News

From RootOne to Hillel: Jewish Inspiration and Connection

Author

Hillel International

Date

July 16, 2025

Every year, thousands of high school students travel to Israel on trips funded by RootOne, an organization that helps young Jewish students build their connections with Israel and their Jewish identities. Those students often find their way to Hillel when they begin their college and university journeys. Inspired by the roots they planted in high school, RootOne alumni become Hillel student leaders, peer teachers, and advocates for the Jewish future. Here are some of their stories:

Turning Complexity into Inspiration

Tamar Franbuch is a rising fourth-year student at the University of Pittsburgh.

“As a 16-year-old high school student, I went on a month-long volunteer trip to Israel with RootOne that completely changed how I approach growth and leadership. On this trip, Rabbi Akiva Naiman from youth group NCSY shared an idea that has stuck with me ever since: ‘You must be comfortable with being uncomfortable.’ Those words became a guiding principle in my life, reminding me that real growth happens only when we’re willing to face discomfort head-on.

That trip and that phrase have shaped many of the choices I’ve made since, including my decision to attend an out-of-state university (where I didn’t know anyone) and to get involved with Hillel at the University of Pittsburgh, where I serve as the incoming president for the Student Coalition for Israel at Pitt. 

Most recently, my experience with RootOne inspired me to co-teach a peer-led course at Hillel on the geopolitics of Israel. It was one of the most meaningful experiences I’ve had as a student. Along with two of my peers, I designed the course not only to educate other students, but to push them to engage in challenging, sometimes uncomfortable conversations about identity, politics, and conflict. During these sessions, I saw firsthand how much people grow when given the space and support to wrestle with complexity. I ended our last class by passing on the advice Rabbi Akiva had given me four years prior, saying, ‘I hope this course made you uncomfortable. You must be uncomfortable to learn and grow and to fully understand the complexity of this information.’ 

As I head back to school for my final year, I hope to build on the lessons I learned from my RootOne experience, and to develop as a leader who fosters growth in others. I’m eager to connect with people from different backgrounds and perspectives, because I know that’s where the most powerful learning happens. And I’m more than ready to step outside my comfort zone, because I’ve learned that’s exactly where I need to be to keep growing and helping others do the same.”

Fueling a Passion for Justice and Activism

Claire Eisenstadt is a rising second-year student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

“As a teen, RootOne enabled me to attend Young Judea Gesher Israel.  Through this program, I experienced Israeli culture firsthand and engaged in meaningful conversations about Israel and Judaism. This trip to Israel also opened my eyes to the disparities between how Israel is portrayed in the media versus the realities on the ground. Because RootOne made this program accessible to me, I was able to fuel my passion for protecting the Jewish state. And my experiences visiting the religious and historical sites in Israel inspired me to get involved in Jewish life on campus – and to stand up for my heritage. 

In this post-October 7 world, I am glad I made the decision to center my activism on my Jewish community. The skills I developed through Gesher Israel continue to impact me in college, where I am deeply involved at Illini Hillel, serving in leadership positions on the Hillel Leadership Council and the Hillel Civic Leadership Committee.”

Continuing a Journey With Hillel

Daniele Mizrahi is a rising third-year student at Baruch College.

“Participating in a RootOne trip through NCSY in 2022 was one of my first real exposures to Israel, and it had a profound impact on me. That summer, I felt a deep and meaningful connection to the country and its culture, people, and history. The experience sparked something in me, and when I returned home, I was inspired to stay connected and involved. That’s what motivated me to become active with Baruch Hillel. Through Hillel, I’ve been able to continue exploring my Jewish identity and building a community of Jewish students who share those same values and connections. This past year, my experience came full circle when I participated in a Baruch Hillel trip to Israel, where I volunteered for 10 days. Hillel has been a central part of my college experience, allowing me to grow both personally and as a leader.”

Carrying Community from RootOne to Hillel

Rachel Barker is a rising third-year student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

“The RootOne trip I took in 2022 to Prague, Israel, and Germany  gave me a broader perspective on Judaism and Israel, especially now, in the wake of the October 7, 2023 tragedies. After October 7, UW Hillel and other Jewish campus organizations hosted vigils where we prayed and sang peace songs together. To me, this is what Hillel and Judaism is: community. The Shabbat dinners and holidays I spend at Hillel are a great environment, and they only strengthen that community, as does my participation in the Jewish Learning Fellowship. My trip with RootOne created a sense of community and connection to Jewish history, and my journey with that connection has continued with Hillel.”

Broadening Horizons and Deepening Relationships

Elijah Fox is a rising third-year student at the University of Michigan. 

