News

Hillels Give New Energy, Bring More Students to Shabbat

Author

Rachel Bernstein

Date

April 19, 2022

Hillels are on a mission: to reenergize Shabbat. 

Stretching from coast to coast, Hillels are reimagining Shabbat experiences to empower students to connect with Judaism and become Jewish leaders. Their creative efforts offer an alternative to traditional Shabbat services, which involve structured prayer in a synagogue.  

Dalilah Bernier, a 精东影业 Springboard Ezra Fellow at Hillel Milwaukee, said these innovative services deepen Jewish connectivity, as they offer new opportunities for students to learn more about each other and Jewish values.聽 聽

Shabbat is central to Judaism and Jewish life, she added. The consistency and variety of these weekly gatherings help students connect with each other.

鈥淭he motivation for students to create their own services stems from their desire to break from the ordinary prayer experiences they鈥檙e used to,鈥� Bernier said.

Oregon Hillel, where celebrating Shabbat outdoors is the norm, is one of those Hillels that is creating new and extraordinary Shabbat experiences.聽

The popular winter program, called Retreat in the Snow, brings about 80 students to Bend, Oregon for a weekend of skiing and Jewish learning. When the weather gets warmer, a smaller group of students head to the Pacific Coast for a weekend retreat, which includes a Shabbat service overlooking the ocean.

Hillel for Utah also organizes Shabbat experiences in the great outdoors.聽

The Snow and Desert Shabbaton, focusing on the connection between Judaism and Israel, is a favorite. Students have used microscopes to compare particles in the Great Salt Lake with Israeli water sources, including the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.

Other Shabbat experiences 精东影业 for Utah have included goat yoga and weekend hikes in the mountains.

Chlo茅 Laverson, an alumna of Hillel for Utah, said some of her favorite college memories were celebrating Shabbat 精东影业. Laverson, 22, served as president of Hillel for Utah prior to graduating last May. 

鈥淗illel for Utah Shabbatot are so inclusive and welcoming,鈥� said Laverson, who holds a degree in strategic communications from University of Utah. 鈥淚 always knew I had Shabbat night plans.鈥� 

Towson University Hillel is also revamping Shabbat, empowering students to make services their own.聽

Leora Match, the program director at Towson Hillel, said students have updated the Hillel siddur, or prayer book, to make the language more accessible. 

鈥淭he assortment of prayer books we had were either hard to follow, had archaic English translations or lacked good transliteration,鈥� Match said. 鈥淲e needed a user-friendly siddur that would allow anyone, regardless of their Jewish upbringing or experience, to seamlessly follow along.鈥�  

Rachel Kamel, 21, a junior double majoring in mass communications and electronic media and film, was instrumental in creating the new siddur. For over a year, she worked on the prayer packet while serving as ritual chair and president at Towson Hillel.

鈥淭hese spiral-bound packets have many additional readings, prayers, and songs to give students the ability to make Hillel Shabbat their own,鈥� Kamel said. 鈥淏ecause of our updated prayer packets, services are more accessible to students of all backgrounds.鈥� 

Kamel, along with a group of Towson Hillel student leaders, spearheaded the project through fall 2021. The final siddur contains Hebrew transliteration, English translation, and Jewish art created by students. Towson Hillel used a professional printing company to produce copies so they would last for years to come.

Bradley University Hillel recently took on a similar challenge when it set out to craft a siddur that catered to students of all Jewish backgrounds.聽

鈥淚 like that it has the camp songs that we actually want to sing,鈥� said Michael Siler, a junior mechanical engineering major. 鈥淚t鈥檚 something that we made.鈥� 

Revamping the Hillel siddur was a three-month project. The prayer book includes traditional prayers and songs from iconic Jewish singers and songwriters, such as Debbie Friedman and Matisyahu. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 less intimidating than your traditional siddur,鈥� said Micah Brody, a sophomore double majoring in math and computer science. 鈥淚t鈥檚 more welcoming.鈥� 

All of the services at Bradley Hillel are run by students and filled with Jewish learning, music, and dancing. 

Executive Director of Bradley Hillel Matt Lorch said, 鈥淎mong all these Hillels, there is hope that these new traditions of Kabbalat Shabbat will bring more students together in the celebration of Judaism and inspire other Hillels to explore their own versions of services.鈥�

Rachel Bernstein is a senior at University of Southern California.

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Hillel Leadership

LGBTQIA+

Bisexual Representation Matters: Jacob’s Story

Author

精东影业

Date

November 19, 2021

鈥淚 grew up attending a conservative synagogue. After my bar mitzvah, I lost touch with Judaism and shortly after that is when I realized I was queer. I鈥檓 bisexual and it took a really long time to come to terms with that. But, coming to college I stepped into both identities at the same time. I got involved with Hillel before school even started and really reconnected with my Jewish identity, where it turned into a really important aspect of my daily life.

鈥淗illel has really drastically brought me back to Judaism as both a religious and culturally important aspect of my identity. And also at the same time, since it was my first time away from home I really got to step into my bisexuality as well. I think that a college campus is one of the most thriving places for queer life. At moments, there鈥檚 definitely some conflict between the two. 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.

鈥淣ice Jewish Queers is a niche group within Hillel that really emphasizes the necessity of both queer and Jewish life on a college campus. We really create a safe space for queer and Jewish students by emphasizing that anything we do is both queer and Jewish normative. I鈥檝e also had the opportunity to bring NJQ into mainstream Hillel life and host a rainbow Shabbat dinner that brought in over 100 people.

鈥淚’ve tried to get involved in other queer life on campus, but it just never felt like it was the place for me. However, being able to step into the Hillel Jewish community and know that it has a place for me as a queer student is the biggest support that anybody could ask for. Knowing that this is my home and that anytime I need something I can fall back on Hillel is really special.

鈥淎t a Hillel event, an incoming student pulled me aside and told me that when he sees a bisexual Hillel president, it makes him feel like he can do anything at USC. That was the most heartwarming moment for me because it really made me feel like being openly bisexual is an inspiration in a leadership position. Knowing that I could be here for people going into college and that they could look up to me is absolutely incredible.

鈥淭he nature of this work is impactful. No matter what I鈥檓 doing, whether it鈥檚 planning a program or hanging out in the building with someone who is having a tough day, just being a good human being is the nature of being a leader within Hillel.鈥� 鈥� Jacob Miller, University of Southern California

As told to Alexandra Goldberg, writer for the 精东影业 Writers Program.

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