News

From the Desk of Adam Lehman: Key Learnings from Hillel Professionals

Author

Adam Lehman

Date

August 1, 2025

Friends,

Last week, we gathered at WashU in St. Louis for Hillel International’s New Professionals Institute (NPI), welcoming 208 new Hillel staff members. As I shared at the NPI opening, this convening is one of my favorite times of the year. It’s energizing and inspiring to see and feel the enthusiasm and vitality of so many new professionals as they prepare to carry forward our Hillel mission.

New Professionals Institute is also a learning opportunity for me, as I connect with the many diverse professionals who have chosen to invest their careers at Hillel. This year was no exception, and I’m sharing here four of my key learnings from the convening:

The Power of Investing in Our Talent Pipeline:

We onboarded our 10th class of Hillel Springboard Fellows, with 53 new Fellows in this year’s class. Our Springboard Fellows are high-potential early career professionals who develop and apply innovative approaches to engaging students in Jewish life on campus during a two-year fellowship — fellows like Ariel Hekier, our first-year Innovation Fellow at Tufts Hillel in Boston. Ariel is an honors graduate from Duke, who chose the Springboard Fellowship over a prestigious overseas fellowship. 

While I was very impressed by the new class of Springboards, it was also gratifying to see the many former Springboard Fellows who have been promoted into new, more senior roles as campus Hillel Executive Directors, Assistant Directors, and Directors of Jewish Student Life. Sofie Ramirez Soto, the former Innovation Fellow at NYU Hillel, is a wonderful example of this progression as she takes on a new role leading Hillel’s work at Washington & Lee in Virginia as their new Jewish Life Program Director. 

When we started the Springboard Fellowship, our goal was to not only infuse new energy and innovation at our campus Hillels, but also to enrich the overall pipeline of professional talent for Hillel and the broader Jewish world. This year’s New Professionals Institute was validation of the ways in which we’re advancing this critical talent pipeline objective.

Supporting the Whole Student:

We’ve also invested in growing the presence of licensed Mental Health and Wellness professionals within campus Hillels. This year, we’ll have nearly 40 social workers, therapists, and other certified and highly trained wellness professionals embedded at campus Hillels, including the nine new wellness professionals we onboarded last week. 

In meeting with this cohort, I was struck by the way in which they saw their opportunity to work at Hillel as a way to apply their expertise in service of a community about which they care deeply. And we know from earlier cohorts that our mental health and wellness professionals not only provide critical support to Jewish students, but also to our other Hillel professionals as they help students navigate the unique stressors of being a Jewish student and young person on campus today. 

Healing Campus Culture Through Relationship Building:

We also hosted our first-ever cohort of Campus Impact Advisors. These 13 professionals focus on both advocating for Jewish students facing bias and discrimination on campus, and strengthening relationships between Jewish student communities and other communities on campus. 

While most of the professionals in this cohort have only been on campus for six months, they shared with me numerous examples of how they’ve already deepened relationships with allies on campus — through partnership with interfaith councils, inviting other faith and identity communities into Shabbats, Passover Seders, and other Jewish communal experiences — and joining those other communities for their events and celebrations. 

Ensuring Sustainability for Every Hillel:

We have worked hard at Hillel International to raise the financial resources necessary to meet the growing needs of Jewish students during this unique period. In addition to supporting the increasing talent, programming, security, and advocacy needs of our current campus Hillels, we also need to invest greater resources in a new wave of schools that are attracting larger numbers of Jewish students — schools like Clemson University (South Carolina), Southern Methodist University (Texas) and James Madison University (Virginia). We’re grateful to all of you who have recognized the critical needs of supporting Jewish student life through the challenges of this period and have stretched your investments to meet these needs.  

Just as our new professionals turned the page to a new chapter in their careers, we began a new book in the Torah cycle, turning the page to Devarim. In the first parsha, or chapter (also Devarim), Moses recounts to the Israelites key aspects of history and learnings from their 40-year journey from Egypt to Sinai to the banks of the Jordan, to prepare them for their entry into the Promised Land. In the same spirit, our New Professionals Institute infused key aspects of our Hillel history, values, and mission so all of our new professionals can in turn inspire all of the students we’re privileged to support and serve, along their sacred Jewish and life journeys. 

Shabbat Shalom,

The post From the Desk of Adam Lehman: Key Learnings from Hillel Professionals appeared first on Hillel International.

News

From the Desk of Adam Lehman: Reflecting on Student Accomplishments this Academic Year

Author

Adam Lehman

Date

May 20, 2025

Friends,

May marks a season of both beginnings and endings. As we celebrate the graduating class of 2025, we also prepare to welcome the class of 2029, who, on May 1st, committed to schools on National College Decision Day.

We also recently wrapped up Hillel Global Giving Week (HGGW), our annual grassroots fundraising campaign. Now in its sixth year, our Hillel movement raised more than $5 million dollars from nearly 10,000 gifts. To all those of you who donated to either a campus Hillel or Hillel International, thank you. It is these investments that make so many moments of Jewish joy, pride, connection, learning and community possible. And to those who haven’t yet made a donation, it’s not too late to contribute to a Hillel that’s been meaningful for you or a member of your family!

When I reflect on this past school year, I’m particularly inspired by the incredible Jewish students who are at the heart of our movement. I’m sharing the below stories about just a few of these awesome young Jewish leaders.

