Dear Hillel: Finding Belonging and Opportunity at Hillel
“Dear Hillel” showcases letters from graduating seniors reflecting on their experiences of joy and Jewish life with their campus Hillels. Hope Donovan, a fourth-year student at Western Michigan University (WMU), shares how getting involved with Hillel after she transferred to WMU helped her find belonging and joy in her Jewish identity. Read Hope’s letter to Hillel:
Dear Hillel,
When I transferred to Western Michigan University (WMU) from Loyola University, New Orleans — a private Jesuit college — I was searching for a sense of belonging, one that I had been looking for my whole 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.
Hillel became more than a student group — it became a sanctuary. At the Hillel Campus Alliance of Michigan (HCAM), which is building vibrant Jewish communities at 10 campuses throughout the state, I stepped into a leadership role that helped me find confidence, purpose, and community. And as Hillel president at Western Michigan University, I’ve learned what it means to advocate fiercely for Jewish students, to manifest joy in unexpected spaces, and to inspire others to show up as their full selves. As I get ready to carry these lessons with me into my post-college life, I wanted to share some of my most powerful memories from the last few years.
One of my favorite memories of joy was our Halloween Shabbat. We went all out with a costume contest, carnival games, “spooky” challah, and themed storytelling from our vice president of education who brought Jewish folklore to life with tales of dybbuks (evil spirits) and golems. It was magical and meaningful, a night where laughter, learning, and tradition intertwined.
Not all of my memories have been so lighthearted. After October 7, 2023, like so many Jewish students across the world, I felt the sting of antisemitism more sharply than ever before. In my world as an artist and student, I sometimes feel like an outlier, forced to explain or defend my Jewish identity. But Hillel has been a source of strength. My community there reminded me I’m not alone, and then gave me the courage to speak out. Because of Hillel, I’ve found the confidence to have difficult conversations with faculty and administration, to stand firm in my beliefs, and to represent my community with pride.
For the first time, I began creating Jewish art — openly, proudly, and with intention. Through Hillel, I found the confidence not just to make art about my Jewish identity, but to speak about it publicly. One of the most personal pieces I’ve ever created was a portrait of a Holocaust victim — my ancestor — whose memory I honored through paint, research, and storytelling. It was incredibly profound to give visual form to a legacy that had once felt distant. Whether I was painting the Western Wall or exploring themes of memory, ritual, and resilience, I knew my Jewish community understood and appreciated my work. Art became my bridge between cultural tradition and self-expression, and sharing it at Hillel events and exhibitions helped me claim that space as an artist and a Jew.
I’ve also been lucky to grow through national opportunities with Hillel International. At gatherings like the Hillel International Content Creators Forum in New York City and Israel Summit in Chicago, I’ve connected with Jewish students from across the globe who are passionate, curious, and unapologetically themselves. These experiences helped me see the bigger picture of Jewish joy and belonging, and provided me the tools to bring that energy back to my campus.
This summer, I’ll be going on Birthright Israel with Michigan State University (MSU) Hillel — a trip I’ve dreamed of for years. I can’t wait to stand at the Kotel, to hike through landscapes I’ve only seen in books, and to explore how Jewish identity connects us across the world. It’s the next chapter in a path that Hillel helped me discover.
Hillel has shaped not just my college experience, but my life. It gave me the space to explore my Jewishness without fear or limitation. Most of all, it showed me that Jewish leadership doesn’t look just one way. It can be quiet and bold, artistic and analytical, rooted in tradition and reimagined for today. Hillel empowered me to step forward, speak out, and trust that I have something meaningful to contribute. Thank you, Hillel, for helping me become the leader I never knew I could be.
With love and gratitude,
Hope Donovan