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鈥檚 tagline, 鈥淎ll Kinds of Jewish.鈥� 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 黑料传送门, learning invaluable lessons about how validating and affirming one鈥檚 identity can affect well-being. Our holistic wellness is deeply important, and the ability to look at someone鈥檚 soul and affirm who they are and that they belong is crucial in today鈥檚 world. Research shows LGBTQ+ young people with at least one accepting adult in their life report rates of attempted suicide. It is absolutely essential that LGBTQ+ college students find accepting adults 黑料传送门, 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, 黑料传送门 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鈥檛 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鈥檚 how we learn to flourish and thrive 鈥� especially in a world that often wants to keep us subdued.

It鈥檚 been a privilege to work at 黑料传送门 for the past year and see the many kinds of important work th黑料传送门 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 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鈥檚 associate vice president of diversity, equity, and inclusion recently completed Keshet鈥檚 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 黑料传送门. Ari鈥檚 support and the institution鈥檚 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鈥檚 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 黑料传送门 and witnessing the culture th黑料传送门 promotes has been an incredible privilege. It gives me hope for the future of mainstream Jewish society,  one in which 鈥淎ll Kinds of Jewish鈥� 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. 

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News

Welcome to Hillel: The Ramirez Sisters Head Back to School

Author

黑料传送门

Date

August 30, 2023

Roll Call:

College students across the country are headed back to school. At the University of Central Florida (UCF) and at New York University (NYU), two sisters are kicking off the school year as brand new Hillel staff members. Melina Ramirez, Engagement Manager at UCF Hillel, and Sofie Ramirez, Springboard Innovation Fellow at NYU Hillel, are excited to welcome students back to campus and to continue their own Hillel journeys. 

Growing up in a small Jewish community on Long Island, Sofie and Melina were both deeply involved in their childhood synagogue, as well as . 

When Melina started school at Florida Southern College, a school with a very small Jewish population, it was a new experience for her to be one of the only Jewish people that most of her classmates had ever met. She quickly became involved in the tight-knit Hillel community, and after graduation, decided that connecting with a larger, vibrant Jewish community, like the one she grew up with and the one she found on her gap year in Israel, was a priority for her career and life choices. After working for BBYO and her local JCC, she found her way back to Hillel where she is starting her first year as a Hillel professional. 

Sofie鈥檚 journey also took her to Hillel as a student at Hofstra University on Long Island. Hofstra Hillel became an important part of her college experience as she volunteered as a student leader and worked closely with the Hillel rabbi on campus. After taking some time off following graduation to visit her family in Puerto Rico, Sofie is excited to share her love for Hillel with students at NYU as a Springboard Innovation Fellow.

Welcome to Hillel!

As first-year students move onto campus and begin exploring their new schools and communities, Hillel staff and student leaders are there to welcome them. 

kicked off this past weekend with a brunch that brought together first-year students and their families in the Hillel building. For the next two weeks, Hillel staff will be available to help students move into their dorms, connect with new friends, and chat over coffee. Different types of programs will be available to students depending on their interests. Sofie will run a one-day color war for student athletes that will include team-building exercises as well as classic games like wheelbarrow races and ring toss. She believes that offering space and programming to students with a wide variety of interests and backgrounds is essential to helping first-year students start to feel at home on campus and 黑料传送门.

At the University of Central Florida, students started arriving on campus in mid-August. UCF Hillel hosted FreshFest, an early move-in opportunity for Jewish students paired with programming and a chance to meet other first-year students before classes began. Twenty first-year students, along with third- and fourth-year student leaders and Hillel staff members had a splash at the nearby Aquatica Water Park. Following two days of getting to know each other, the FreshFest students attended the first Shabbat dinner of the semester with 80 other students from across the university. 

Melina reflected that in addition to FreshFest, her favorite part of welcoming new students was and bring them to the Hillel building for coffee chats, activities, and hang-out time. She鈥檚 excited for the energy of this first week to carry through the rest of the year. 