Robust student leadership that transforms Hillels

At Texas Hillel, Ethan Martinez set about to make an impact that stretched beyond the campus community. Ethan became involved with Why Not Me?, a program that empowers children from low socioeconomic backgrounds to envision a future that includes college, and took the lead on organizing one of the program’s “grocery nights,” where 15 families gathered with volunteers to cook and eat a meal together and receive food donations.

Ethan announced the project at an AEPhi Shabbat at Hillel and received an outpouring of support with enough donations to run a second grocery night the next month, ultimately supporting 30 families with over 90 people attending each gathering. “These weren’t just distribution events — they were designed with dignity and community at their core. There was no clear line between those giving and those receiving; everyone participated equally, cooking, eating and supporting one another in a shared experience,” said Rabbi Andy Weissfeld, senior Jewish educator at Texas Hillel. “The experience was a powerful reminder of the impact that’s possible when students come together around dignity, community, and service.”

Another incredible student leader who just so happens to have the same first name, Ethan Elkin-Handelman, a graduating senior from Rider University in New Jersey, also made a notable impact. Ethan helped triple the number of students participating in Rider Hillel programs, effectively reestablishing the Hillel on campus.

An elementary education major and member of Hillel International’s Israel Leadership Network, he shared his love for Jewish life, saying, “I’ve always been really passionate about being Jewish…I wanted Jewish people on campus to feel safe.” As he prepares for graduation, he leaves behind a legacy of a reinvigorated and recommitted hub for Jewish life at Rider.

Programs that strengthen and grow our communities

Vibrant Jewish life also includes building bridges with other campus communities. Earlier this spring, our Black-Jewish Unity Dinner series, hosted in partnership with the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism (FCAS) and the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) made stops in Baltimore and at John Jay College in New York City. The dinners provided opportunities to “break bread and build bridges” by bringing together Black, Jewish, and Black and Jewish students from multiple schools to deepen understanding and empathy between communities.

Reflecting on the experiences, Johns Hopkins Hillel student Abby shared, “The Black and Jewish communities have had a connection for a really long time, especially in the Civil Rights movement. The connection has broken down in the last few years, and we can really see the divide at Hopkins, so it’s important to me to try and bridge that divide. Both the Jewish students and the HBCU (Historically Black College and University) students I met tonight joined our respective institutions looking for a sense of belonging, and we’ve found that through our communities.”

Jewish student advocacy that leads to a brighter future

At the intersection of young Jewish leadership and a mission to build community belonging and understanding are the five Hillel students from University of California (UC) schools who recently met with Rich Leib, chair of the University of California Board of Regents, to discuss addressing campus antisemitism across the UC system and explore ways to better support Jewish students. “At the end of the day, we’re all here to be students. Yet for many Jewish students, that experience both in and out of the classroom is being disrupted,” said Shir Diner, a Hillel student leader at UC Irvine. “It was incredibly validating to finally speak with someone who is listening.”

When it comes to speaking up and speaking out, I can’t help but think of Leah Davenport, a College of Charleston Hillel student leader, who inspired us with her commitment to honoring the legacy of Malie, Chaim, Ida, and Peppi Landsmann — a family that was murdered in the Holocaust. After years of research, navigating archives, and hosting bake sales on campus, Leah raised nearly $1,000 to help place stolpersteine — “stumbling stones” — in Berlin to honor the Landsmann family on the streets where they once walked. On March 9, 2025, the stones were placed in Berlin, cementing the Landsmann family’s memories in the city where they once lived.

This year has been one of tremendous growth for the Hillel movement, including at Hillels outside of North America. In Poland, Michalina’s journey with Hillel began when she was a student, attending major Jewish holidays and Shabbatons with the Hillel Warsaw community. Despite living nearly an hour away in the city of Lodz, her commitment to Jewish life kept her traveling regularly to be a part of the community. When we were presented with the opportunity to open a Hillel location in Lodz, Michalina was the easy choice to lead it.

She stepped into her role with passion and vision, and under her leadership, Lodz has grown into one of the most dynamic and fast-growing chapters in the country. She has created a welcoming space for Jewish life, learning, and connection — all things that keep her students coming back for more, just like she did when she was in their shoes. Later this month, Michalina will represent Polish Jewish youth at an international conference in France — telling her story of the power of one student’s dedication to building Jewish life.

As we approach the official end of the academic year, on the Jewish calendar we also begin to wind down the days of the counting of the Omer, marking the sacred journey from freedom to responsibility — from the Exodus to Sinai, from liberation to revelation. It’s a time that reminds us that true transformation happens not in a moment, but in the steady commitment to growth, day by day. In that spirit, we celebrate how our students continue to demonstrate and inspire that commitment —building community, deepening identity, and shaping the Jewish future.

B’shalom,
Adam

The post From the Desk of Adam Lehman: Reflecting on Student Accomplishments this Academic Year appeared first on Hillel International.

News

Selecting the Right School for You: Advice for Jewish High School Students and Families

Author

Adam Lehman

Date

April 22, 2025

It’s that time of year again. And I don’t mean tax season, Passover, or the NFL draft. I’m referring to college decision time. Millions of prospective college students and their families will be making a final decision on where to attend school ahead of College Decision Day on May 1st, as part of the “regular decision” admissions process. 

While students and their families always need to consider a multitude of factors in making their decisions, for prospective Jewish students, this period has required the additional and often sensitive consideration of where they will feel welcomed and free to express their Jewish identities.  

As the world’s largest Jewish college organization, we have more than 100 years of unmatched expertise when it comes to understanding, supporting, and growing Jewish life on campus. With that expertise, I want to offer the following framework for prospective Jewish students and their families as they make their college decisions.