“The 2022 Detroit Teen Mission to Israel was the first time I traveled to a country outside of North America. My worldview widened greatly as I made many Israeli friends and gained an up close experience in the history of Israel. Some of the friends I grew closer with on the trip are now my companions for Shabbat dinners at Hillel. Traveling to Israel with RootOne gave me a shared experience with other Jewish students that has helped me make friends in college. Now, as I have become more active in Jewish life at the University of Michigan, and have joined many clubs at Michigan Hillel, including JenGA, Michigan Hillel’s Engineering Club, I’ve seen firsthand how gaining this wider understanding of the world has allowed me to foster new relationships and grow as an individual.” 

Check out stories from more students whose lives have been changed by RootOne and Hillel.

The post From RootOne to Hillel: Jewish Inspiration and Connection appeared first on Hillel International.

News

Living with Hope and Pride

Author

Becky Cantor

Date

June 17, 2025

“Hope will never be silent.”

The gay Jewish American who spoke these words, Harvey Milk, is the kind of mensch I aspire to be in my journey as a queer Jew. By living my queer and Jewish identities proud and out loud, I honor not only Harvey Milk, who was the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, but everyone past and present who has carved out a space for Jewish LGBTQ+ people and given us hope for an equal world.

My name is Becky, my pronouns are they/them, and I am a queer and nonbinary Jewish graduate student living in Raleigh, North Carolina, where I moved for my master’s program in linguistics. 

Every year in May, I celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month, and every year in June, I celebrate Pride Month, a period of time dedicated to honoring my community and who I am. But since October 7, 2023, this time of the year has shifted, as I have felt immense pressure to celebrate and live my Jewish and queer identities separately.  

In the months following October 7, just as I was settling into graduate school in a new state, my community of friends rapidly dwindled. Most of my LGBTQ+ friends who were not Jewish backed out of my life without a single word, no communication except an unfollow on Instagram. They decided they would no longer associate with Zionists, even ones they’d known for years. Then some of my Jewish friends felt so unwelcome and unsafe in other campus communities that they began to withdraw from the LGBTQ+ spaces where I felt at home, leaving me without friends and a community where I could celebrate my full self.

It is heartbreaking beyond words to be cast away so abruptly by people you thought would be in your life for years. And so I decided it was time to get involved with Hillel beyond my campus, whose values and mission have always so closely aligned with my own. It is doubly reassuring to know that my current friendships that I have found since getting involved at Hillel are that much stronger thanks to the challenges we faced together. 

Today, most of my closest friends exist at the same intersection that I do: they’re LGBTQ+ and they’re Jewish. We share the values that we learned at Hillel: that all kinds of Jewish students are welcome and valued. We have found joy and fulfillment in integrating and celebrating all facets of our identities. We understand that each of us are complex, vibrant people and we deserve to live all parts of ourselves openly and freely. I love this community I have found more than anything. This Pride month, I’m celebrating them.

And though, sadly, Harvey Milk was assassinated in 1978, I’m channeling his dreams as an activist for the LGBTQ+ community. While he never lived to see how much of a difference he made, his legacy of joy, of community, and of hope continues to resonate with me and propel me forward. His words still echo loudly in my ears. 

The post Living with Hope and Pride appeared first on Hillel International.

Alumni

Jewish Identity

Student Stories

How Shabbat is Helping Me Navigate Post-Graduate Life

Author

Hannah Smuckler

Date

June 10, 2025

Hannah Smuckler recently graduated from the University of Kansas. After working as a Hillel International intern for the last year, Hannah will be starting work this summer as the new Springboard Fellow at Syracuse Hillel.

As I’m writing this, my graduation cap and gown are already carefully tucked away in the closet of my childhood room. I can’t believe how fast my time in college flew by. And while I am excited for the future, one thing I’ll miss is the way Hillel has helped me center Shabbat in my life. No matter what my week looked like, I knew I’d have “Shabbat at Hillel” on my calendar at the same time every Friday. And even if something else came up and I couldn’t make it to Shabbat one week, it still brought me a sense of comfort to know that those rhythms and connections were still happening in my community.

Growing up, my family only celebrated Shabbat on special occasions. I always loved lighting the candles and having a meal with my family, but I didn’t think about celebrating every week until college. Now the Shabbat rest and opportunity for reflection is such an important part of my week, and it’s changed the way I think about making time for myself and my friends. 

What I have loved most about KU Hillel Shabbat is that there’s something for everyone. Aside from having multiple Shabbat celebration opportunities each week, including Friday night services, dinner, Saturday brunch, and Havdalah, we often incorporated different themes. Some of the themes this past year included game day, Israel, tacos, and even a murder mystery themed Shabbat! This gave each of us the opportunity to find the perfect Shabbat experience for our interests. I’ve also loved getting to sample different cuisines that have to do with each of these Shabbat themes. One week, a friend and I led a Spain-themed Shabbat and brought our favorite Spanish foods to KU Hillel!

