Ohio Students Gather to Strengthen Jewish Life Across Statewide Hillels
Nearly 40 Jewish student leaders from campuses across Ohio came together this past weekend for the Ohio Hillels Student Leadership Retreat, a two-day gathering focused on building leadership skills, strengthening Jewish communities, and connecting students from across the state.
Hosted by Hillel at Kent State University and Hillel at Miami University of Ohio with support from a Hillel International regional gatherings grant, the retreat brought together students from 11 campuses, including Ohio State University, University of Cincinnati, and Cleveland Hillel. Through a series of educational sessions, students learned from one another and explored new ways to engage their peers in Jewish life.
“Many of these students live and lead on campuses with very small Jewish student populations,” said Ronit Sherwin, campus support director at Hillel International. “A gathering like this helps to build their sense of belonging and thus strengthens their confidence as campus leaders.”
The retreat grew out of an ongoing collaboration between Ohio-based Hillel professionals, who regularly come together to share resources and discuss challenges. With guidance from Sherwin and input from a student advisory committee, they developed a retreat program that started with connection around shared Jewish identities and flowed to engaging in difficult conversations and leadership skills. The goal was to give participants practical tools they could bring back to their campuses, while building relationships with peers who share similar responsibilities and experiences.
“This gathering was designed to bring together the current leaders of all the Hillels of Ohio in a way that will allow them to learn from each other and bring successes from other campuses to their own,” said Adam Bloom, director of strategic engagement at Kent State Hillel and co-chair of the retreat, along with Hillel at Miami University Assistant Director Devra Sadler. “It was really wonderful to see students from different campuses be able to learn from each other’s successes and struggles and to see that others are dealing with the same challenges they are.”
“It was incredible to see students so engaged throughout the retreat and having meaningful conversations with peers about their successes, challenges, and everything in between,” Sadler added. “I hope they return to their campuses feeling energized, confident, and equipped with new skills, connections, and inspiration to make a meaningful impact in their communities.”
The weekend began after Shabbat with dinner, followed by Havdalah. By creating space to sing and be in community, participants were able to start the retreat with a shared Jewish experience. Then students headed to duck pin bowling, where they had a chance to get to know one another and engage in some friendly competition.
On Sunday, they turned their attention to leadership development. The morning began with roundtable discussions, where students shared their experiences, discussed challenges, and considered how they could strengthen Jewish engagement on their campuses. “The roundtables were the most beneficial part of the leadership retreat because they allowed me to connect with student leaders in my role at other universities,” said Madi Eschenbach, Akron Hillel’s student president. “We were able to better provide each other support and advice because of our shared understanding and background, which made the conversations much more meaningful, fruitful, and enjoyable.”
“I loved that we got to connect with other schools during roundtables because every school had different experiences, and we can give advice from a new perspective and hear new ideas on how to solve problems,” said Alli Becker, student board president at Hillel at Miami University.
Throughout the day, participants heard from Jewish community leaders like Sherwin, Director of jHub Rabbi Melinda Mersack, leadership coach Barbara McMahan, and Hillel at The Ohio State University CEO Naomi Lamb on peer engagement, leadership styles, personality types, individual strengths, and other topics. Each session explored a different aspect of leadership, from understanding personal motivations to navigating tough conversations.
In one session, Sherwin encouraged students to reflect on their own Jewish journeys. She talked about sharing personal experiences and how they can create opportunities to connect with other Jewish students and encourage them to find their own place at Hillel. “These student leadership gatherings are important because belonging builds confidence,” Sherwin said. “Leaders need to feel and exhibit a healthy amount of self-confidence, tempered with the humility to know they are representing others and not only oneself.”
Another session focused on navigating difficult conversations and engaging with people who hold different perspectives. This was a highlight for Hannah Sietz, a fourth-year student at Kent State and president of the KSU Hillel board. “I was most looking forward to this session,” she said. “Over my college career, I have had to navigate multiple different conversations without much training or guidance. This session better prepared me for future conversations.”
The retreat concluded with a round of discussions on lessons students would bring back to campus, giving Sietz and her peers an opportunity to reflect on what they learned and consider how to put skills into practice. For Sietz, the weekend created space to build friendships, share the challenges of leading, and recognize her part in a larger network of students working toward similar goals. 90% of the students who attended said that they feel more confident as leaders after attending the retreat.
“I learned more about myself as a leader in the Jewish world,” Sietz said. “I want to bring back new concepts and skills that I can use for the remainder of my college career and beyond.”