Celebrating Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month by Embracing Complex Identities
Deni Avdija Earns Spot in 2026 NBA All-Star Game
Jewish Students in the Pacific Northwest Find Community and Meaning at Snowy Hillel Retreat
Jewish students from seven Northwestern campuses gathered at Mount Hood for a “Summit in the Snow,” where they forged new friendships, explored Jewish values, and served others by assembling care kits for people experiencing homelessness. Shared activities like skiing and community-building deepened connections and left attendees inspired to bring that sense of belonging back to their own campuses.
Service Partnerships Offer Pathway to Make a Difference, Counter Isolation
California Campus Hillels Mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day Alongside Survivors
Columbia University Appoints Jennifer Mnookin as New President
Arson Heavily Damages Mississippi Synagogue, Suspect Arrested
The FBI charged 19-year-old Stephen Spencer Pittman with arson for setting fire to Beth Israel Congregation, Mississippi’s largest and most historic synagogue, early Saturday. The blaze severely damaged the building’s library, offices, and sacred texts. Authorities say Pittman admitted to targeting the synagogue because of its “Jewish ties” and called it the “synagogue of Satan.”
UCSB Jewish Fraternity Targeted by Antisemitic Vandalism
Vandals broke into a private residence where Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity brothers at the University of California, Santa Barbara live, and smeared a swastika on a bathroom mirror – an act critics say is part of a broader surge in antisemitism at the university. The incident drew immediate reaction from Jewish groups, including AEPi, which called on university leaders “to take concrete, visible action to ensure the safety and well-being of all students, including Jewish students who are being explicitly targeted.”
Hillel JUC Students Return from Israel with Deeper Sense of Jewish Identity
Jewish students traveled to Israel with Hillel JUC on a long-awaited Birthright Israel trip, where they deepened their connection to Jewish heritage through cultural and historical experiences and interactions with Israelis their age. Since returning, participants say they feel more connected to their identity and are eager to share what they learned with their campus communities.
Cooper Union Reaches Settlement With Jewish Students Over 2023 Incident
The Cooper Union agreed to settle a Title VI antisemitism lawsuit brought by 10 Jewish students who said they felt unsafe when barricaded inside a campus library during anti-Israel protests that followed Oct. 7, 2023. Under the settlement, the college will compensate the students, hire a Title VI coordinator, and ban masks at protests.
Springboard Fellow Yael Klucznik Brings Back “A Taste of Judaism” for a Second Year
Yael Klucznik, GW Hillel’s Springboard Innovation Fellow, launched the program “A Taste of Judaism” at The George Washington University to introduce students to Jewish cultures and history through global food experiences. Her programming draws on her Ashkenazi and Sephardic heritage, and uses cooking and shared meals to engage students with diverse Jewish traditions on campus.
UC Davis Professor Remains Employed After Social Media Posts Target Jewish Journalists
Following a nearly two-year investigation, University of California, Davis assistant professor Jemma DeCristo will remain on the job. Three days after the October 7 terrorist attacks, DeCristo posted on X, threatening “Zionist journalists” and their children, and including a knife and blood-drop emojis. She later claimed the post was satire, not a literal call for violence.