As a college graduate, without the stability and support of Hillel, I’ll have to figure out what I want my Shabbat experience to look like. But I know that these experiences and lessons I’ve taken from my time with Hillel will guide me as I learn to take Shabbat with me into the rest of my life. 

Here are three ways I’m using Shabbat to help me during this transition:

1. I’m putting my phone down and working on being more present and intentional with my friends. Then I’m taking the relaxation and reflection from each Friday night and carrying it with me into the week.
2. I’m taking a few minutes each Shabbat to go through pictures from the last four years and turning my favorites into a collage of memories that will travel with me where I go next. 
3. I’m making an effort to find time on Shabbat to see friends who I haven’t seen recently as I recognize that Shabbat will always be a time to make new friends and spend time with old friends. 

No matter where you are in your journey, you can think about how to make Shabbat your own. Maybe you’re reading this as an incoming freshman (hello, class of 2029!) trying to figure out what Shabbat at college means to you. My advice is: try every option you can to find out what makes Shabbat the most meaningful to you. This could be spending time with your Hillel friends as they celebrate Shabbat, using Shabbat to reflect on the week, or hosting your own Shabbat dinner for your campus community.

For my fellow graduating seniors, let’s use this pause each week to help us find some stability in the biggest transition of our lives so far. Whether you’re continuing with school, getting a job, or moving back home, Shabbat can be a consistent chance to look inward regularly and refresh for the coming week.

While it’s hard to say goodbye to the moments and community that shaped my time and my growth over the last four years, I’m so excited to take the lessons in reflection and rest that Shabbat at Hillel taught me into this next part of my journey. 

The post How Shabbat is Helping Me Navigate Post-Graduate Life appeared first on Hillel International.

News

Embracing My Asian Jewish Heritage

Author

Hillel International

Date

May 29, 2025

In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, we are sharing stories from Jewish students who are celebrating both their Jewish and their Asian identities.

For Asian American Jewish students like Naomi Stephenson, a junior at Brandeis University, honoring both sides of that heritage is an important part of her life — not only because they’re both deeply important, but because they’re deeply interconnected.

“I can’t bisect myself and have one version of myself walk around and be Asian and the other half of myself walk around and be Jewish,” Naomi said. “I’m both.”

Growing up in Belmont, Massachusetts, Naomi was raised by her Ashkenazi Jewish father and her Thai mother, who converted to Judaism before Naomi was born. Her family attended Shabbat services and were active members of their synagogue, and also took annual trips to Thailand, where they would stay for a few weeks at a time. 

While she was always aware of her biracial identity, sometimes others didn’t treat her Asian and Jewish heritage as connected.

“For a long time, the environment around me taught me to treat my Thainess and my Jewishness as separate sides of me,” she said, recalling a family tree activity from Hebrew school about Jewish ancestry, in which she was essentially told that the Thai half of her family “wasn’t really relevant.” 

Naomi connected strongly with her Jewish identity, enjoying her bat mitzvah experiences and helping out with her synagogue as a teen leader. She chose Brandeis University for her college education, where she studies international relations, history, and French, in part because she wanted to attend a school with a strong Jewish community. She knew she wanted to get involved right away, so she started going to Hillel in her first year. 

Hillel became a regular part of Naomi’s life at Brandeis. But she didn’t start to really bring her Jewish and Asian identities together until she connected with the Lunar Collective, an organization that cultivates connection, belonging, and visibility for Asian American Jews.

“They became the outlet for that side of my Jewish community,” Naomi said. “That was when I really started to claim being an Asian Jew. I didn’t realize how deeply you could feel seen, and feel in community, and feel like your whole self is being celebrated.”

Through her involvement with Lunar, Naomi hosted an Asian Jewish Seder in collaboration with Brandeis Hillel last year, and ran another one this past spring. “Lunar has their own haggadah that centers the Asian Jewish experience, which was really special,” she said. “There was something very holy about the fact that I could bring together people who are Asian Jews, people who had Asian Jewish partners, people within this Asian Jewish community who might not have interacted with each other before.”

Naomi is now part of the Lunar Leading Light Fellowship, a program for emerging young adult leaders of Asian Jewish heritage. Fellows work together to build Asian Jewish communities in their own cities, through planning and facilitating local events. 

“It’s been very empowering to realize that I don’t need to separate the two parts of myself,” she said. “All of that Jewish life I’ve engaged with — Hebrew school, my bat mitzvah, leading davening, leading in Hillel — I did all of that while being Asian.”

Naomi’s experience represents a growing shift in Jewish movements in communities to recognize the diversity of Jewish cultures, experiences, and identities. 

“I feel like our voices are being heard a lot more,” Naomi reflected. “The Jewish community is growing more and more diverse, and that’s something that’s wonderful and so important and beautiful. Being at Brandeis and Hillel have taught me that there are ways of being Jewish that I never imagined or encountered before going to Brandeis, and those ways of being Jewish are just going to keep expanding.”

