Hillel@Home Activates Jewish Students to Serve Their Communities During Pandemic Crisis Through New Volunteer Portal
WASHINGTON – As the coronavirus pandemic forces college and university campuses to remain closed, Hillel International, the largest Jewish student organization, is fostering community and providing high-quality Jewish learning online. Today, Hillel announced that its online hub Hillel@Home is partnering with community organizations like Jewish Federations of North America, Repair the World and Gift of Life to create opportunities for college students to use their energy and creativity to safely serve their community during the pandemic.
“The Hillel movement has always been committed to service, volunteerism and the Jewish mission of tikkun olam (repairing the world). During the current crisis, we recognize it’s more important than ever for us to mobilize as a community in support of the many people who are suffering as a result of the pandemic,” said Hillel President and CEO Adam Lehman.
“Collaborating with partner organizations, Hillel is empowering students to volunteer through a wide array of virtual and other service opportunities we’re now featuring through our new digital engagement platform, Hillel@Home. Working through local federations and social service agencies, as well as national organizations, we are connecting students with the many initiatives in need of engaged volunteers so that the Hillel movement can contribute to healing the world in this time of global crisis.”
Hillel@Home is partnering with the following organizations to connect students with volunteer opportunities:
- Jewish Federations of North America
- The Network of Jewish Human Services Agencies
- Jewish Family Services in Charleston, SC; Greensboro NC; Southern New Jersey, Birmingham, AL; and Metro Detroit
- Repair the World
- Gift of Life
- UJA New York
Students can volunteer to provide meals and grocery delivery to at-risk community members, organize a remote drive to add to a bone marrow registry, encourage donations of medical supplies where they are needed, teach a class or have a phone conversation with isolated seniors, assembly hygiene kits and a wide range of activities that can be done virtually or from home in order to support others in this time of separation and isolation.
“As students, many of us are immersed in efforts to better our local and campus communities. It’s part of our day-to-day lives,” said Jordyn Zimmerman, a member of the class of 2020 at Ohio University and co-chair of Hillel International’s Student Cabinet. “During this global crisis, the Hillel@Home volunteer portal is still allowing us to engage in rewarding work, while maintaining our health and wellness.”
To share your organization’s volunteer opportunity on Hillel@Home’s volunteer hub, please contactEmma del Sol, philanthropic partnerships associate at Hillel International, [email protected].
Launched in early March, Hillel@Home is a platform offering online experiences for Hillel student communities, centered around video meetups, courses, prominent speakers and facilitators. The platform is also open for local Hillels to customize content for students on their campuses that can then be shared widely with the whole movement.
Hillel continues to update its offerings as they are finalized and will encompass a wide range of topics including ritual and spirituality, wellness, learning, community and peoplehood. Upcoming programs will include conversations with prominent speakers, such as:
- Israeli actress from Netflix’s “Unorthodox” Tamar Amit Joseph
- Emmy-winner director of “Transparent” Jill Soloway
- Lian Najami, Israel’s first Arab Rhodes scholar
Students can also participate in workshops on everything from maintaining fitness during lockdown led by a U.S. Marine to a walk through the experiences of refugees during the COVID-19 pandemic lead by HIAS, the Jewish refugee agency.
###
About Hillel International
Founded in 1923, Hillel has been enriching the lives of Jewish students for more than 90 years. Today, Hillel International is a global organization that welcomes students of all backgrounds and fosters an enduring commitment to Jewish life, learning and Israel. Hillel is dedicated to enriching the lives of Jewish students so that they may enrich the Jewish people and the world. As the largest Jewish student organization in the world, Hillel builds connections with emerging adults at more than 550 colleges and universities, and inspires them to direct their own path. During their formative college years, students are challenged to explore, experience, and create vibrant Jewish lives.