San Diego universities are seeing record levels of Jewish student involvement in Hillel this year. At the University of California San Diego alone, nearly 600 students participated in Hillel events during the first week of classes. Karen Parry, CEO of Hillel of San Diego, credits the “strength, resilience, and fortitude” of Jewish students for sparking this shift.
Miami University Hillel welcomed Sarah Shmoel as its new executive director. She previously held roles at Ohio University Hillel, Cincinnati Hillel, and Tel Aviv University Hillel, along with volunteering with Miami Hillel during graduate school. Shmoel plans to focus on building a strong Jewish community and integrating Jewish life into campus culture.
The Toronto International Film Festival briefly removed The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue, a documentary about Noam Tibon’s mission to save his family during the Oct. 7th Hamas attacks. After public pressure, the festival reinstated the film, which then won the People’s Choice Award for documentaries.
The United States Postal Service issued a new stamp honoring Elie Wiesel, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Holocaust survivor and humanitarian. Wiesel, who died in 2016 at age 87, is the 18th individual to be recognized in the USPS Distinguished Americans series. The stamp features a portrait of Wiesel and reflects his enduring legacy in promoting human rights and combating hate and antisemitism.
Keith and Aviva Siegel, who were abducted from Kibbutz Kfar Aza during the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack and later released, walked their daughter Shir down the aisle at her wedding. During the ceremony, Shir prayed for the release of remaining hostages and for peace in Israel.
Rabbi Natan Levy has been announced as Syracuse Hillel’s new campus rabbi and the Jewish chaplain at Hendricks Chapel on campus. Rabbi Levy is an internationally respected religious leader and bridge-builder with extensive campus experience, having served as university Jewish chaplain for Western England and Wales. Levy looks forward to learning from his new colleagues and creating “spaces for transformation now and into the future.”