The post Embracing My Asian Jewish Heritage appeared first on Hillel International.

News

Connecting Jewish and Chinese Identities

Author

Hillel International

Date

May 28, 2025

In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, we are sharing stories from Jewish students who are celebrating both their Jewish and their Asian identities.

Brooke Cohen, a rising senior at Brown University, has always been taught that her Chinese and Jewish backgrounds are more connected than they are different.

“My parents always told me that Chinese and Jewish values are very similar, from respecting your parents to caring about great food,” she said. “Both cultures share so much, and my parents encouraged me to see it that way.”

Brooke grew up in Singapore, where the Jewish community consists of an estimated 2,500 people. Brooke’s father is Ashkenazi Jewish, and her mother, who is Chinese, converted to Judaism as a young adult. But the maternal side of Brooke’s family has been connected to Judaism for generations.

As far back as the mid-nineteenth century, Shanghai had a small but active Jewish population. In the 1940s, Brooke’s great-grandfather was a business partner with a Jewish man who fled from Germany, one of the 20,000 Jews that sought refuge in Shanghai during the Holocaust. He became an honorary uncle — “Uncle Willie” — to Brooke’s grandmother. Later, Uncle Willie helped her mother’s family escape from Shanghai to Hong Kong, just before the Chinese Cultural Revolution in the 1960s. 

“He was a Jewish man from Germany, and China saved his life,” Brooke said. “And then he saved my family’s lives.”

Because of that history, Brooke’s grandparents had a deep respect for Judaism and the Jewish community, and were supportive when her mother converted to Judaism. Her father, who took a Mandarin class in the 1980s and later studied in China, is fluent in Chinese. 

“I really like how both sides of my family have had a lot of respect for one another, and a lot of deep understanding,” Brooke said. “That’s something I’ve been wanting to personally explore even more.”

Born and raised in an expat community in Singapore, Brooke attended Singapore’s only Jewish day school, where she learned both Mandarin and Hebrew. By third grade, her class consisted of fewer than 10 students, and her parents had to make the decision to move her to an international school with a larger student body.  Even though her Jewish community was small (she recalls only six or so students in her bat mitzvah class), her rabbi made sure to help her connect with other young Jews from around Asia. He organized annual weekend trips to places like Japan, Hong Kong, and Shanghai, where the students could meet each other and form friendships. 

When Brooke decided to attend college in the United States and chose Brown University, she found the experience of being surrounded by hundreds of Jewish students for the first time to be a special one. 

Brooke quickly dove into the Hillel community, regularly attending Shabbat dinners and other programs and joining the student cabinet. She also participated in the Lauder Fellowship, a year-long program organized by the World Jewish Congress for Jewish student leaders seeking to represent and advocate on behalf of the global Jewish community. 

“Meeting people my age who are also Jewish has been such a new thing for me,” Brooke said. “So I’ve been very eager to be in these Jewish spaces, and soak up everything I can.” 

This has held true for Brooke even through challenging moments for the Jewish community at Brown since October 7, 2023. 

“Even though it sometimes felt lonely on campus, I finally had a community of students that were similar to me, or coming from a similar background to me,” Brooke said. “This was so different from when I was the only Jewish student in my high school during the 2021 conflict between Israel and Hamas, and I had to navigate it alone.” 

Since coming to college, something important to Brooke has been finding ways to deepen her connection to both her Jewish heritage and her Chinese background, taking Mandarin classes and delving into her family history to learn more about her grandparents and great-grandparents — as well as Uncle Willie. 

“I do sometimes feel a bit of push and pull with my identity,” Brooke said. “But I feel very Chinese and very Jewish. And I’m still learning and discovering more about where I fit in that puzzle.”

In the long term, Brooke hopes to someday write a book about her family’s story. Call us when it’s ready, Brooke — your Hillel community would love to read it!

The post Connecting Jewish and Chinese Identities appeared first on Hillel International.

Jewish Identity

Student Stories

Jewish American Heritage Month: Building a Joyful and Authentic Jewish Life

Author

Rachel Miller

Date

May 27, 2025

In honor of Jewish American Heritage Month, we are honored to share Lauren Azrin’s story about exploring her Jewish identity with Dartmouth Hillel. Lauren, a graduating senior at Dartmouth College, found a Jewish home-away-from-home at Dartmouth Hillel which inspired her to continue her Jewish journey after college. Read Lauren’s story: 

When Lauren Azrin arrived at Dartmouth College, she came with a clear intention: she wanted to be part of the Jewish community. Raised in a Conservative home with strong Orthodox influences, Judaism was central to Lauren’s upbringing. Jewish preschool, day school, regular synagogue attendance, and involvement in youth group USY formed the foundation of her early Jewish life.

