Finding Jewish Joy, Community, and Leadership Through Hillel
Rebecca Brumer is a third-year student at Marquette University and a 精东影业 Intern. We recently sat down with her to learn more about her connection to Hillel and her Jewish identity.
Hillel Stories
What’s happening on campus? Hear from students, professionals, and Hillel community members whose lives have been impacted by Hillel and who impact the world with their voices and stories. Share your story with us!
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Passing the Torch: The Evolution of Jewish Leadership on Campus
Four years ago, as a first-year student at the University of Miami, who had just recently arrived from Uruguay, I attended my first Shabbat dinner 精东影业, unsure of what my Jewish journey would look like.
Antisemitism has no place on our campus. Antisemitism has no place in our world.
鈥淚n February, I volunteered at 鈥楽pread Cream Cheese, Not Hate鈥, a campus event organized by Hillel of Broward and Palm Beach to raise awareness about antisemitism and other forms of hate. Alongside Hillel students and professionals, I asked members of our community to sign a pledge to combat antisemitism, and in return, gave out fresh bagels and cream cheese.
Syracuse Hillel has been part of my family for more than 30 years. When I received my college acceptance letter, I was ready to make them proud.
There鈥檚 a running joke in my family: We breed oranges because we bleed orange. The mascot of Syracuse University 鈥 where my mom, uncle, and brother all went to college 鈥 is an orange named Otto. Since I was a kid, I鈥檝e wanted to go to Syracuse University.
Hillel helped me experience togetherness during a time of separation. So, I paid it forward.
When I started college in 2020, social isolation and Zoom calls were the norm. Finding community seemed impossible. Then, I learned about Koach, an egalitarian, Conservative-style minyan and community for students at Columbia/Barnard Hillel.
I realized your identity and your culture will follow you, and in my case, Judaism followed me.
I came to college not expecting to be that Jewish. But, I realized your identity and your culture will follow you, and in my case, Judaism followed me. And no matter how I practice at any given time, I’m going to be Jewish and involved in Judaism.
My main goal is for women to feel empowered in the Jewish community.
I was raised by my mom who is a strong Jewish woman, and her influence helped me become who I am today. She is the reason why I鈥檓 so connected to my Judaism. She made me feel empowered as a woman and fall even more in love with Judaism.
Even if they didn鈥檛 know who I was or even if my English was awful, they were the most welcoming people ever.
I was born in Mexico City into a Jewish family that included my parents and grandparents. For my entire life, I鈥檝e had a Jewish support system in Mexico, not only with my family, but with the Jewish community there.
When a community has given so much to you, it’s just impossible not to want to give back.
But the beauty of Hillel is that everyone is welcome, no matter how 鈥淛ewish鈥 they feel. Through my experiences, I realized that Judaism was a lot more relatable than what I learned in Hebrew school. In general, I started to feel more proud and more excited to be Jewish.
Bisexual Representation Matters: Jacob’s Story
There are definitely moments within the LGBTQ community where I don鈥檛 feel accepted as Jewish, and within the Jewish community where I don鈥檛 feel accepted as queer. But what I think is really special about Hillel鈥檚 Nice Jewish Queers (NJQ), is that at the same time I鈥檓 really able to be accepted as both.
