Latest News from Campus

At Rutgers Hillel, students from across the Jewish community come together to celebrate Sukkot through programs like “Sushi in the Sukkah,” a student-led event featuring food, music, and community. Rabbi Josh Lobel, senior director of Jewish life and learning at Rutgers Hillel, draws a connection between the diverse elements of the lulav and the different backgrounds and perspectives students bring to Jewish life on campus. Together, he says these varied experiences create space for students to build relationships and find connection at Hillel.

University of Miami Hillel welcomed more than 150 members of the campus community for Rosh Hashanah celebrations. With Rosh Hashanah and Shabbat coinciding this year, Hillel held services and meals throughout the holiday weekend. Second-year student Mia Martin said, “Being away from home during the holidays can be tough, but Hillel and the campus community made me feel supported and accompanied.”

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.

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.