Highlights from Hillel’s Centennial Celebration: A Note from Adam Lehman
Dear Friends,
Spring is upon us, which means it is also the season of Passover. Passover is often described as Z’man Heruteinu, the season of freedom, as we recount and celebrate the journey of the Israelites from slavery to liberation during the Seder.
However, in light of current circumstances, it is particularly difficult to think of this moment as a time of freedom. Many hostages remain captives of Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza. All of Israel remains subject to the threat of further attacks from Iran and its proxies. And many Jewish students lack the freedom to fully express their Jewish identities without facing harassment and discrimination on their university campuses.
Given these challenging conditions, we can shift our focus this Passover to thinking about the season as Z’man Tikvateinu, a time of hope. Of course, even hope can be difficult to muster in a time such as this one; nevertheless, we hope and pray for the release of all hostages and the ultimate defeat of Hamas in a way that ushers in a period of greater safety, security, and thriving for Israelis and Gazans alike. And when it comes to Jewish life on campus, I have even greater hope for the future after celebrating our 100th anniversary earlier this week.
To cap off our Centennial year at Hillel, we gathered 1,000 Hillel professionals, student leaders, lay leaders, partners, and supporters for two days of celebratory events in New York City, including meaningful conversations about how we can best fulfill Hillel’s mission in our second century. Our Centennial programs reinforced my deep sense of hope and optimism at several levels.
Our time together underscored our overall strength as a Hillel movement. When we complete a book of the Torah, we recite “Chazak, Chazak, V’nitchazek” — be strong, be strong, and may we be strengthened together. Those same words can be applied to the Hillel movement, as we close out this chapter of our story and turn the page toward our second century.
Chazak – We are supporting, inspiring, and empowering more students than ever before — with 180,000 students engaging in Hillel relationships and experiences this year alone.
Chazak – We have more talented and committed Hillel professionals working on behalf of Jewish students than ever before — nearly 1,300 in total supporting students on more than 850 campuses around the world. Each professional is making an enormous difference in the lives of their students and campus communities.
V’nitchazek – We are meeting the unique challenges of this school year as only Hillel can. We are the critical source of comfort, support, and advocacy for students encountering issues of campus antisemitism. And we are leading the way in driving real solutions that can ensure a safer, more supportive campus environment for Jewish students and all students. Finally, we are continuing to do what Hillel does best – enabling positive and joyful Jewish experiences for students that strengthen their Jewish identities and promote their resilience.
My hope was further bolstered by seeing the vitality and strength of the leaders who came together for our Centennial celebrations:
- Student leaders like Rebecca Weiss, a student at Ben Gurion University. Building on her commitment to strengthen global Jewish peoplehood through her role on the Hillel International Student Cabinet, Rebecca also just joined Hillel Israel in a full-time professional role to oversee a nationwide volunteer initiative aiding senior citizens evacuated from their homes and communities due to the current war.
- Professional leaders like Rabbi Danielle Leshaw, who after serving as a successful Hillel executive director at Ohio University for 15 years, has dedicated her substantial talents to strengthening dozens of other Hillels in her role as a Hillel International campus support director.
- Volunteer leaders like Hillel International Board Chair Lee Dranikoff, who, in reflecting on Hillel’s impact, shared the following at our Centennial Summit: “This institution has impacted millions of lives, and those students have gone on to great things in the broader Jewish community. Today, there isn’t a Jewish federation, synagogue, or camp that doesn’t have its leadership steeped in experience with Hillel.”
Simply put, our work at Hillel has never been more relevant and more resonant. Hillel is the answer to so many of the needs of young Jews today – the need for belonging, the need for a safe and inclusive community, the need for meaning and purpose, the need for insight, and the need for a platform that enables their overall personal growth and thriving. We are that platform, and we will continue to be there for Jewish students and campus communities for our next century and beyond.
It’s no coincidence that Passover is the most celebrated of the Jewish holidays and one of the most famous stories of hope and liberation in recorded history. Passover shows how divinely-inspired hope, leadership, and initiative enabled the Israelites to emerge from their dark moments of slavery and subjugation and chart a path toward the Promised Land.
This Passover, I will be reflecting on the many ways we can tap into our own sources of hope, leadership, and inspiration to overcome the challenges of this season, on our journey to a stronger and more vibrant Jewish future.
Shabbat Shalom, Chag Sameach, and wishing everyone a Zissen (sweet) Pesach.
Adam