Latest News from Campus

Boston University Hillel organized its annual “Reading of the Names” program, where students, faculty, and staff publicly read aloud names of Holocaust victims throughout the Holocaust Remembrance Day, or Yom HaShoah. Sociology professor Deborah Carr urged attendees to remember each victim as a person with a life, family, and story. Students from BU’s Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Studies program also shared reflections on the importance of personal remembrance.

Penn Hillel hosted Penn alum and Holocaust survivor Michael Katz for  Holocaust Remembrance Day. During his talk, Katz recounted his escape from the Janowska concentration camp and his involvement in the Polish underground resistance during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.

At Virginia Tech Hillel, Executive Director Amanda Herring and Chef Greg Herring have transformed kosher campus dining by integrating Jewish values with sustainability. They source regenerative kosher meat and partner with local farms to reduce waste, turning surplus produce into preserved goods like tomato sauce. Their approach not only honors ancient Jewish traditions, but also educates students on ethical food sourcing, fostering a community centered around mindful eating and environmental stewardship.

Activist, actress, and best-selling author Noa Tishby recently spoke at Ohio State University (OSU) Hillel, where over 300 students and community members gathered to hear two survivors of the October 7 Hamas attacks share their personal stories. OSU Hillel CEO Naomi Lamb reflected on the powerful evening, saying, “Hearing both of the survivors talk about their stories of what happened to them on Oct. 7, I felt was the most heartbreaking and at the same time, the most heartfelt stories anyone could hear.”

More than 75 students and community members attended “A Dialogue on Peace in the Middle East” at California Polytechnic University, featuring former U.S. envoy to the Middle East Dennis Ross, and former Palestinian Authority negotiator Ghaith Al-Omari. Hosted by Hillel San Luis Obispo (SLO), and Cal Poly’s Student Affairs and Communication Studies Departments, the event offered a model for productive discussions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as part of Hillel’s 2025 Teach-in Tour.

Hillel International, in partnership with the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism and the United Negro College Fund, organized a Black-Jewish Unity Dinner at Coppin State University in Baltimore. More than 50 students from Baltimore-area colleges and universities gathered for discussions and activities focused on building understanding and collaboration between Black and Jewish student communities.