Find the Fit – Beware of any resource advocating a “one-size-fits-all” assessment of what Jewish life and experience will be like at a given campus. As with the many other factors you’ll consider in choosing a college or university, you’ll want to find a school that fits your Jewish life needs, interests, and personality. Finding this fit has always been a priority for traditionally observant Jewish students looking for schools offering kosher food and regular prayer services.  Applying this “fit filter” is equally important when evaluating the campus climate for Jewish students, even in (and especially in) this sometimes fraught period.

Fortunately, even the campuses with the highest volume and intensity of antisemitic incidents and issues impacting Jewish students often offer robust Jewish life opportunities. Even at schools like Columbia and Barnard with very public and well-documented instances of antisemitism, many Jewish students speak to the incredibly strong, well-resourced Hillel serving more than 1,200 Jewish undergraduates students there, complemented by extensive Jewish and Israel clubs and academic offerings. This very prominent example underscores that you need to look at the complete Jewish life offerings and experiences on a campus and honestly assess how you’ll both draw on the positives and navigate any negatives.

Factor in the Full Story – At Hillel, we have addressed thousands of issues of discrimination, bias, harassment and worse directed toward Jewish students across hundreds of campuses during the past 18 months. We are working tirelessly to both support individual students impacted by these issues and to improve the underlying campus climate for Jewish students at the schools involved. 

While it’s of course relevant to consider specific incidents that have occurred at a school you’re considering, it’s unwise to just factor in the “headline” (especially as headlines grow in relation to government actions being pursued in the name of addressing campus antisemitism). Instead, critical questions should be considered: Was the issue in question an isolated incident involving one or a small group of students violating campus policies, or is there a pervasive culture of intimidation translating into repeated incidents? How has the university responded to issues — with clear enforcement of their policies in a way that ensures a safe environment for Jewish students and all students, or with equivocation and inaction? And, what has the actual student experience been in relation to incidents on the campus? 

Often the best, and only, way to really evaluate that experience is by talking to Jewish students at the campus, or with Hillel or other Jewish life professionals who are interacting with a broad cross-section of Jewish students there. As a case in point, I recently attended a beautiful “Shabbat at the Shoe” celebration at The Ohio State University (OSU). Hundreds of Jewish students were joined by senior members of the OSU administration, including President Ted Carter, Administrators Chris Kabourek, Dr. Melissa Shrivers and Dr. Rabi Bellamkonda, Jewish faculty, and supportive community members. Our Hillel at OSU is excellent, and Jewish students who regularly participate in Hillel programs shared with me the great experiences they’ve had on campus, even during the past 18 months. 

Has OSU been free from issues impacting Jewish students? Absolutely not. At the same time, the university has been fast, firm, and fair in addressing those issues, ranging from removing encampments that violated university rules to addressing cases of individual student misconduct, and in fostering an overall healthy campus climate for Jewish students, and all students.

Forecast the Future – Four years ago, none of us could have imagined what the state of Jewish life on campus would be today. And there’s no reason to believe Jewish life on campus will look the same four years from now. If you’re a big college football fan, you could look at the commitment of the school to their football program and their success in recruiting to assess the likely trajectory of the football team over the following four years. And you can apply a similar approach to predicting the trajectory for Jewish life. Is the school investing resources to address issues impacting Jewish students (like Title VI compliance officers)? Does the school value having faith-based organizations, such as Hillel, serving students? Does the leadership of the school articulate and act on these values? 

Arizona State University was not always considered a leading destination for Jewish students. Flash forward to 2025 and ASU features a large and growing Jewish student population; a university administration that stands up and shows up for the Jewish student community; and a great Hillel known for its success in student engagement and programmatic innovation. 

By applying the guidance above, we’re confident that all prospective Jewish students can find schools that will fit their needs and interests, including when it comes to engaging in joyful, meaningful, and positive Jewish life experiences and communities. At the same time, Hillel remains deeply committed to ensuring that all colleges and universities return to and remain places where Jewish students and all students can thrive, learn, and express their identities free of fear or discrimination. 

Adam Lehman is the President and CEO of Hillel International

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From the Desk of Adam Lehman: Building Stronger Campuses for Jewish Students and All Students

Author

Adam Lehman

Date

April 2, 2025

Friends,

As we turn to the spring, the Final Four, Passover, and commencement season; antisemitism on campus remains a focal point, both in terms of aggressive federal government action, and in the news. While we are not experts on immigration law or the many other legal and tactical maneuvers being pursued and debated, what we do have at Hillel is unmatched expertise regarding Jewish life on campus, thanks to our 100-plus years of serving Jewish college students and 1,200 Hillel professionals who work on campus every single day. From that vantage point, I want to share the following observations about the current developments and debates:

First, for those who may be discounting and dismissing campus antisemitism as a real issue, we unfortunately know otherwise. During the past 18 months, Jewish students have been assaulted, harassed, intimidated, and demonized — testing the broader Jewish community’s trust in many colleges and universities. These incidents grew by more than 500% last academic year following the October 7 attack on Israel, reaching their highest levels on record. And, in our most recent survey of Jewish college students conducted in partnership with the ADL, a staggering 83% indicated that they had personally experienced or witnessed an antisemitic incident. 

While many universities improved their policies and enforcement of those policies this academic year, we have continued to observe and address a historically high rate of issues. We’ve catalogued more than 1,300 discrete incidents of campus antisemitism already this academic year. And to address another common misconception about the nature of discrimination and harassment targeting Jewish and Israeli students, the majority of these are issues of conduct — not speech. 

