the stigma surrounding my transgender identity. Using they/them pronouns aren’t the typical pronouns people use to refer to themselves, but it doesn’t mean they aren’t valid. When people refer to me as ‘she/her’ and then correct themselves to say ‘they/them,’ it means so much to me because I know that they’re actively trying to value my identity.” — SD Klein, University of Kansas