May is Mental Health Awareness Month, which makes this a great opportunity to highlight some of the wonderful work being done on college campuses by organizations such as Active Minds, the Jed Foundation, and National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). In addition, when the pandemic hit and mental health concerns increased, Hillel and other Jewish organizations were in a unique position to leverage their connections with college students to provide support and assistance to those who were struggling. Here are a few examples of initiatives and programs for college students launched by Jewish organizations over the past year:

• ​​​​​Counseling at Hillel Supports Gen Z’s Focus on Mental Health and Resilience​ (Hillel, April 2021) - Hillel feature highlighting initiatives at ​​University of Washington, University of Southern California and University of Kansas. 
• Hillels Play Key Role for Students’ Emotional Health​ (The Jed Foundation)​ - "Knowles noted that it’s important for campus professionals to be aware of and talk about mental-health issues like depression and anxiety because college years coincide with the age when symptoms often begin to show up.​"​​​​
• Online Resources Provide Mental Health Se​​rvices for Jewish College Students​ (Jewish Week, July 2020) - "ChaZak, RUACH and BaMidbar have developed initiatives and programs to help students cope with the challenges and changes they are facing.​"​
• ​​Hillel and JF&CS Offer Mental Health Aid (Atlanta Jewish Times, April 2021) - "Hillels of Georgia has partnered with Jewish Family & Career Services in Dunwoody to offer free psychological counseling services to any Jewish college student in Georgia."
• ShabbaTTogether to Focus on Mental-Health Challenges During Covid (Chabad.org, February 2021) - "ShabbaTTogether is the global Shabbat of disability inclusion and mental-health awareness sponsored by the Ruderman Chabad Inclusion Initiative."
• Hillels in Maryland Nurture Mental Health During COVID-19 Pandemi​c​ (The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore, Spring 2021) - "Recognizing the negative implications of a world gone astray – of social isolation on young adults – they merged building Jewish connection and identity with ways to ensure connectedness and emotional wellbeing.​"​​​
• Hillel leans harder into student wellness work​ (eJewish Philanthropy, February 2021)​ - "Leah Moz, Hillel’s director of wellness, was given that title about three years when the movement started thinking more consciously about how it could contribute to students’ mental health, she said. Hillel realized that it was positioned to help, because the relationships and reflection that are central to its work as a hub for Jewish student life can protect against such distress.​"​ 

 Pomona College Student Gov’t Removes Club Divestment from BDS Resolution (Jewish Journal) - "The Pomona College student government removed a provision from the recently passed Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) resolution that would have denied funding to Jewish and pro-Israel student groups on campus."

New Kosher Dining Pilot Available on Campus (Mitzpeh) - "A new Kosher dining pilot program has begun at [University of Maryland, College Park] starting on April 19 and running through the end of the semester, providing students with an easier way to obtain Kosher food."

Amid crisis, American teens on Israel gap years reflect, parents worry (The Forward) - "But despite the escalating violence on the ground, none of the students, parents, or trip organizers who spoke with the Forward are considering leaving Israel before their planned departure dates later in May."

How international students can help solve Israel’s brain drain (The Jerusalem Post) - "The Jerusalem College of Technology (JCT) is answering the state’s call to action — and the college’s International Program in English offers students from abroad the unique opportunity to enter Israel’s high-tech sector and help the start-up nation meet its emerging workforce challenges."

Jewish students at UMass Amherst fear rise of antisemitism (MA Jewish Ledger) - "'I was pretty involved with progressive student groups on campus until I started to feel like I was unwelcome because I was Jewish. It was just very uncomfortable to be a Jew in a progressive space.'"

Integrating tough questions about the intersection of race, religion, and politics (Penn Today) - "Through student discussions and outside lectures, one SNF Paideia Program course examined the Jewish experience, the history of prejudice, and intersectionality in Jewish identity, among other topics."

To reach students, S.F. Hillel fundraiser pours a coffee analogy - (The Jewish News of Northern California) - "San Francisco Hillel, which serves hundreds of students on multiple campuses, has stepped up by offering virtual Shabbat programs and other events for stuck-at-home students yearning for connection during the pandemic."

