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.

LGBTQIA+

Proud to be Jewish

Student Stories

The Shabbat Walk That Changed My Life

Author

Ariel Katz

Date

June 5, 2025

Ariel Katz is the associate general counsel for Hillel International. In celebration of Pride Month, Ariel shared her story about how she met her wife and learned to integrate her queer and Jewish identities.

On a rainy night in late April 2022, nine years into living in Chicago, I took the bus to a Shabbat dinner in nearby Andersonville that would change my life. Uncharacteristically, I was a few minutes late, and there was only one seat left, next to a woman who had also arrived late. We started talking, and I learned that she was smart, and really funny, and easy to talk to. I am shomer Shabbat, so I asked her to walk me home (a mile and a half away) after dinner. She agreed, and the rest, as they say, is history. 

It’s maybe a bit of a cliche to have met my wife at a Shabbat dinner, and perhaps even more so that we met at an LGTBQ Shabbat dinner sponsored by Base Hillel. 

I grew up in an observant household and attended Jewish day school and Jewish summer camp. I learned to read Hebrew while learning English, and wrote my college essay about the connection I felt to Judaism when I read out loud from the Torah. I never questioned my Jewish identity, and while my relationship with Judaism has changed over the course of my life, it has always remained a core part of who I am. 

When I came out as gay at the end of college, I didn’t doubt my Jewishness — but I did wonder whether Jewish spaces would still feel like home. I feared being seen as “other” in communities that had once nurtured me. Could I walk into a synagogue holding a woman’s hand and still be embraced the same way? Who was a gay Ariel Katz in comparison to a straight Ariel Katz? (Spoiler alert: The same person! Just a more whole version of myself.) And how did this new identity fit in with my Jewish identity, if it even fit at all? 

I posed these questions to a straight friend who had been living in Chicago for several years. I had just moved to the city, and was dealing with my own sense of my place in the broader world on top of coming out publicly. “How do I add this new identity to my already strong Jewish identity?” I asked her. “Is there room for both?” She went on to share that she felt there was room for both identities, and that most of the Jewish spaces in her life were, in fact, queer spaces, either by design (like the queer Yeshiva where she studied) or by virtue of community (like the synagogue she attended with many queer families). By the time I met my wife nine years later, both my identities were so intertwined that attending a Base Hillel LGBTQ dinner was as commonplace as any other Jewish event I might attend. 

That’s why working at Hillel now feels so meaningful — not just because I get to be my full self, but because I get to help make sure others can do the same. Co-leading our LGBTQ Employee Resource Group is more than a side responsibility; it’s a reflection of everything I once needed and now get to help provide. At one of our Employee Resource Group meetings in April, everyone shared different Pride Shabbatot happening on their campuses, or other ways they were collaborating with queer groups on campus or uplifting their own queer students. Some Hillels were so intersected with the queer community that their Shabbat celebrations were marketed as “Gayer than Usual Pride Shabbat.” 

Whenever I visit a local campus, it is commonplace to see a Pride flag hanging in a window. To today’s students, this ubiquity may seem like a given. Working for Hillel, I have never had to question my acceptance as a queer Jew, nor questioned the acceptance of queer Jewish students at campus Hillels. After all, it’s easy to take for granted the acceptance of queer Jews in Jewish spaces today, as reflected at Hillel and many progressive synagogues across America. But this wasn’t always the case. 

There was a time not long ago when queer Jews had to choose between authenticity and belonging. Hillel is helping change that. I’m proud to work for an organization that creates spaces where Jews can show up fully as themselves — where being queer and Jewish isn’t a contradiction but a celebration. And I’m especially grateful for that rainy night in April, when Hillel made space for me to meet my beshert. 

The post The Shabbat Walk That Changed My Life appeared first on Hillel International.

Diversity and Inclusion

Hillel Community

LGBTQIA+

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. 

The post Reflections from a Hillel Intern on Pride Month appeared first on Hillel International.

News

At FSU Hillel, Every Experience is Welcome

Author

Hillel International

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.

The post At FSU Hillel, Every Experience is Welcome appeared first on Hillel International.

Israel

Leadership and Career Skills

LGBTQIA+

Jewish Agency Israel Fellow Spotlight: Yonatan Eyov

Author

Hillel International

Date

October 31, 2022

The post Jewish Agency Israel Fellow Spotlight: Yonatan Eyov appeared first on Hillel International.

Israel

LGBTQIA+

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

Author

Hillel International

Date

March 3, 2022

The post I embrace my Jewish, queer, and Mexican identities whenever I walk into a space. appeared first on Hillel International.

Hillel Leadership

LGBTQIA+

Bisexual Representation Matters: Jacob’s Story

Author

Hillel International

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.

The post Bisexual Representation Matters: Jacob’s Story appeared first on Hillel International.

Antisemitism

Diversity and Inclusion

Hillel Leadership

LGBTQIA+

Social Justice

Grappling with the Complexities of Black, Queer and Jewish

Author

Hillel International

Date

April 22, 2021

The post Grappling with the Complexities of Black, Queer and Jewish appeared first on Hillel International.

Jewish Identity

LGBTQIA+

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

Author

Hillel International

Date

April 5, 2021

The post I have always felt welcomed and accepted — no matter what. appeared first on Hillel International.

LGBTQIA+

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

Author

Hillel International

Date

January 2, 2020

The post I was scared my Jewish community wouldn’t accept me when I came out as trans. appeared first on Hillel International.