Among those conduct-based incidents, more than 350 involve threats or violence, and more than 200 involve vandalism targeting individual students, Hillel buildings, and other Jewish campus organizations. And, for those who contend that universities are fully capable of addressing campus antisemitism on their own, recent and longer term history indicate otherwise. There are numerous cases from the last 18 months when universities only chose to pursue basic remedial actions such as enforcing their existing codes of conduct after Title VI investigations, lawsuits, or other government action spurred them to do so. 

At the same time, for those expressing concerns over how current actions — such as deportations and withholding of grants for university research — are being implemented, we understand those concerns. For the benefit of Jewish students and all students, we believe it is essential that students, faculty, and staff violating laws and campus codes of conduct be held accountable for those destructive actions. At the same time, we also believe that due process for those accused of wrongdoing is essential — whether through mandated protections in legal settings or consistent, fair, and responsive disciplinary procedures at the university level.

We also share concerns over ways in which actions to combat campus antisemitism can inadvertently fuel further antisemitism, by feeding into longstanding tropes about outsized Jewish influence, and leading some people to unfairly hold Jewish students and faculty responsible for actions such as the withholding of significant research grants.

Addressing discriminatory beliefs, practices, and actions on campus requires a sustained and multi-faceted approach; and while legal actions have a role to play, they are by no means a cure-all. In order to fundamentally change campus cultures, we must improve the way administrators, staff, and students understand contemporary antisemitism; strengthen university policies and practices that protect the safety and basic rights of students to express their identities without fear; and promote the capacities of students, staff, and faculty to engage in constructive dialogue across difference. Leveraging our unique position and relationships on campus, we are aggressively working to execute on all of these strategies.

Finally, we know from our 101-year history that investing in vibrant Jewish student communities that educate, inspire, and grow the resilience of Jewish students is one of the most critical drivers for ensuring their overall well-being and positive campus experiences. Our work fostering Jewish joy, pride, learning, and leadership has elevated Jewish student experience in good times and bad, and on campuses that remain welcoming and supportive of Jewish students as well as those presenting ongoing challenges. 

As we approach the start of Passover, a season often described as Z’man Heruteinu, the season of freedom, we are reminded of both the unparalleled resilience of the Jewish people over the course of millennia and the values that have sustained us. Those values will continue to fuel our work at Hillel inspiring resilience, connection, and leadership for the next generation. 

Happy Passover – Chag Pesach Sameach,

Adam Lehman
President and CEO of Hillel International

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From the Desk of Adam Lehman: Increasing Jewish Belonging on Campus and Beyond

Author

Adam Lehman

Date

March 14, 2025

As the weather starts to turn toward spring here in Washington D.C, and we look ahead to the cherry blossoms beginning to bloom, a host of meaningful Hillel activities are blooming across our movement. Some of that activity remains dedicated to addressing ongoing antisemitism impacting Jewish college students, through initiatives including our Campus Antisemitism Legal Line (CALL), Campus Climate Initiative, and Campus for All student resource site. That said, since the topic of campus antisemitism is being covered so extensively in the news, I’m focusing this update on the many other aspects of our work that support, inspire, and empower the Jewish students we’re privileged to serve. 

We started this month off on a “chai” note with our first-ever Northeast Hillels A Cappella Competition, hosted in partnership with the University of Maryland Hillel. Sixty-eight singers from six different Jewish a cappella groups performed and competed for a live in-person audience, as well as more than 5,000 people who tuned in to watch via live stream. 

From top tracks adapted to Jewish themes to Hebrew-language hits, students sang to showcase their musical talents, celebrate their Jewish identities, and win one of six awards, including an Audience Choice Award. In addition to taking in the amazing music being created, as a current member of a Jewish a cappella group myself, I had the chance to also serve as a judge for the competition. Beyond the tight harmonies, entertaining solos, and clever adaptations, this event reinforced the power of building joyful Jewish community for all of the participants and audience members.

One day later, over 500 students, staff, and guests convened in Chicago for the Hillel International Israel Summit. Over 48 hours, students participated in dozens of skills workshops led by Hillel professionals and outside experts on Israel and the broader Middle East, and absorbed powerful and inspiring stories and lessons during plenaries featuring prominent thought leaders, including Gadeer Kamal Mreeh, the first Druze woman to serve as a member of the Knesset; Jason Greenblatt and Amos Hochstein, both of whom served as White House Middle East Envoys; Ambassador Dennis Ross and his colleagues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, David Makovsky and Gaith Al-Omari; and former White House advisors Shelley Greeenspan and Sarah Hurwitz; among many others. As one notable moment, it was both informative and inspiring for students to hear successively from Jason and Amos about how they helped their respective administrations achieve landmark peace agreements (in the form of the Abraham Accords and recent truce between Israel and Hezbollah). 

Last week, our team traveled to England to support our first-ever Hillel Global Social event in London. Built around Purim, this event brought together Jewish students studying abroad in London with local Jewish university students. In a twist on a quote from Harry Potter (we are talking about London, after all), while our students may be abroad, “[Hillel] will always be there to welcome them home.” 

Each and every time I am around our movement’s student leaders, whether in the above contexts or the many other areas of our work, I find myself awestruck by their insight, maturity, passion, dedication, and resilience.

Of course, we would not be able to do any of this work without the support you provide us. As a result of your engagement, involvement, and investments, we are in a position to provide our students with the Jewish community spaces, mentorship and leadership skills they need to express and grow their Jewish identities with joy, pride, and resilience. 