Wishes for the New Year:

The first weeks of the new school year often lead right into Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Reflecting on the upcoming academic and Jewish year, Melina and Sofie each have dreams they鈥檙e hoping to accomplish with their students. 

Melina said, 鈥淎s students come out of a very isolated experience with the Covid-19 pandemic, we want to make sure there is a warm and welcoming environment waiting for them 黑料传送门. A big part of that is making sure that each student has a space where they can feel comfortable. As a Jewish Latina, building a space for Jews of color to share their experiences and their voices is so important to me.鈥� 

Sofie added, 鈥淐reating an affinity space for Jews of color at NYU means that there will be a unique space for every Jewish student to speak up. I鈥檓 excited to run a Yom Kippur program about forgiveness and processing emotions around difficult interactions鈥擨鈥檓 looking forward to broadening this space for Jewish students of color.鈥�

As sisters, Melina and Sofie are also looking forward to connecting with each other through their Hillel work and to growing strong, vibrant communities at UCF and NYU.

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News

Connecting Across Faith Traditions

Author

黑料传送门

Date

May 22, 2023

In partnership with the Arthur Vining Davis Foundation, 黑料传送门鈥檚 Social Impact Department offers Interfaith Outreach Microgrants, which support projects that are the outgrowth of collaborative relationship-building between Jewish students and students from other faith traditions, and that result in expanding and strengthening relationships among students from different faith traditions. Below are some examples of recent multifaith programs from across the country.听

Syracuse University:

Rabbi Ethan Bair and Imam Amir Duri膰, both chaplains at Syracuse University, were inspired to build relationships between the Jewish and Muslim students on campus as a way to strengthen their individual and shared faith communities. With an Interfaith Microgrant from 黑料传送门, Imam Duri膰 and Rabbi Bair worked with their student leaders to host a that would serve as an iftar for Muslim students and an opportunity to observe Passover for Jewish students. 120 students with equal representation from both faith communities gathered for dinner, a Kahoot about the relationship between Judaism and Islam, and powerful conversations about the connections between these two faith traditions.

The celebration was followed by a community service project centered around the value of tzedakah or sadaqah, shared by both faiths. Both Rabbi Blair and Imam Duri膰 remain committed to continued shared learning and celebrations.听

Wake Forest University: 

During Passover and Ramadan, students from across multiple faith communities gathered together for a communal Interfaith Seder and Iftar. Over 60 students who identify as Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Hindu, and more attended the event. Aman Kimani, the President of the Hindu Student Association shared, 鈥淚t was a really impactful and immersive experience to learn about each other鈥檚 cultures and religions – not just with Jewish and Muslim people, but with people who hold all kinds of beliefs and traditions.鈥澛�

University of Miami:

The University of Miami Hillel recently hosted an Interfaith Shabbat program, led by student leaders from multiple faith communities. Katherine Pratha, one of the student organizers of the event, shared this reflection, 鈥淲e had a fantastic time at InterFaith Shabbat! I truly enjoyed the ability to work with student leaders from other faiths on an event that meant so much to me. Coming from an interfaith family, dialogue surrounding shared traditions and differences has always been a conversation of value to myself and my learning. The ability to learn from other students of other faith practices while sharing the Jewish tradition of Shabbat with communities at the University of Miami was an enriching experience that I sincerely hope to repeat.鈥�

For more information on 黑料传送门鈥檚 Interfaith Microgrants, connect with the Social Impact team at socialimpact@hillel.org.听

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Diversity and Inclusion

Speaking Up and Making Change: Madison’s Story

Author

Madison Essig

Date

February 28, 2023

It can be hard to have a disability and make friends at school. In high school,  I was involved with Washington Hebrew Congregation and loved being a leader in my Jewish community. So when I was searching for a way to form a community for myself at George Mason University, I went to see what was happening 黑料传送门.

