News

Hillel CASE Gathers in Israel

Author

Hillel International

Date

June 27, 2022

For 25 years, Hillel in Central Asia and Southeastern Europe (CASE) has played a prominent role in the lives of Jewish students and young adults in Azerbaijan, Belarus, Crimea, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine.

This February, just three days before the war in Ukraine began, city and country directors from Hillel CASE gathered in Odessa for their bi-annual staff gathering. Despite world-altering challenges since their last meeting, including being displaced by the war, the staff found strength in themselves and reunited again last weekend in Jerusalem to plan strategically for the year ahead and experience the joy of each other’s presence.

For the upcoming year, staff will focus on providing both in-person and online opportunities for Jewish students and young adults to participate in Hillel CASE programs and activities, regardless of where they are. They will continue to provide mental health and wellness services to students impacted by the war in Ukraine. Since the war began, Hillel CASE has also expanded to support student-led volunteer efforts, including food deliveries for large families, consulting on evacuation and repatriation, and coordinating evacuation buses.

Last Sunday, more than 130 alumni and current students of all Hillel CASE cities and countries convened at the ANU Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv for an incredible evening of reunions and activities. Participants were delighted to attend a program called “Show Reels” which featured interactive games, video messages from students who cannot currently leave Ukraine, and two Hillel music videos, including an Atlantis video and a choreographed Hillel anthem. Members of Donestk Hillel, a Hillel that closed after the Russian invasion in 2014, were also in attendance.

On Monday morning, Hillel International Board of Governors Chair Matthew Bronfman joined the group to learn directly from Hillel CASE directors. Directors shared how their teams have provided mental health support to students, served the elderly, volunteered during rocket attacks in Odessa, distributed thousands of Passover food packages, transitioned Kharkiv operations to Lviv, and supported the huge flow of refugees at Hillel Moldova.

This gathering was made possible in large part by the global Hillel community that provided more than $1 million to support Jewish students, Hillel staff, and their families affected by the war in Ukraine through the Emergency Relief Fund. 

View the photo gallery from the event here.

The post Hillel CASE Gathers in Israel appeared first on Hillel International.

News

Hillels rally to support Ukraine, educate students about the crisis

Author

Gabriel Lesser

Date

March 21, 2022

The post Hillels rally to support Ukraine, educate students about the crisis appeared first on Hillel International.

News

Hillel International Launches Emergency Relief Fund to Support Jewish Students, Professionals Impacted by Crisis in Ukraine

Author

Hillel International

Date

March 1, 2022

WASHINGTON – As the war in Ukraine rages into its second week, Hillel International is launching an Emergency Relief Fund to support the urgent needs of Hillel professionals and students in the impacted region, as well as Hillel’s humanitarian work supporting Ukrainian refugees.

Funds raised will be used to support immediate, short-term, and long-term needs, including:

• Critical supplies for Hillels in Germany and Poland to provide food, water and medicine for Jewish refugees between the ages of 18-36, as well as mental health support and counseling
• Emergency assistance to support Hillel professionals and their families who have been displaced or left without homes
• Converting Hillel spaces in these communities into temporary housing, including bathrooms, showers, blankets, pillows and mattresses for Jewish students and young adults displaced by the conflict
• Continued operations and security upgrades for Hillels across Europe so that they can continue to support students while meeting the urgent needs of refugees

Hillel has been transforming the lives of Jewish college students in Ukraine and in Eastern and Central Europe for more than 25 years, empowering a generation of young adults along their Jewish journeys. Hillel serves students in five cities in Ukraine and a total of 15,000 students at 24 Hillels across the region, in countries like France, Poland, Germany, Moldova, and Georgia.

Adam Lehman, Hillel International President and CEO, said, “Right now, Jews in Ukraine are in crisis, including Jewish students and the Hillel professionals who care for, mentor and support them. Hillel’s immediate goal is ensuring the safety of Hillel professionals and their families throughout the region, as well as supporting the Hillels themselves as a critical resource for students and young adults. The Hillel International Emergency Relief Fund will provide essential funds to the impacted Hillels and ensure that Hillel professionals across the region will be there to help our students, their families and the broader Jewish community for years to come.”

The Hillel International Emergency Relief Fund will work hand-in-hand with trusted, highly skilled relief organizations on the ground, including the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Jewish Agency for Israel, and Jewish Federations of North America to ensure the critical, lifesaving needs of the entire Jewish community are met.

“In times like these, we live the Jewish value of Kol Yisrael Arevim Ze La Zeh — all Jews are responsible for one another. I am so proud of the way our Hillel community around the world — professionals, students, and supporters — is mobilizing and coming together to meet this urgent need,” Lehman said.

Donations to the Hillel International Emergency Relief Fund can be made at donate.hillel.org/EmergencyRelief.

The post Hillel International Launches Emergency Relief Fund to Support Jewish Students, Professionals Impacted by Crisis in Ukraine appeared first on Hillel International.