Happy Hanukkah Happenings at Hillel
Jewish college students around the world celebrated Hanukkah in fun and innovative ways this year, with campus Hillels leading holiday parties and other events to rejoice in the festival of lights.
Updates
News, stories, and updates from Hillel communities worldwide
67 results
Letters from Alyssa: What Hanukkah Means to Me
As Jewish college students prepare to light this years’ Hanukkah candles, I’ve been reflecting on the deeper meaning behind the holiday’s glow. Hanukkah is often seen as a joyful, fun-filled celebration – spinning dreidels, eating latkes, and exchanging gifts. And it is! But beyond the festive lights and traditions, there’s a profound story about Jewish identity and resilience that inspires me.
Celebrating Interfaith Connections with a Feast
At Hillel, we believe in the power of communities to support college students when they need it most. We believe college campuses are safer, more inclusive places when they come together across lines of difference. And we believe that food makes any event better!
Letters from Alyssa: Why Finding Gratitude is a Jewish Value
In Judaism, there is a beautiful value called hakarat hatov – which literally means “recognizing the good.” It’s about actively noticing and acknowledging the blessings in our lives, from the biggest moments to the smallest interactions.
Letters from Alyssa: On Simchat Torah, Dancing Harder and Remembering Forever
Hi Friend, As Simchat Torah approaches, I find myself caught in a whirlwind of emotions. It’s been a year since that terrible day when joy turned to tragedy, and the festival that celebrates our love for Torah became forever linked with a massacre in Israel that killed over 1,200 people. But as I reflect on […]
Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah 101
Why celebrate one Jewish holiday when you can celebrate four?! After a month of observing the holidays of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot, the Jewish calendar finally lands on Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, a combined celebration that marks the end of the High Holidays.
Letters from Alyssa: Let’s Talk About Yom Kippur
With Yom Kippur approaching, and with the intensity of this week’s commemoration of the October 7 attacks, I’ve been reflecting on what this holiday really means to me. Growing up, I heard all these daunting things about how I was supposed to act on Yom Kippur: fasting, wearing white clothes, and disconnecting from electronics.
Remembrance and Renewal: Honoring Our Memories on Yom Kippur
Memorializing tragic communal events is ingrained in our practice and our liturgy. Some historians believe that the Ashkenazi tradition of saying Yizkor originated to commemorate the victims of the Crusades. Each Jew is a monument to a great family tradition that has survived incredible odds. As Jews, we do not build monuments of stone; rather, we fill our sanctuaries with stories.
Remembrance and Renewal: Entering a New Year with Grief
We, as a Jewish people, spend a lot of time marking important dates and holding on to them throughout time. We remember the day we received Torah at Mt. Sinai, and we make it the sacred festival day of Shavuot. We remember the day we left Egypt, and celebrate it as the festival of Pesach, telling the story to our children as though it happened to us. We celebrate new beginnings with songs, feasts, and stories, gathering family, friends, and guests to share our joy as widely as we can. On Rosh Hashanah, we celebrate the day the universe began. We say Hayom Harat Olam. Today, the world was born.
Letters from Alyssa: How to Talk to Your Professors About the High Holidays
Hi Friend, I’m Alyssa, a senior at the University of Southern California, and I’ve been through the “How do I tell my professors I need time off for the High Holidays?” process a few times now. Trust me, I know how nerve-wracking it can be, especially if you’re new to campus. As the fall semester […]