But in high school, as she transitioned to public school, Judaism took a less active role. “I stayed connected through synagogue friends and a youth group,” Lauren reflects, “but when I got to college, Hillel gave me a way to reconnect in a personal, meaningful way. It helped me take Judaism into my own hands.”

After recently graduating with a degree  in English, film, and economics, Lauren is preparing for a job in communications, with dreams of eventually working in entertainment. Looking back, she credits Hillel at Dartmouth with deepening her Jewish identity and inspiring a lifelong connection to community, learning, and tradition.

A Community from the Start

Lauren’s Jewish journey at Dartmouth began with Jew Croo, a Thursday night dinner for first-year students. “It was one of the first things I did on campus,” she says. “It was so important in making me feel welcome. I probably met every active Jew at Dartmouth that year.”

The friendships she made early on became anchors. From Jew Croo to Shabbat dinners — complete with warm food, meaningful conversations, and Dartmouth Hillel Executive Director Rabbi Seth Linfield’s famous question of the week — Hillel quickly became a home away from home.

“Even when things got hectic with school and socializing, I always prioritized Shabbat. It’s warm, grounding, and fun. We laugh, learn, and share.”

Choosing Her Judaism

Throughout her time at Dartmouth, Lauren regularly took part in Jewish Learning Fellowship (JLF), a conversational seminar for students looking to deepen their understanding of Judaism. “The classes were small and every session had a theme. From kabbalah and ethics to love and relationships, we explored Jewish texts and applied them to our lives,” she says.

Reflecting on how meaningful this experience was, Lauren adds, “Back when I was growing up, I learned because it was expected. Here, I learned because I wanted to. I was choosing Judaism for myself.”

She also helped organize a Jewish formal during her sophomore summer and attended countless community-building events like Jews and Java, Jews and Canoes, and the annual Purim Ball. “All these activities gave me a chance to celebrate Judaism joyfully and authentically,” she says. 

A Birthright Experience Like No Other

Lauren waited until senior year to participate in Birthright Israel, and the timing, she says, was perfect. “I was more mature, more grounded, and better able to reflect. It was immersive and incredibly meaningful.”

Traveling with Dartmouth Hillel peers and educators, Lauren visited diverse communities — from Druze villages to Arab-Israeli neighborhoods — and explored complex narratives. A powerful moment came at Yad Vashem, where the group discussed Holocaust memory and its relevance to their own Jewish lives.

“We didn’t just observe, we reflected. We asked what it means to carry these histories forward,” she remembers.

Finding Strength After October 7

Lauren was studying abroad during the October 7, 2023 attacks but returned to campus during the heightened tensions that followed. “There was a protest on May 7 where many students were arrested. It was a really unsettling experience.”

Despite the challenges, Lauren never felt isolated. She says, “Hillel was a safe space from the beginning. They created room for dialogue, comfort, and community. I know students at other campuses didn’t have that. We were lucky—we got to thrive.”

A Jewish Future

As graduation approaches, Lauren knows that her connection to Judaism is just beginning. “Hillel reminded me how much I love Shabbat, Jewish holidays, and community. I want to find a community I can fully immerse myself in. I’ve realized the most important part of Judaism is community. That’s what I’ve found at Hillel. And that’s what I’ll continue to seek out.”

Interested in more stories about Jewish students exploring their Jewish heritage through a connection to Hillel? Read about Lauren Robbins, a third year student at University of Florida, and her journey. 

The post Jewish American Heritage Month: Building a Joyful and Authentic Jewish Life appeared first on Hillel International.

Jewish Identity

Student Stories

This Jewish American Heritage Month, I’m Reflecting on My Israeli Jewish American Identity

Author

Amit Ben Harush

Date

May 23, 2025

Amit Ben-Harush is a student at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, where she studies business and marketing. A proud Israeli American Jew, Amit reflects on how her connection to her Jewish heritage has grown with her over the years.

In 2005, my family flew from Israel to Minnesota to visit  my aunt for the High Holidays, and decided to stay permanently. We quickly became very involved in our local Jewish community: We kept kosher, went to synagogue every weekend, and made Shabbat a big part of our lives. The community I grew up in, St. Louis Park, Minnesota, felt like one big Jewish family. We could walk to our synagogue, walk to my aunt’s house for lunch, and really immerse ourselves in Jewish life.

Things changed when I was in elementary school, and my parents got divorced. Up until second grade, I had gone to Jewish day school, so being Jewish was the norm for my friends and me. It was just another part of my life. But after my parents got divorced, I transferred to a public school, and everything was different. Suddenly, I was the only Jewish kid. There was no one who could relate to me, or who I could talk to about being Jewish. I was still very proud of my Israeli identity, but my Judaism began to take a back seat.

