News, stories, and updates from Hillel communities worldwide
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Graduate students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) recently traveled to Argentina with MIT Hillel to learn about the Jewish community in Buenos Aires. Here are some of their thoughts and reflections about their experience:
Over 300 students gathered last week at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) for Israel Peace Week, a celebration of the 75th anniversary of Israel’s Independence. Check out the top three moments from the week:
“I’m Jewish and I love to run” is the unifying passion shared by each student organizer of Ritzah: The Jewish Running Project. From across the United States and Israel, these enthusiastic runners came together in early 2022 to find ways to lift up other students who were searching for ways to integrate their Jewish identities with their love of running.
My parents were not yet my age when they were forced to leave their homes in Iran and start a new life in Los Angeles. Like so many other courageous Jewish refugees, they did not hide their identities and love for Israel in the United States. Instead, they engaged in an act of cultural resistance: they invested tenfold in strengthening their own children’s Jewish and Zionist identities, and instilled in me pride in who I am.
It’s not just trees that grow in Vermont! University of Vermont’s Jewish student life has been growing and flourishing this year with programs and spaces that nourish students’ bodies and voices.
On June 25, I was awarded the title of Miss Wyoming 2022, becoming the first Jewish woman with that honor in the 101 years of the program. This December, I will go on to compete for the title of Miss America. If I win, I will become only the second Jewish woman in history to be named Miss America. My personal icon, Bess Myerson, won the Miss America title in 1945 during the height of the Holocaust.
As I’ve continued on my journey, I’ve discovered the importance of creating a space where students of all backgrounds and practices can be Jewish together. Judaism was made accessible to me throughout my first few semesters of college, allowing me to learn and grow Jewishly, and it has been such a rewarding experience to create a space for others to do the same.
Hillel seniors are preparing to cross the graduation stage this summer. Meet the soon-to-be college graduates who say the Hillel effect lasts long after they leave campus.
A pop-up art exhibit at Brown/RISD Hillel fostered connectivity between Jewish art lovers, and inspired more students to envision their work on the gallery walls. Motivated by the success, the Hillel has since organized two other art exhibits featuring depictions of Jewish spiritual objects created by more than 30 students.
Penn Hillel students are comforting people in need of healing — one teddy bear at a time. Audrey Singer, 21, and Aden Horowitz, 21, founded Mishe Bear, a startup that sells plush teddy bears to provide comfort to those who are ill. Each bear holds a customizable note and a heart-shaped card containing the “Mi Sheberach,” a Jewish prayer of healing.
