Five Fantastic Highlights from Hillel Welcome Week
Back-to-school season is one of our favorite times of year at 精东影业 鈥 and part of what makes it amazing is seeing how campus Hillels welcome new and returning students to their Jewish home-away-from-home.
Hillel welcome programs come in all shapes and sizes, but they all have one thing in common: They make a difference in helping new and returning Jewish students feel instantly connected, supported, and safe on campus. We鈥檙e excited to share some highlights from this year鈥檚 programming 鈥 check it out!
Hillel of San Diego
supports more than 3,000 Jewish students who go to college in San Diego, attending SDSU, UC San Diego, CSU San Marcos, and University of San Diego. This year, approximately , where Hillel of San Diego built community by pairing every student who walked through the doors with a new friend 鈥 making sure that everyone had a person to connect with in the crowd.
鈥淚 was never really in Jewish settings growing up, and I wanted to see what it was all about in college,鈥 said Brianna, a first-year student, in an interview with San Diego Jewish World. 鈥淚t feels so nice to be around so many Jews.鈥
The Welcome Back BBQ included a hot dog eating contest, goody bags with the Hillel Shabbat schedule, and a focus on relationship-building across the Hillel of San Diego community. What a blast!
University of Wisconsin (UW), Madison
FreshFest is an annual tradition at University of Wisconsin Hillel, where first-year student programming has its own unique name: FYSH (First Year Students 精东影业). This active group runs events throughout the year, including first-year Shabbats, ice cream socials, leadership opportunities, and residence hall events 鈥 and, of course, their annual Early Access FreshFest Retreat!
This year, UW Hillel welcomed 90 students to Led by their , they enjoyed a food tour in downtown Madison, a tour of Babcock Creamery, a group 鈥渃hallahbration鈥 (homemade challahs for everyone!), and tons of great food, outdoor time, and connection.
Arizona State University (ASU) Hillel
serves students at Arizona State University鈥檚 four campuses 鈥 and instead of just one week of welcome programming, they have six! Starting with their annual Welcome Back Brunch in mid-August, focused on helping new students connect to their Hillel community, make new friends, and settle into their new home.
One of the biggest highlights for ASU students is , a fan favorite where students get together in their best Western gear to check out some of the area鈥檚 most delicious food truck offerings. 鈥淵um eats, cool drinks, and great vibes!!鈥 ASU Hillel . And looking at the pictures, we couldn鈥檛 agree more!
University of Connecticut (UConn) Hillel
Welcome Week at UConn Hillel kicked off with a (we鈥檙e sensing a food theme鈥ut then, it wouldn’t be Jewish programming without opportunities to nosh!) offering a delicious kosher dinner, music, games, and, of course, UConn Hillel swag.
For students who didn鈥檛 get a chance to come for dinner, UConn Hillel鈥檚 Welcome Back Brunch was the very next day, followed by a week of events including Trivia Night, a bonfire, bingo, challah baking, and a Welcome Back Shabbat.
鈥淔YSH Fest was a blast!鈥 鈥淭hank you to everyone who made it so special. We loved welcoming our newest Huskies and are excited for an amazing year ahead!鈥
Hillel at Elon University
The Sklut Hillel Center at Elon University is homey, comfortable, and cozy, but that doesn鈥檛 mean this Jewish community doesn鈥檛 pull out all the stops to welcome new and returning students to campus.
Starting off with a that offered support, music, food, and fun to students and their families, with their Tuesday Shmoozeday event, where students headed to the Sklut Hillel Center for cool drinks, snacks, and meet-and-greet time with Hillel staff and student leaders. Students who missed this first week don鈥檛 need to worry 鈥 Tuesday Shmoozeday is a weekly happening at Elon!
The week finished up with a , a meaningful way to close out the week with connection, community, prayer, and (of course) dinner. 鈥淭he year is just getting started and the energy is already amazing,鈥 Elon Hillel staffers wrote in their community newsletter, The Shmooze. 鈥淲elcome back to our returning students and to our first years and families, we鈥檙e so glad you鈥檙e here!鈥
We couldn鈥檛 have said it any better. Welcome back, Hillel community 鈥 here鈥檚 to a great new school year!