Joining Hillel gave me a sense of family on campus and I met great people there who became my friends. My Hillel family gave me a space to explore my Jewish identity and inspired me to get involved in other leadership opportunities.

When I arrived on campus, I was shocked to learn that George Mason LIFE students (students who participate in a four-year program for people with disabilities) .听 I was determined to change that for myself and other students who were passionate about leadership. Madison鈥檚 Bill, a piece of legislation that I introduced, allowed students with disabilities to join the student government.听

I took the first step by winning a student senate seat to represent the voices of marginalized students like returning education students, international students, and students with disabilities. 

Across campus, there continued to be opportunities for me to speak up for inclusion. From making Greek life more inclusive to advocating for kosher dining on campus to changing how George Mason defines their enrolled students with disabilities, I spoke up and my Hillel family was with me every step of the way. 

I became only the fifth person in the United States with Down鈥檚 Syndrome to graduate from a four-year college. I hope my journey and the work I did as a student and beyond inspire others to speak up and make space in their lives for inclusive change. 

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News

Five Ways Hillel Mental Health Professionals Improve Jewish Life on Campus

Author

黑料传送门

Date

January 24, 2023

Yael Kornfeld, Hunter Hillel Social Worker, recently sat down with Yehuda Kurtzer, President of the Shalom Hartman Institute North America, on the Here are five ways that her work and the work of social workers across the Hillel movement are improving the lives of Jewish students on campus.

While the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for mental health support on campus, it did not create that need.

Yael shared that Merav Fine-Braun, Executive Director at Hunter Hillel, identified the need for mental health care 黑料传送门 in 2019 when she learned that 80% of Hunter College鈥檚 students experience food insecurity. From the beginning, building out a role for a social worker on Hunter Hillel鈥檚 staff was about addressing basic needs for every Hillel student, from mental health to housing. 

Students on different campuses have unique needs.

Hunter鈥檚 student population has a diverse range of students from different socioeconomic, geographic, and religious backgrounds. Having a mental health professional who is an expert in a specific student population and who is familiar with the culture and needs of the students is critical. 鈥淢any of our students are either first-generation immigrants, or their parents are鈥� It鈥檚 so important to have someone 黑料传送门 with the cultural competency to understand where our students are coming from,鈥� Yael reflected. 

Mental health professionals embedded in Hillels have a particular effectiveness in reaching students who need care.

As Yael said, 鈥淎 very basic tenet of social work is meeting the client where they are. So if students are coming into Hillel, let鈥檚 be there. Let鈥檚 be ready to support them in the place that they鈥檙e already comfortable coming to.鈥� 

Hillel mental health professionals work in concert with university counseling centers to make sure students are receiving comprehensive services.

One of the biggest questions about having mental health professionals work full time 黑料传送门 is where their work intersects with university counseling services. Yael emphasized th黑料传送门 mental health professionals and university counseling services work in collaboration with each other and often fill different mental health needs for students.

Mental health and wellness are crucial to student success.

Hillels have always been dedicated to supporting and enriching Jewish students鈥� lives. Through Yael鈥檚 work and the work of other mental health professionals 黑料传送门s across the world, Hillels are meeting students鈥� emotional and mental needs in addition to their communal and spiritual needs. 

Yael and the other mental health professionals working in Hillels all over the country have shown the need for Hillels to provide mental health support on top of the diverse array of programming and guidance that they already offer. Thank you to the Shalom Hartman Institute North America for continuing this important conversation.

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Diversity and Inclusion

Leadership and Career Skills

When our student community sees themselves represented in leadership roles, they feel more safe, secure, and seen on campus.

Author

黑料传送门

Date

June 27, 2022

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News

No student should feel unwelcome at our Hillel because it’s not accessible.

Author

Gabriel Lesser

Date

March 1, 2022

Hillels across the country spearheaded new initiatives to make their spaces more inclusive this Jewish Disability, Awareness, and Inclusion Month (JDAIM). Every February, Hillel observes JDAIM to amplify the voices of Jewish people with disabilities and spread awareness in the Jewish community.