I’ll end with a quote from one of my favorite Dan Nichols’ songs, ‘Chazak’:

“Be strong, let us strengthen one another. / Be strong, let us celebrate our lives. / Be strong let us strengthen one another. / Chazak, chazak, v’nitchazeik.” 

B’shalom,

Adam

The post From the Desk of Adam Lehman: Increasing Jewish Belonging on Campus and Beyond appeared first on Hillel International.

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From the Desk of Adam Lehman: Building on Record Engagement and Increasing Jewish Belonging on Campus

Author

Adam Lehman

Date

February 4, 2025

Friends,

With the new semester underway, our Hillel teams are building on momentum from the fall term to advance our core work in creating thriving Jewish life on campus, while continuing to forcefully address the issues of antisemitism and hostile campus environments that can undermine the ability of Jewish students to fully express their identities.

On the “joy before oy” side of the equation, we are on pace for yet another new record in overall student engagement and participation through Hillel this school year. Here are just a few examples of the incredibly diverse array of programs, experiences, and relationships fueling this growth:

• Students from different faith and religious groups, including Hillel Davis & Sacramento, came together for the Interfaith Moveable Feast event at the University of California, Davis. In addition to sharing meals together at the home of each religious group on campus, students learned more about the different cultures and faiths of fellow students.
• Hillels in Ontario, Florida, and Texas have organized and supported regional student leadership convenings to connect and empower hundreds of Jewish student leaders seeking ways to strengthen their leadership on campus.
• As the Jewish community marked one year since the October 7 attack on Israel, campus Hillels around the world gathered to mark the solemn anniversary with programs and vigils, called for the return of the hostages, and provided opportunities to engage the full campus community in remembrance.
• In November, Hillel International organized the Yallapalooza Concert Seriesat premier venues in NYC, Boston, and Philadelphia. More than 3,500 students from 300 different Hillel communities enjoyed live performances from Israeli and Jewish artists headlined by Grammy-nominated musician Matisyahu, 2018 Eurovision winner Netta, 2023 Eurovision finalist Noa Kirel, and artists who performed at the Nova Music Festival on October 7.
• Two student leaders at Ohio State University Hillel launched a newsletter called “Bridges of Support” to help the university’s Jewish community learn about how Hillel is providing support to Jewish Buckeyes. “It’s a way for us as Hillel board members to tell the rest of the Jewish community what’s going on and add a little bit of good news to people’s days,” said OSU Hillel Co-President Abby Mehr.
• Over winter break, students from Hillels in the state of Florida traveled to Poland on a life-changing Hillel-led trip to learn about the history of the Holocaust and how it continues to impact antisemitism today. The group also visited local Jewish communities and Hillel Warsaw to learn about contemporary Jewish life in Poland.
• And this coming March, Hillel International will host the nation’s largest annual gathering of pro-Israel student leaders at our Israel Summit.

Even as we continue to invest in the talented professionals, unique Jewish experiences, and leadership development opportunities that engage, inspire, and empower Jewish students through Hillel, we also remain focused on improving the underlying conditions required for Jewish students to safely and fully engage in Jewish life and learning.

As a broader Jewish community, we can be proud of the progress we’ve made during the past year in catalyzing meaningful change in the ways universities address antisemitism. Many university partners are responding more quickly, aggressively, and effectively to address issues as they arise, including through more active enforcement of university policies and codes of conduct.

These changes have translated into a significant drop in the number of mass campus disruptions that sparked many issues of harassment and intimidation during the prior academic year. Even so, we continue to see a historically high level of problematic incidents targeting Jewish students, Jewish student organizations like Hillel, and Jewish and Israeli faculty and staff. In our just-released survey we conducted with ADL and College Pulse , more than 83% of Jewish students said they have witnessed or experienced antisemitism on campus since Oct. 7, 2023. In this challenged campus environment, more than 40% feel the need to hide their Jewish identity, an enormously problematic indicator of the breadth of issues Jewish students are reporting.

These numbers are more than statistics. They reflect the lived experiences of a large number of Jewish students who are being marginalized, excluded, and subjected to other forms of bias and discrimination. You can read more about the study and how we’re responding in this op-ed I co-authored with the ADL’s Jonathan Greenblatt.

In the face of these issues, we are continuing to invest in a multitude of resources and strategies to better equip Jewish students to confront these challenges, to promote their resilience, and to change the underlying campus conditions. In the fall, we launched Campus4All.org , a resource to educate and empower students to respond when faced with harassment or discrimination. More than 160,000 people have already taken advantage of Campus for All, and we’ll be continuing to add to the content and resources it offers students. Our Campus Antisemitism Legal Line (CALL), operated in partnership with ADL, The Brandeis Center, and law firm Gibson Dunn, provides free legal support from some of the nation’s top law firms to ensure that every Jewish student facing unlawful discrimination has legal recourse.

We’ve grown our Campus Climate Initiative to 100 participating universities, educating and training their administrators on the nature of contemporary antisemitism, facilitating policy-level changes to improve the way they respond to Jewish student issues, and ensuring their accountability in delivering on these improvements. We’re also adding new “Community Impact” professionals to Hillel teams at select campuses to serve as dedicated advocates for Jewish students and channel the efforts of aligned partners, faculty, alumni, and administrators in driving positive change. Finally, we continue to invest in the core Jewish education, engagement, and community building experiences that motivate and equip students to express their Jewish identities with joy, pride and confidence.

