Latest News from Campus

Canadian leaders, including Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford, condemned a shooting outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Ontario, Canada on Yom Kippur that left a police officer seriously injured. Police said the shooter, who died of gunfight wounds, arrived with a shotgun and fired at an officer stationed outside the synagogue. The congregation canceled services for the reminder of Yom Kippur, and local police increased patrols in the area. “Jewish people must be able to practice their faith safely. They deserve to live their Jewish lives proudly, freely, and openly,” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney wrote on X.

Award-winning Jewish comedian Alex Edelman brought his comedy tour to Tulane Hillel, closing out a series of campus performances, which were hosted in partnership with Hillel International and with support from Schusterman Family Philanthropies. Edelman, whose work draws on his experiences as a Jewish American, brought his signature humor and storytelling to the evening, and deepened joy and belonging for thousands of Jewish students who attended the Tulane performance and others across the country.

Ava Susser-Stein joined Hillel at The George Washington University as a Springboard Fellow this summer after spending her college years deeply involved with Maryland Hillel. In her new role, she plans social programs, connects with students, manages GW Hillel’s website and social media, and helps students find their place in the community. Drawing on her own experiences with Hillel and Jewish summer camp, Susser-Stein hopes to create the same sense of connection and belonging for GW students that shaped her own Jewish life.

Thousands of Jewish students celebrated Rosh Hashanah at their campus Hillels, ringing in the new year 5787 with festive meals, meaningful services, and community. At Vanderbilt University Hillel, Rosh Hashanah seders brought in more than 700 students in Greek life, performing arts, sports, and graduate programs. Across Hillels in Philadelphia, Florida, and San Diego, students found different ways to celebrate together, from services and holiday meals to baking and hands-on activities. For Eden Bitton, a second-year student involved with Hillel of San Diego, participating in High Holiday programming showed her “how powerful it is to celebrate Jewish traditions alongside other students.”

For students returning to campus, the High Holidays can bring opportunities for connection while also highlighting familiar tradition. Rabbi Ezra Balser of Metro Chicago Hillel reflects on Yom Kippur and the Torah’s words, “I have forgiven,” or salachti, which come shortly after Kol Nidrei. He connects this message to students navigating a new year, reminding them that they do not need to get everything right or arrive as finished versions of themselves as they explore new traditions, ask new questions, and build their own Jewish paths.

At UMass Hillel, Rabbi Alex Goldfarb is helping students engage with Jewish texts and traditions as an ongoing conversation. Goldfarb is one of three rabbis joining campus Hillels in the Northeast through a new partnership between Hillel International and the Hadar Institute, bringing Hadar’s approach to pluralistic Jewish learning into Hillel communities. Through classes, learning cohorts, and mentorship, the pilot gives students more opportunities to engage deeply with Jewish tradition while building their own relationships with Jewish learning and community.