Latest News from Campus

Actress Jackie Tohn spoke at a Northwestern Hillel event organized by students, where she reflected on her path from child actor to television star and discussed the connection she found between her Jewish identity and her role as Esther Roklov in “Nobody Wants This,” Tohn also spoke about discovering she had the BRCA1 gene mutation, increasing her risk of breast cancer, and why she hopes to spread awareness about genetic testing.

Santa Barbara Hillel will recognize community leaders Rabbi Evan and Lori Goodman, Lindsay and Joe Pasternack, and alumnus Richard Leib, during its 23rd annual Hall of Fame Brunch. The event will bring together students, alumni, and community members to celebrate individuals whose leadership and service have strengthened Jewish student life at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), Santa Barbara City College, and the wider Santa Barbara Jewish community.

Three Hadar Institute rabbis will begin work at Rutgers University, New York University, and UMass Amherst starting this summer as part of a campus expansion initiative. The rabbis, who will be embedded with campus Hillels, will engage in leading Jewish learning, prayer, and student programming. Hadar says the partnership aims to deepen pluralistic Jewish life and increase access to Torah learning for Jewish college students of all observance levels.

Jewish leaders and college students gathered in Washington, D.C. for a two-day advocacy fly-in focused on strengthening security for the Jewish community. Hosted by the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), participants met with members of Congress to advocate for federal legislation connected to JFNA’s Six Point Security Agenda. Through Hillel International’s Leadership Passport program, Jewish student leaders joined the fly-in to raise concerns about campus safety and bring student perspectives into national policy conversations.

Hannah Rosenberg, assistant director of Drexel Hillel, spoke with the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent about how her work helps Jewish students feel welcomed, supported, and connected on campus. Rosenberg said she creates space for students from all Jewish backgrounds to explore Jewish life, leadership, and tradition in ways that feel meaningful to them.

Aasia Gabbour, a graduating fourth-year student at New York University, reflected on how NYU Hillel supported her in exploring her Asian-Jewish identity. She helped lead the first-ever Asian-Jewish Shabbaton at Yale University, which brought together more than 500 students from over a dozen colleges and universities to celebrate shared identity and community.