 By the time I reached my first year of high school, I was looking for something bigger than my Minnesota school, so I convinced my parents to let me study abroad in Israel. To me, the goal of that experience was to be back in Israel and experience that homecoming.

But my study abroad experience ended early when I returned home because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, being back in Israel reminded me how meaningful it was to be surrounded by other Jews, and I didn’t want to lose that feeling. I found my way to the youth group NCSY, and became the president of my school’s Jewish Student Union, both of which filled the space in me that was missing Jewish friends and Jewish community. 

After my experiences in NCSY, I knew it was going to be important to me to have a long-term Jewish connection while at college. When we toured campuses, the first question my mom asked was whether or not there was a Hillel, and that helped me get a sense for what Jewish life might be like there. And in my search for a Jewish family, I found an incredible surprise when I visited the University of Minnesota and saw my cousin!  She was working at Minnesota Hillel as the Jewish Agency Israel Fellow last year and seeing her cemented my feeling that the strength and vibrancy of Minnesota Hillel made it the perfect place for me.  

I’ve gotten deeply involved in Hillel since starting at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, and it’s really strengthened my Jewish identity. While studying business and marketing, I joined the Hillel social action team and marketing team, and participated in the Kane Fellowship at Minnesota Hillel, an experience that helped me grow as a Jewish leader. 

This Jewish American Heritage Month, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to be Jewish in communities where there are very few Jewish people. When I live in a big Jewish community, like I did in Israel and in St. Louis Park, I don’t have to think as much on a day-to-day basis about being Jewish. It’s just another part of my life. But when I’m surrounded by a diverse group of people who are not Jewish, it inspires me to think more intentionally and deeply about my Jewish identity and practice. 

And what I have found is that being an Israeli immigrant is still a core part of who I am, both in my love for my birth country, Israel, and my adopted country, America.  Being Jewish in America is so different from being Jewish in Israel, and I’m proud to have been able to experience both. As we celebrate the history of Jewish people in America this month, I keep thinking about how we may be small in number, but we’re such a diverse community, full of amazing people who have done amazing things. I’m proud to call myself an Israeli Jewish American. 

The post This Jewish American Heritage Month, I’m Reflecting on My Israeli Jewish American Identity appeared first on Hillel International.

News

Caring for Yourself Through Grief: Hillel is Here to Help

Author

Hillel International

Date

May 7, 2025

Please note that the following story discusses topics related to trauma, grief, and traumatic events. Please read with care for yourself and those around you. 

Florida State University Hillel’s (Hillel at FSU) Director of Leadership and Wellness, Melanie Pelc, MSW, drew on her years of experience counseling people experiencing trauma and grief to support Jewish students at FSU after the mass shooting that occurred there in April. FSU Hillel is a 2024 recipient of the Hillel International Mental Health & Wellness Talent Grant which brings mental health and wellness experts like Melanie to support students at Hillels across the country. 

In the wake of the tragic mass shooting at Florida State University on April 17 that killed two people and wounded six, Hillel at FSU’s Director of Leadership and Wellness Melanie Pelc knew immediately that Jewish students would need comfort, support, and a place to process the day’s terrible events.

“The first thing we did was make sure that everyone was safe,” Pelc said. “Not just physically safe, though of course that was part of it, but emotionally as well. No matter where they were, whether they were at home or on campus, everyone felt something significant.”

Over the next several days, Pelc organized a number of gatherings to support students through the aftermath of the shooting. They painted rocks to place on a memorial to the victims, in keeping with the timeless Jewish tradition of placing a rock on a grave as an act of remembrance. The Student Life Center hosted therapy animals — dogs, sheep, and baby chicks. Pelc also created social media posts to educate students about grief and grief responses, as well as offering suggestions for managing grief and trauma after a tragedy.

Jewish tradition offers wisdom on how to process and respond to grief, and Pelc was able to draw from many of those practices and teachings as she worked to support her students — as well as caring for herself and the other Hillel staff. Here are three of her suggestions about how Jewish wisdom can help us care for ourselves and one another in times of grief.

1. It’s okay to slow down.

While grief has no single timeline and the process of mourning looks different for everyone, Jewish tradition defines several “stages” of mourning that, in many ways, correspond to our modern understanding of the emotional process of grief. For Pelc, one of the most important takeaways is that we’re encouraged to slow down and simply “be” in our grief, without feeling a need to immediately “get back to normal.”

“In Judaism, we really give ourselves time to grieve,” she said. “We honor what’s going on, and there’s no guilt in it. And that really goes against what society tells us, which is to just move on and get back to everyday life. And at some point, Jews just said, ‘Hey, we need to take it easy. We shouldn’t be doing anything right now. We just need to be sad.’” And then, over time, we find our way back out into the world. 