This past week’s Torah portion, Parshat Bo, bridges from the tragedy of our people’s enslavement in Egypt to the triumph of the Exodus. We too are living through times of tragedy and triumph, including the miracle of the growing group of hostages finally being released from their captivity over the past two weeks. Through it all, at Hillel we remain resolute in our mission, and confident in our capacity to inspire the next generation of Jewish leaders who will bring light to the Jewish people and broader world. Thanks for everything each of you does in support of our work and mission.

B’shalom,
Adam

The post From the Desk of Adam Lehman: Building on Record Engagement and Increasing Jewish Belonging on Campus appeared first on Hillel International.

News

Hillel’s Back-to-School Playbook

Author

Adam Lehman

Date

August 8, 2024

Originally published in the Times of Israel on August 7, 2024.

At Hillel, we celebrated our 100th anniversary during the 2023-2024 academic year. It was a record-setting year for us, during which more college students and young adults participated in Jewish life experiences through Hillel than ever before — more than 180,000 in total. At the same time, it was unfortunately also a record-setting year relative to antisemitism on our college campuses. Growing from pervasive campaigns to demonize and delegitimize Israel, we recorded more cases of Jewish students being harassed, intimidated, threatened, subjected to vandalism, and even assaulted than ever before. In fact, these instances of antisemitism on college campuses grew by 700% from the prior year (which had represented the then-record level). 

With most students on break during the summer months, we haven’t been as consumed with troubleshooting the nearly 2,000 antisemitic incidents that required our focused attention during the prior academic year. However, at Hillel we have decidedly not been “on break”. Instead, we’ve used this brief period to do everything we can to prepare for the new academic year, focusing our efforts in four key areas:

First, we are investing in visible, joyful, and meaningful opportunities for Jewish college students to come together at the start of the school year. Hillels will be “supersizing” our many welcome events and programs – “FreshFests” for incoming students, opening Shabbat dinners, welcome barbecues, and hundreds of other back-to-school events. After the many challenges and issues of the past year, we want to ensure that Jewish students have robust opportunities to express their Jewish identities with pride and joy, on campus, and beyond. 

Second, we are taking the steps within our control to prepare for the inevitable protests and other disruptions that will impact the new school year. Since universities hold the primary authority to regulate campus activities, Hillel International, together with other leading Jewish and educational organizations, recently issued clear guidance to universities on the steps we expect them to take in strengthening, promoting and, most importantly, enforcing codes of conduct for students, staff, and faculty. We’re also creating a new, online student toolkit to educate Jewish students about their rights and share available resources and contacts they can call on when issues arise. And we’ve been convening our campus-based Hillel professionals throughout the summer to prepare and equip them to play their critical roles in supporting and advocating for their students. These include our growing cadre of Jewish Agency Israel Fellows, who bring unique perspective to campus for both Israel education and addressing and countering efforts to demonize and delegitimize Israel.

Third, we’re continuing our work to address the systemic factors that have failed many Jewish students. We’ll be co-hosting a fall College and University Presidents Summit on Antisemitism, bringing together university leaders from across higher education to focus on fixing what’s broken at their institutions when it comes to allowing hostile and discriminatory environments for Jewish students to persist. This summer, we’ve already trained hundreds of university administrators on the nature of contemporary antisemitism so they can implement policy changes that better address this unique form of discrimination and bias. And we continue to hold universities accountable for their obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, through the Campus Antisemitism Legal Line, and our ongoing advocacy with the Office of Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education. We’re also pursuing a new wave of efforts to build bridges with other communities on campus in order to contribute to healing the major ruptures that emerged last academic year — through expanded interfaith and intergroup programs, and skill-building for our professionals and student leaders in mediating dialogue across difference. 

Fourth, we are preparing for the full range of social, educational, community service, leadership development, wellness, and ritual experiences that represent the core of Hillel’s work. While not as likely to garner media attention, the daily, core work of Hillel professionals in supporting and empowering students through these meaningful and joyful experiences and relationships is critical to the overall campus experience and well-being of the students we’re privileged to serve.

Simply put, we will be pursuing every possible avenue we can to ensure a safe, welcoming, and supportive environment for Jewish students during the upcoming academic year.

Adam Lehman is the President and CEO of Hillel International, the largest Jewish campus organization in the world.

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Celebrating Beginnings through Shavuot and Commencements: A Note from Adam Lehman

Author

Adam Lehman and Liora Knizhnik

Date

June 6, 2024

Dear Friends,

We will soon be celebrating the holiday of Shavuot. Shavuot represents both a conclusion and a beginning. With the receiving of the Torah, the Israelites concluded a critical phase in their journey toward Jewish peoplehood. Shavuot also concludes the counting of the Omer, 50 days after the start of Passover. At the same time, Shavuot marks a beginning. When the Israelites received the Torah, they agreed to abide by its commandments before even knowing what these mitzvot entailed. Thus began a new era of Jewish life and peoplehood, infused and guided by Torah, for the Israelites and countless generations of Jews to follow.

In this way, Shavuot is well matched by season to the college graduations that take place in the spring. Graduations of course represent a culmination for students of all of their learning, work, and growth during their college careers. And yet graduations are also known as “commencements,” since they are the launching point for graduates into the rest of their lives, hopefully guided by the wisdom and experience they’ve gained during their four (or more!) years of undergraduate study. 

