Fourth Annual Content Creators Forum Brings Jewish Student Creators Together
This week, over 100 aspiring and established Jewish student creators from across the Hillel movement came together for the fourth annual Content Creators Forum. This three-day immersive experience is designed to train Jewish college students in modern storytelling, digital leadership, and platform-savvy content creation. And beyond the technical skills that are the key to success for creators, the Content Creators Forum helps students discover their “why” for creating content around Jewish identity and culture.
“Each of you shares your authentic selves on social media, along with Jewish joy, in a space that is so inundated with anti-Jewish hatred,” Matthew Bronfman, Chair of the Hillel International Board of Governors, said in his remarks at the opening plenary. “Through this gathering, you’ll learn the science of sharing content on social media, but you’ll also learn the art of finding your ‘why’ you share your personal story.”
This year’s gathering kicked off a trip to Broadway to take in a show, followed by a discussion with actors from the show. After an incredible performance of Ragtime, students stayed for a private conversation with Chief Marketing Officer at Lincoln Center Theater Robert Jones and three of the Jewish actors from the cast: Cassie Levy, Ben Levi Ross, and Ben Uranowitz. The conversation was an opportunity for student content creators to get a glimpse behind the curtain of what it’s like to share a joyful and meaningful Jewish story with a wide audience.
“Seeing Jewish creative voices on one of the biggest stages in the world was so inspiring,” said Rebecca Brumer, a third-year student at Marquette University. “Sharing that inspiration with so many of my peers was the best way to kick off three days of learning together.
In addition to immersive workshops, hands-on content labs, media training, and community-building activities that applied across platforms and topics, this year’s gathering offered four specialized breakout tracks.
Based on their chosen track, student creators learned to share narratives of belonging, resilience, and complexity through an Israel education lens; developed articulate, confident voices for public dialogue on antisemitism, Israel, and Jewish identity; expressed their identity and joy through Jewish culture; and translated Jewish ritual and wisdom into digital content that sparks meaning and connection.
“Choosing a college with a Jewish community wasn’t on my radar at all, and I didn’t know I was the kind of Jewish student who could go to Hillel, but I found a home there,” said Tessa Hewitson, University of Michigan-Dearborn student and participant in the spokesperson track. “Hillel has been in my corner every step of the way. I’m the only publicly known Jew on my campus so, to paraphrase a famous Jewish text, if I don’t tell our story, then who will.”
“I wanted the students to really appreciate the diversity of content about Jewish life and practice,” said Rabbi Dena Shaffer, director of Jewish education and ritual leadership at Hillel International and the ritual track facilitator. “At first glance, that kind of content can seem homogenous, so I want them to look closer and be able to find themselves in the text. You don’t have to be an expert to bring good Torah and treat texts and sources responsibly.”
Students in the ritual track had the opportunity to visit Shearith Israel, the oldest Jewish congregation in America, to create content in their historic sanctuary. Students reflected on the unique interplay of creating cutting-edge digital content in a sacred space hundreds of years old.
While the breakout tracks offered opportunities to dig into specific storytelling topics, student creators also participated in three technical sessions focusing on topics like digital storytelling skills, analytics and virality, media communications, online journalism, and branding. Topics included “From Creator to Connector: Turning Jewish Stories into Meaningful Work,” led by Hillel International Associate Director of Field Recruiting Elyssa Ronik, “Media Readiness,” led by Ben Chertoff of HonestReporting, and “Digital Storytelling,” led by Shana Medel of Storyraise.
Student creators were also introduced to Content Creator Forum alumni and professional creators throughout the event. In a stand-out plenary, a Campus for All-sponsored panel featured creators Carly Weinstein and Jake Goldberg, who shared the way they bring their Jewish stories to their viral Instagram and TikTok accounts.
“It’s in our DNA to want to have strong community,” said Weinstein, who recently partnered with Campus for All to raise awareness about the tools and resources the project offers. “We have such a strong sisterhood and brotherhood just from being Jewish… It’s had such a heavy influence on everything in my life.”
“Campus For All allows students to have the resources to build the confidence to feel fully themselves,” Goldberg added. “There’s so many people who want to know more [about Jewish identity], and speaking to them — from the perspective of trying to understand them, while hoping they understand you, and coming from a place of acceptance — that’s how I was raised to be Jewish, and I try to show that in the content I create.”
“Every single one of you has something unique. Your background. Your voice. Your interests. Your experiences,” said Eliana Jolkovsky, who attended the first Content Creators Forum in 2022 as an aspiring creator and her Instagram account, @thatkoreanjew, now has more than 44,000 followers. “You don’t need a perfect strategy. You don’t need thousands of followers. You don’t need to have it all figured out. You just need the courage to start.”