Building Resilience from a Strong Foundation: A Note from Adam Lehman
Dear Friends,
As we reflect on the past year and in particular, the twelve weeks since October 7, there is certainly a lot to make us feel outraged, scared, isolated, and heartbroken. And yet with everything painful and disheartening that we鈥檝e learned from this period, 黑料传送门 we鈥檝e also learned much that we鈥檒l build on 鈥 including the resilience, courage, and connection of our students 鈥 to make college campuses safer, more secure, and more supportive for Jewish students in 2024. In recent weeks, we have learned that:
- Jewish students are resilient, even in the face of some of the most challenging circumstances on campus that we鈥檝e seen 黑料传送门 in our 100-year history. As part of this resilience, Jewish students have sought out community and shown up for one another. In fact, more students participated in programming this fall than ever before through their campus Hillels.
- Our future will be guided by an incredible and diverse group of Jewish student leaders who have both been shaped by, and who have helped to shape this period for themselves and their campus communities.
- Hillel professionals have a virtually unending capacity to support their students. This fall in particular, Hillel professionals showed incredible resolve and agility. One minute comforting a student in distress, the next planning a program full of ruach and joy. One minute calming a concerned parent, the next advocating on behalf of Jewish students with a school administrator. One minute organizing a rally or vigil for Jewish and Israeli students, the next engaging in difficult conversations with counterparts for other communities on campus.
- The work we鈥檝e been doing to improve the campus climate for Jewish students is more important than ever. Every failure by a college administration to educate students and staff about the nature of contemporary antisemitism; to enforce disciplinary policies; and to prevent intimidation, vandalism, and threats directed at Jewish students and Jewish student organizations shines a bright light on the need and opportunity for improvement in policies, practices, and campus culture. This work can and will be addressed through and other interventions.
- There鈥檚 no more powerful way to ensure a strong Jewish future than by investing in the joyful and meaningful Jewish experiences and relationships that are at the center of Hillel鈥檚 work.
At just a few weeks ago in Dallas, Noga Brenner-Samia, Executive Director of Hillel Israel, 鈥 meaning 鈥渢his and this鈥 or 鈥渁lso and also.鈥 In Noga鈥檚 words: 鈥Gam we need to fight harder than ever before, 惫鈥檊补尘 we need to stop the fighting鈥Gam to hold fast to my universal values and interfaith efforts, 惫鈥橤补尘 to know unequivocally which side I am on and who are my people鈥Gam to still believe that peace is the only way, 惫鈥檊补尘 to realize that peace may be far away.鈥
In that same spirit, gam, Jewish students are facing challenging conditions on campus that may get worse before they get better, 惫鈥檊补尘, we have a strong foundation on which to build the resilience of Jewish students during this period and create an even brighter future in 2024 and beyond.
Wishing all of you a happy and healthy New Year.
B’shalom,
Adam Lehman