On 9/11, Jewish College Students Turn Remembrance into Service
Twenty-five years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, a generation of Jewish college students is honoring the memories of the nearly three thousand victims who perished by showing up for others.
More than 800 students across 22 campus Hillels are taking part in service projects addressing needs in their communities, from food insecurity and environmental cleanup to supporting children with critical illnesses. The projects are part of a partnership between Hillel International and Repair the World, made possible by a grant from 9/11 Day and AmeriCorps.
“Bringing students together to help their communities is one of the most meaningful ways we have to mark such a solemn day,” said Dani Levine, Hillel International’s senior director of social impact. “Even though these students aren’t old enough to remember 9/11, it is inspiring that they are choosing to spend the day in service.”
For most student volunteers, Sept. 11 is a day they’ve come to know only through what they’ve heard. They weren’t alive at the time, but they’ve grown up hearing stories about the people who were killed and the communities that came together in the aftermath of the attacks that shook the nation.
“Most college students today know Sept. 11 through history books and the stories they’ve heard from family, teachers, and the media,” said Melissa Levine, senior director of strategic initiatives at Repair the World. “On that day, people came together to care for one another. Service is a way for young adults to connect with and carry forward that legacy.”
In New York City, Hillel at Baruch College organized a series of service and remembrance programs. They began on Sept. 6 with a memorial ceremony in Asser Levy Park in Brooklyn, which hosts a 9/11 Memorial Tribute plaque and a Survivor Tree, bringing together hundreds of students and community members. As the names of all 2,983 victims of Sept. 11 appeared on a large screen, they paused to remember the lives that were stolen that day. Attendees sang the National Anthem and watched as the Color Guard used flags and dance to bring emotion to life. Clergy and family members of victims also shared remarks, creating a space for New Yorkers to reflect on the tragedy woven into the story of their city.
“Connecting our students with citywide memorial ceremonies transforms remembrance into active relationship-building,” said Brian Dickstein, director of campus and external affairs at Hillel at Baruch. “These programs give our campus community a meaningful way to build resilience, express gratitude, and strengthen our neighborhood bonds.”
A few days later, Hillel at Baruch partnered with the Jewish National Fund-USA to honor and recognize the brave service members who risk their lives to save others. Jewish students walked to Engine 16/Ladder 7, a fire station about 10 blocks away, to present firefighters with a commemorative photo plaque and give them cookies and other sweets.
Visiting the fire station and attending the memorial as a community gave student Noy Wysoki an opportunity to put her Jewish values into action. “As a student, standing with my peers at the Brighton Beach 9/11 ceremony and visiting our local fire station gives me a tangible way to honor this important day. It turns a time of heaviness into a chance to connect, show real gratitude, and stand together as a campus,” Wysoki said.
“It was an honor to work with Baruch Hillel in bringing smiles to the members of FDNY’s [Fire Department of New York City] Engine 16/Ladder 7,” said Richard Abrams, who serves as Israel program admissions director at Jewish National Fund-USA. “This event was a wonderful way to honor our first responders and our shared commitment to peace and creating a better world.”
On the other side of Manhattan, Columbia/Barnard Hillel is also connecting students with first responders who protect the city. To show gratitude, a group of Hillel students will deliver dinner to their neighborhood fire station this Friday — the anniversary of Sept. 11 and the first night of Rosh Hashanah. Each student will give a handwritten thank-you letter to a firefighter and spend a moment reflecting on what their life-saving work means to their community.
“The liturgy of Rosh Hashanah reinforces the promise to remember what happened and to push forward towards a stronger and more whole world,” said Rabbi Sarah Pollack, the community engagement rabbi at Columbia/Barnard Hillel. “We can use these moments of connection in our city to move beyond tragedy, brokenness, and polarization into an opportunity for students to see themselves as civic agents building a better world.”
At Johns Hopkins University Hillel, Jewish and Muslim students will spend a day volunteering at the Johns Hopkins Pediatric Oncology Department, bringing a little joy and support to children receiving care. The purpose is to create an experience where students move from reflection to action, strengthen their identities and values, and build bridges while caring for those around them.
“Remembrance asks us to look back, but service asks us what we’re going to do next. I hope this day gives us a chance to honor the past while creating something positive in the present,” said Monica Davis, executive director of Hopkins Hillel. “We’ll be bringing joy and support to children and families going through something incredibly difficult, and that feels deeply connected to Jewish values. Jewish tradition teaches us that caring for others isn’t just something we talk about, it’s something we have a responsibility to do. I hope we leave with a deeper sense of resilience, hope, and what we can do for others.”
These volunteer projects coincide with the launch of Repair the World’s National Days of Jewish Service (NDJS), which gives thousands of students and young adults 30 days worth of projects to help communities in need. Through partnerships with local nonprofits, volunteers will respond to hunger and housing needs, among others.
“We have opportunities to act on our values,” Melissa Levine said. “NDJS brings people together to serve with neighbors, strengthen their communities, and demonstrate that remembrance is a catalyst for action.”
At the University of South Florida Hillel, Jewish students will spend the next month living their values as part of a series of community-building programs. They’ll begin with tashlich, a Rosh Hashanah ritual to symbolically cast off regrets and mistakes from the past year, and a community cleanup, bringing Jewish traditions of reflection and renewal to Tampa Bay. They’ll also support a commemorative 5K honoring the victims and survivors of the October 7th attacks in Israel. The timing adds another layer of meaning, as Sept. 11 falls on Rosh Hashanah and just weeks before the third anniversary of the October 7th attacks.
While the volunteer work on Sept. 11 and in the coming weeks may look different at campus Hillels, their goals are the same. They offer ways to step up and engage in meaningful service, reminding a new generation of students that caring for others is not only a response to difficulty but an important part of Jewish life.