2. Connect with your community.

Community is a big part of Jewish mourning, from coming together at funerals and memorials to showing up for one another during times of intense grief. “When a family is sitting shiva, the community rallies around them to make sure that the family gets everything they need, from meals to comfort,” Pelc said. “[The mourners] don’t need to think about it. They’re not supposed to be thinking or working, they just get to put their well-being first.”

With an entire campus in mourning, Pelc focused on meeting students where they were, depending on what they needed. That included Hillel extending its building hours to make sure students had a place to go where they could gather, talk about what they were feeling, and find comfort in one another. 

“In times like these, we find peace within our community,” Hillel at FSU staff wrote on Instagram. “Hillel is here for you.”

3. Honor what you’re feeling.

“People really think that you grieve once and then you’re done,” Pelc said. “But we know that’s not even remotely true. Grief ebbs and flows, it changes us, it leads us to grow and learn and release so that we’re able to come back to ourselves. It’s a natural process, but only if we trust ourselves, and trust what we’re feeling.”

Pelc encouraged her students to sit with what they were feeling, whether it was sadness or fear or anger or anything else, and to let themselves pay attention to those feelings. She also talked with them about honoring their feelings about other losses and traumas that might be triggered by the tragedy on campus, from losing part of their high school years to the COVID-19 pandemic to the end of their time at college. 

“Even with activities like painting rocks or playing with animals, we were honoring those emotions,” Pelc explained. “We were learning what grief and loss look like, and what emotions come up with them, and how to express those feelings. Because that’s part of it with grief, isn’t it? You have to ask, what are you feeling? What do you need? When we were painting rocks, we were expressing and releasing those feelings. We were at a place of mourning and sadness, so we came together to honor that.”

“We get the grief we get,” Pelc continued. “It’s our job at Hillel to be there to help.”

The post Caring for Yourself Through Grief: Hillel is Here to Help appeared first on Hillel International.

Jewish Identity

Student Stories

Jewish American Heritage Month: Honoring My Jewish Heritage By Speaking Up

Author

Lauren Robbins

Date

May 1, 2025

Lauren Robbins is a third-year student at the University of Florida, studying Public Relations. Lauren’s passion for speaking up on behalf of the Jewish community is a focus of her Jewish identity and heritage. In honor of Jewish American Heritage Month, we are honored to share Lauren’s story with you.

Growing up, I was the only Jewish girl in my elementary school class. I was six the first time I had to miss a birthday party because I was at synagogue for Yom Kippur. I loved my friends, but I always felt so alone. 

Then, the summer before fourth grade, I went to a Jewish sleepaway camp for the first time. I was surrounded by girls who also had missed birthday parties for the High Holidays and never eaten bacon. That first summer turned into 11 summers—each one deepening my connection to Judaism and my Jewish heritage. Through spending time with Israeli staff and campers, singing Birkat Hamazon (blessings said after eating) after every meal, dressing in white for Shabbat, and casually using Yiddish in conversation, camp became the foundation for my Jewish identity.

As the years passed and it came time for me to tour colleges, one of the things I prioritized was visiting the Hillel on every campus I saw. I was searching for a place that felt like camp—somewhere warm, Jewish, and full of community. And so when I arrived as a student at the University of Florida two years later, my first stop was Hillel.

During my freshman year, I participated in UF Hillel’s freshman leadership fellowship, and loved it so much that I stayed on as director of communication and outreach for two years. The fellowship gave me a tight-knit Jewish community in a huge school, where I made close friends and explored what my Jewish values meant to me. Through workshops on leadership, identity, and communication, I learned that being present, embracing who I am, and stepping up for others are what make a meaningful community and strong leaders. 

Another highlight from that time was when I first learned about Spread Cream Cheese Not Hate (SCCNH), a program to combat antisemitism at UF. I thought, “Cute name, an opportunity to fight antisemitism, bagels, and free t-shirts? Count me in.” On Bagel Day, SCCNH’s main event, I watched hundreds of students stand against antisemitism and all forms of hate. I felt so proud to be at a school that didn’t just accept Jews — it embraced us.

As a second-year student, the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel deepened my involvement with my campus Jewish community. I felt an overwhelming sense of guilt following the attacks. After all, if I were in Israel, like so many of my friends, I’d be serving my Jewish homeland. Instead, I was in Gainesville, Florida. I needed to take tangible action to support the Jewish people. So, I decided to become more involved in SCCNH by running their communications operation, responding to the dramatic spike in antisemitism that was occurring on college campuses. 