While this year’s commencements continue to reflect the celebratory nature of years past, in many instances, they are also unfortunately being disrupted by protests, walkouts, and other interruptions. These actions have served to mar milestone moments for many of the other graduates and attendees, and especially for many Jewish students and their family members whose beliefs and identities are being directly attacked by some of the messages and tactics of the protesters. 

Even with the attempts of protesters and agitators to disrupt and degrade graduations, we at Hillel have stayed focused on doing everything we can to protect and enhance academic and student life opportunities and experiences for all of the Jewish students we’re privileged to serve. 

As I’ve shared in previous updates, we’ve been pursuing these efforts across a wide range of different areas —  security, government, legal, academic, advocacy at student and administration levels, and of course through our core work at Hillel creating welcoming, safe, joyful, and inclusive Jewish community spaces and experiences. 

In recent weeks, we’ve advised hundreds of university administrators on how to mitigate or prevent the adverse impacts from graduation disruptions; we’ve launched a petition that’s accumulated more than 33,000 signatures,calling on universities to enforce their existing rules and policies; and we’ve successfully advocated, together with partner organizations, to the Department of Education to issue clearer guidance to universities on the types of conduct that violate the rights of Jewish students under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. At a campus level, many Hillels have culminated their extensive support for Jewish students by hosting special commencement events for graduating Jewish students and their families, providing joyful and meaningful opportunities for them to celebrate graduation.

As we look toward the next academic year, we know our work at Hillel will be more important than ever. And we are using these next few months to prepare accordingly: gathering key staff from across the Hillel field to share learnings and plans; coordinating with other relevant Jewish organizations to maximize the impact of our collective efforts; intensifying our advocacy and partnerships with university administrators so that they can be even more effective in maintaining a safe and welcoming campus climate for Jewish students and all students; organizing kick-off community pride and resilience programs and events to usher in the new academic year; co-designing with our student leaders proactive advocacy campaigns they can pursue on behalf of their campus communities in the fall; and investing in our professional talent across the Hillel movement, so they are both recharged and prepared with the necessary resources and expertise to support Jewish life on campus in the coming year.

Even with the unprecedented challenges faced by so many Jewish students this past year, a record-breaking number of students participated in Jewish life relationships and experiences at Hillel — more than 180,000 students in total. In my recent travels throughout North America and Poland and Germany, I had the chance to spend time with some of these incredible student leaders.

Between the focused efforts that our Hillel teams will be making to prepare for the next academic year — and the strength, resilience, and inspiring courage of our students — I am confident we can move past the many challenges of this past academic year to a brighter year ahead.

Adam

The post Celebrating Beginnings through Shavuot and Commencements: A Note from Adam Lehman appeared first on Hillel International.

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Highlights from Hillel’s Centennial Celebration: A Note from Adam Lehman

Author

Adam Lehman and Liora Knizhnik

Date

April 19, 2024

Dear Friends,

Spring is upon us, which means it is also the season of Passover. Passover is often described as Z’man Heruteinu, the season of freedom, as we recount and celebrate the journey of the Israelites from slavery to liberation during the Seder.

However, in light of current circumstances, it is particularly difficult to think of this moment as a time of freedom. Many hostages remain captives of Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza. All of Israel remains subject to the threat of further attacks from Iran and its proxies. And many Jewish students lack the freedom to fully express their Jewish identities without facing harassment and discrimination on their university campuses.

Given these challenging conditions, we can shift our focus this Passover to thinking about the season as Z’man Tikvateinu, a time of hope. Of course, even hope can be difficult to muster in a time such as this one; nevertheless, we hope and pray for the release of all hostages and the ultimate defeat of Hamas in a way that ushers in a period of greater safety, security, and thriving for Israelis and Gazans alike. And when it comes to Jewish life on campus, I have even greater hope for the future after celebrating our 100th anniversary earlier this week.

To cap off our Centennial year at Hillel, we gathered 1,000 Hillel professionals, student leaders, lay leaders, partners, and supporters for two days of celebratory events in New York City, including meaningful conversations about how we can best fulfill Hillel’s mission in our second century. Our Centennial programs reinforced my deep sense of hope and optimism at several levels.

Our time together underscored our overall strength as a Hillel movement. When we complete a book of the Torah, we recite “Chazak, Chazak, V’nitchazek” — be strong, be strong, and may we be strengthened together. Those same words can be applied to the Hillel movement, as we close out this chapter of our story and turn the page toward our second century.

Chazak – We are supporting, inspiring, and empowering more students than ever before — with 180,000 students engaging in Hillel relationships and experiences this year alone.

Chazak – We have more talented and committed Hillel professionals working on behalf of Jewish students than ever before — nearly 1,300 in total supporting students on more than 850 campuses around the world. Each professional is making an enormous difference in the lives of their students and campus communities. 

V’nitchazek – We are meeting the unique challenges of this school year as only Hillel can. We are the critical source of comfort, support, and advocacy for students encountering issues of campus antisemitism. And we are leading the way in driving real solutions that can ensure a safer, more supportive campus environment for Jewish students and all students. Finally, we are continuing to do what Hillel does best – enabling positive and joyful Jewish experiences for students that strengthen their Jewish identities and promote their resilience.