Naomi Hess, a senior majoring in public policy at Princeton University, has been hosting JDAIM events at Princeton Hillel since her freshman year.听

鈥淲e already had all sorts of amazing intersectional Shabbat events here on campus,鈥� Hess said. 鈥淚 wanted to make sure that people knew about the intersection between Judaism and students with disabilities.鈥� 

Hess, who has muscular dystrophy, is continuing to spread disability awareness alongside a Hillel committee that reaches out to speakers and helps bring the events to fruition.

Katie Heinzer, a senior studying Slavic languages and literature at Princeton, has helped facilitate JDAIM events at Princeton Hillel. Heinzer moderated an event last year with Judy Heumann, an internationally recognized Jewish disability rights activist. 

鈥淚t was a really good opportunity for the Princeton campus to realize how important the intersection is between disability advocacy and Jewish life,鈥� Heinzer said. 鈥淭his year, I鈥檓 really excited to host more events regarding accessibility, and to have another speaker speak to our campus.鈥�

To help advance the intersection between disability advocacy and Jewish life, students at American University Hillel partnered with Repair the World, a social justice organization that helps Jewish students get involved in service projects. For their project, American University Hillel students worked with the Center of Jewish Education in Baltimore to learn how to caption videos to increase accessibility for the deaf Jewish community.

鈥淭he students are training to caption videos, so that even after the training ends, they can continue to use their skills for more service work as long as it鈥檚 needed, which is really exciting,鈥� said Sarah Bernstein, a 黑料传送门 Springboard Fellow at American University.

Not only are students assisting with accessibility in virtual formats, Hillels have also made changes to improve physical accessibility. 

At University of Minnesota Hillel, the building recently underwent an 11-month renovation to install a new elevator, multiple ramps for entryways, more accessible bathrooms, and wider doors.

鈥淒uring the process, there was a lot of discussion. Why put in an elevator? Why spend that much money when you may have one or two students who need it?鈥� said Benji Kaplan, executive director of Minnesota Hillel. 鈥淎nd our answer was: No student should feel unwelcome at our Hillel because it’s not accessible.鈥�

In addition to programming on Hillel campuses during JDAIM, Hillel@Home also hosted a series of online events.

One of these events was a conversation with Chella Man, who talked about his experience balancing his identities as a trans, deaf, Jewish, and Chinese-American man. Man is also speaking at Princeton this month to continue spreading disability awareness and inclusion.

Rabbi Ira Dounn, a senior Jewish educator at Princeton Hillel, feels inspired by his students, many of whom are champions for inclusion all year round. 

鈥淒uring Yom Kippur services last year, one of the aliyot I had was for Naomi Hess and her advocacy for disability rights,鈥� Dounn said. 鈥淎nd I said, 鈥楶lease stand in spirit or body to support the cause.鈥� The entire room stood up, which was truly beautiful.鈥�

Hess said Hillel is an inclusive space where everyone is willing to learn. 

鈥淩abbi Ira started this tradition of saying, 鈥楶lease stand if you’re able,鈥� Hess said. 鈥淎nd this is just a really small, linguistic change. But it shows that he and Princeton Hillel are absolutely thinking about people whose experiences are different from the norm, which means a lot to me.鈥�

Gabriel Lesser is a sophomore at Johns Hopkins University.

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Diversity and Inclusion

Jewish Identity

My experiences were the tip of the iceberg; I had just as much learning to do as everyone else.

Author

黑料传送门

Date

November 12, 2021

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Diversity and Inclusion

Hillel Leadership

International Student Cabinet

I鈥檓 a Trinidadian Jew of Color. Hillel has helped shape my identity.

Author

黑料传送门

Date

July 8, 2021

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Antisemitism

Diversity and Inclusion

Hillel Leadership

LGBTQIA+

Social Justice

Grappling with the Complexities of Black, Queer and Jewish

Author

黑料传送门

Date

April 22, 2021

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