One of the most impactful encounters I had while being involved in SCCNH was a conversation with a student on Bagel Day 2024. The student shared with me that before coming to college, she had never met a Jewish person, but now, some of her closest friends are Jewish. She told me she’d seen SCCNH all over social media throughout the day (not knowing I ran the account), and she made a point to include our table on her running route so she could sign the pledge and ask how she could get involved next year. Just after our conversation, we hit 5,000 signatures on the SCCNH pledge, which students sign as a commitment to stand up against hate in their communities. My conversation with this fellow student reminded me why I care so deeply about being a Jewish American who believes in building bridges, correcting misconceptions, and making our community more visible and proud. 

I’m excited to continue this important work as chair of SCCNH for the 2025-2026 academic year, and to engage in conversation with more students about the importance of confronting antisemitism.

My Jewish American story has always been about community, action, and pride, whether at Hillel, on campus more generally, or in supporting Israel during times of need. I’m proud that my activism and leadership are rooted in the legacy of Jewish Americans who came before me. Jewish American Heritage Month honors our history and inspires us to write the next chapter. That chapter is on campus and in our communities, guided by the values of love, courage, and pride in our heritage.

The post Jewish American Heritage Month: Honoring My Jewish Heritage By Speaking Up appeared first on Hillel International.

News

Inspired by Their Experiences, Interns in Fellowship: Ambassadors for Birthright (FAB) are Paying it Forward

Author

Hillel International

Date

April 4, 2025

For over 25 years, Birthright Israel has sent young Jews on free, immersive trips to Israel, offering a once-in-a-lifetime chance to explore their Jewish identity. Every year, Hillel organizes dozens of campus-specific, and national trips, connecting Jewish students and young professionals to their Jewish roots, to Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people, and, upon return, helps them forge new ties to their Jewish communities. 

This year, through a new Hillel International fellowship opportunity, some of those Birthright alumni and future Birthright alumni are leading the way in peer-to-peer relational Birthright recruitment and are introducing others on their campus to the same type of life-changing experience.

Fellowship: Ambassadors for Birthright (FAB) creates community and leadership development opportunities for students who are passionate about introducing their peers to the power and inspiration of a Birthright Israel trip. FAB participants are selected by their campus IACT coordinators, who inspire and support young adults on their Jewish journeys before, during, and after trips to Israel.

“Birthright [Israel] has given me so much,” said Chelsea Horwitz, a fourth-year student at the University of Central Florida and a FAB ambassador. “I think it is so special, especially in these times as a Jewish community, to have something like Birthright [Israel] for Jewish students…to be able to embrace your Judaism, find your own Jewish story.”

As part of a yearlong cohort experience, FAB interns connect with and recruit Birthright Israel-eligible students, and plan at least one event per semester to promote Birthright Israel on their campus. 

“My Birthright trip was the most memorable trip of my life,” said Jessica Brashear, a fourth-year student at Arizona State University and one of the fellowship’s two student co-chairs. “And [the opportunity] to help other students go to such a special place and hopefully have the same amazing experience really drew me in.”

Another important part of FAB is sharing recruitment ideas and strategies across campuses. In the cohort’s monthly connection calls, they share successes and challenges, programming ideas, ways to bring recruitment and information about Birthright Israel into other Hillel activities like Purim carnivals or Shabbat dinners, and how tools like social media can help amplify their efforts.

“I think one of the toughest things for professionals to do is to actually stay connected to student needs,” said Jack Landstein, a fourth-year student at the University of Michigan, and the other FAB student co-chair. “How you advertise to students who have never been to Israel has really changed, especially since October 7. So it’s been great to be able to say, ‘This is how we should talk about this, and this is how we can make an impact and really translate Jewish joy experiences on campus into recruitment.’”

“Right now, one of the biggest questions we get is about safety,” Jessica said. “Especially because it’s so hard to comprehend the situation over there [in Israel] from here in the United States. But it’s been good to be able to say that Birthright wouldn’t send trips if it wasn’t safe, and to be able to speak from my own experience and say, you know, when I was there, I felt totally fine.”

In addition to supporting IACT coordinators’ Birthright recruitment efforts through relational engagement and peer-to-peer community building, FAB will build a strong pipeline of Birthright Israel and Onward participants, as well as a network of diverse student leaders within the broader Hillel movement. In its pilot year, FAB is on target to engage almost 1,000 students.

“This fellowship has really shown me how much I can do, and it’s so rewarding,” said Chelsea. “Every time even one person signs up for Birthright, it just helps me know that I’m part of their Jewish journey. I’m so grateful for this opportunity to grow and really talk about how much I love Birthright — if it’s even possible to put that into words.”

Applications for Hillel: Birthright Israel trips for Summer 2025 are now open. Not sure if a trip is right for you? Ask your campus Hillel professionals if you have an IACT coordinator or FAB intern — they’d love to help you decide!

The post Inspired by Their Experiences, Interns in Fellowship: Ambassadors for Birthright (FAB) are Paying it Forward appeared first on Hillel International.