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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When considering where to go to college, I knew Jewish life would be central to my decision. Community has always been a defining part of who I am, shaping my values, my identity, and how I interact with the world. That’s why, from day one, I understood that the University of Maryland Hillel would be integral to my college life.
I didn’t grow up with one cohesive Jewish identity. As a child of divorce, I felt stuck between two religions, often caught between identities, never fully rooted in either. Finding Hillel at WMU finally gave me a space to feel whole.
Growing up, I was the only Jewish girl in my elementary school class. I was six the first time I had to miss a birthday party because I was at synagogue for Yom Kippur. I loved my friends, but I always felt so alone.
Earlier this year, I had the amazing opportunity to watch Stolpersteine, or stumbling stones, be placed on the streets of Berlin in honor of Malie, Chaim, Ida, and Peppi Landsmann. The Landsmann family lived in Berlin from 1921 until their deportation in 1939 to a ghetto in Chrzanow, Poland. In 1942, the ghetto was liquidated, and the family was murdered at Auschwitz.
When someone asks you what your favorite Jewish food is, I bet you say some combination of bagels with lox, brisket, or matzah ball soup. Don’t get me wrong – I love all of those. But they don’t encapsulate my experience with Jewish food.
Earlier this month, I traveled from New Hampshire to Chicago for the Hillel International Israel Summit. The information and lessons I learned energized and inspired me, and so did the connections I made and the community I felt throughout the summit.