My hope was further bolstered by seeing the vitality and strength of the leaders who came together for our Centennial celebrations: 

• Student leaders like Rebecca Weiss, a student at Ben Gurion University. Building on her commitment to strengthen global Jewish peoplehood through her role on the Hillel International Student Cabinet, Rebecca also just joined Hillel Israel in a full-time professional role to oversee a nationwide volunteer initiative aiding senior citizens evacuated from their homes and communities due to the current war.
• Professional leaders like Rabbi Danielle Leshaw, who after serving as a successful Hillel executive director at Ohio University for 15 years, has dedicated her substantial talents to strengthening dozens of other Hillels in her role as a Hillel International campus support director. 
• Volunteer leaders like Hillel International Board Chair Lee Dranikoff, who, in reflecting on Hillel’s impact, shared the following at our Centennial Summit: “This institution has impacted millions of lives, and those students have gone on to great things in the broader Jewish community. Today, there isn’t a Jewish federation, synagogue, or camp that doesn’t have its leadership steeped in experience with Hillel.” 

Simply put, our work at Hillel has never been more relevant and more resonant. Hillel is the answer to so many of the needs of young Jews today – the need for belonging, the need for a safe and inclusive community, the need for meaning and purpose, the need for insight, and the need for a platform that enables their overall personal growth and thriving. We are that platform, and we will continue to be there for Jewish students and campus communities for our next century and beyond.

It’s no coincidence that Passover is the most celebrated of the Jewish holidays and one of the most famous stories of hope and liberation in recorded history. Passover shows how divinely-inspired hope, leadership, and initiative enabled the Israelites to emerge from their dark moments of slavery and subjugation and chart a path toward the Promised Land.

This Passover, I will be reflecting on the many ways we can tap into our own sources of hope, leadership, and inspiration to overcome the challenges of this season, on our journey to a stronger and more vibrant Jewish future.

Shabbat Shalom, Chag Sameach, and wishing everyone a Zissen (sweet) Pesach. 

Adam

The post Highlights from Hillel’s Centennial Celebration: A Note from Adam Lehman appeared first on Hillel International.

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Leadership Matters: A Note from Adam Lehman

Author

Adam Lehman and Liora Knizhnik

Date

March 13, 2024

Dear Friends,

Leadership matters. This maxim applies in all contexts, though it’s especially true in times of challenge. Unfortunately, Jewish college students are familiar with such difficult times, as they continue to face extreme conflict and related violence, harassment, intimidation, and threats directed at them on campus. 

In this context, it was truly inspiring to be with more than 800 student leaders and 200 professionals at our 2024 Israel Summit in Atlanta. The Israel Summit provided these student leaders with a much-needed opportunity to be in community with their peers from colleges and universities across the country; as Student President of Georgia Tech Hillel Talia Segal (‘24) noted, “Sharing a space with students who have all dealt with antisemitism on their campuses was like coming up for air after months of being trapped underwater.” 

Even more so, Hillel’s Israel Summit provided students with invaluable access to top scholars, geopolitical experts, and community leaders through three mainstage plenaries and 56 masterclass breakout sessions to help them deepen their understanding and hone their leadership skills. Faculty and keynote speakers ranged from human rights icon and former Chairman of the Executive of the Jewish Agency for Israel, Natan Sharansky, to former Vice Prime Minister of Israel Tzipi Livni, to former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dennis Ross, to Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy, to author and former White House speechwriter Sarah Hurwitz. 

Beyond these meaningful and intensive learning moments, students had the opportunity to dance, sing, and celebrate together during a private concert featuring Netta Barzilai, the Eurovision-winning Israeli songwriter and musician. Throughout the two-day Israel Summit, I was inspired by the thoughtfulness, compassion, and commitment of the students. Leadership matters, and these students are already leading the way. You can see more of my thoughts on the Summit in this Jewish Insider interview. 

I traveled directly from the Israel Summit in Atlanta to our latest convening of college and university presidents and administrators participating in our Campus Climate Initiative (CCI) to counter antisemitism on campus. More than 100 participants from 30 universities joined us in Cleveland for a convening of CCI participants. 

Just as we will depend on the inspiring leadership of our Jewish students, we are also counting on our university leaders to step up. We’ve now surpassed 1,000 incidents of harassment, threats, vandalism, assaults, and targeted hate speech directed at Jewish college students since 10/7. More than ever, we need university administrators to show leadership in reasserting authority on their campuses to ensure a safer, more welcoming learning environment for the students being subjected to these unacceptable expressions of antisemitism. 

In turn, our CCI Summit provided participating higher education administrators with practical guidance on how they can improve their policies and procedures to address and prevent these issues. Program highlights included hearing from Catherine Lhamon, the assistant secretary for civil rights at the Department of Education, Ohio State Representative Terrence Upchurch sharing reflections on his travels to Israel, and a “Tuesday Night Shabbat” Dinner at Temple Tifereth Israel to help participants understand the role of Jewish ritual for their students. Just a week later, we kicked off our fifth cohort of CCI campuses, extending CCI’s reach to more than 70 major universities engaging in this critical work. 

While I know news from campus tends to be dominated by the challenges described above, it’s also important to remember that Hillel and Jewish students are creating positive Jewish experiences and relationships each and every day on campuses across North America and around the world. More students than ever before — 180,000 this school year alone — are participating in joyful and meaningful experiences like Shabbat and holidays, Jewish learning opportunities, challah baking, and wellness programs with Hillel. To that end, I’m also sharing a recent opinion piece published in Newsweek for prospective college students and their families, so they can pursue a holistic view of Jewish life on the campuses they’re considering. 

In speaking about leadership in our work, I would be remiss not to mention and share gratitude for your leadership. Without your engagement and support for Hillel, we would not be able to do our work supporting, inspiring, and empowering Jewish students through all of the ups and downs of this academic year. 

May we all go from strength to strength,

Adam

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