UGA Chabad House co-founder talks Jewish American Heritage Month (The Red & Black) - "The respect and admiration that Jewish students at UGA hold for Refson and her husband is almost palpable, and many of them credit the Chabad House with the continuation of their Jewish faith through college."

Anti-Israel Graffiti Found on College Campus Under Consideration as a Hate Crime (Newsweek) - "The Bates Leftist Coalition, in conjunction with 14 other student groups, issued a social media statement denouncing the college's decision to ask the police to investigate the graffiti."

CSG response to the Israel-Palestine conflict draws mixed reactions from U-M community (The Michigan Daily) - "The statement drew mixed reactions from the campus community, with some believing that the statement was biased and one-sided, and others believing that CSG did what was necessary to support Palestinian students on campus."

LSU Jewish students react to Student Government post in support of Palestine (Reveille) - "LSU's Student Government posted a "March for Palestine" event infographic on their Instagram page, and many Jewish students with Israeli heritage feel it was an inappropriate and offensive move."

This week I spoke with Ashley (Class of 2024) at University of Michigan, and Max (Class of 2020) at Duke. Check out the interviews below, and bear with me as I figure out the technology!

Diller Teen Fellows program is an immersive leadership program inviting a select group of Jewish 10th and 11th graders from 6 continents and 32 communities to step up, lead their communities, and repair the world. Selected Fellows from around the globe are empowered to learn, explore their Jewish identities, take a leading role in their communities, and have a positive impact on the world.  After completing the Fellowship year, alumni are welcomed into the Global Alumni Network, a global nexus of active and committed Jewish leaders with over 5,800 alumni.

In the U.S., there are programs in Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Baltimore, New Jersey, Miami, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Pittsburgh. You can find application details at: https://dillerteenfellows.org/en/program/apply. Most deadlines are in June, but some are as early as May 18 (Baltimore)!

CAJUE (Counselor Advocacy for a Jewish University Experience) is hosting a virtual college fair on Sunday, May 23, 2021 from 1pm-4pm EST.  Students and families can register at strivescan.com/JewishStudentFair. There will also be a presentation at 12pm EST for students considering a gap year in Israel. This should be a great event! See below for a list of colleges attending the virtual fair. 

There are so many innovative Jewish programs and organizations, and I hope to highlight some great opportunities for students to get involved on campus. Learn more about Challah for Hunger below, and click here to make a donation to help combat food insecurity on college campuses. 

I know how difficult it can be to find meaningful summer opportunities in the era of Covid-19, so I wanted to highlight some interesting virtual opportunities for teens. However, please note that I cannot vet these programs! 

​The Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life at NYU is offering an online professional development summer program geared towards high school and college students. Rewired is a compilation of professional, leadership, and identity development seminars  adapted for online, independent learning. The program also includes two hours of 1-on-1 coaching with a member of the Bronfman Center team.  After completion of the modules, each student will receive an NYU Rewired Certificate. The cost to participate is $180. For more details, visit http://www.bronfmancenter.org/rewired or contact Beckie Hamroff at [email protected].

For students in the NYC area, the Bronfman Center also runs a Summer Excelerator Internship program, which appears to be running in a hybrid format for Summer 2021. 

Oberlin College to open certified kosher kitchen (Cleveland Jewish News) - "With approximately 23% of Oberlin students identifying as Jewish, the college recognized there was a need to expand its dining options."

Now leasing: New Jewish student housing at UI (The News Gazette) - "[T]he living space is intended to provide a home-like environment in which Jewish students can live with others with like-minded traditions."

Penn refuses to move 2021 commencement from Jewish holiday despite student pleas (The Daily Pennsylvanian) - "Eligible Orthodox students who choose to attend the ceremony in person will be provided with accommodations, and the event will be recorded for families to watch at a later date."

Pomona Student Gov’t Passes Israel Boycott, Bans Future Investment (The Claremont Independent) - "ASPC will join Pitzer Student Senate as the second student government of the Claremont Consortium to enact an Israeli boycott."

Jewish students find community amid anti-Semitism (The Daily Orange) - "[S]he and other Jewish students have been working to develop and implement anti-Semitism training for student organizations across [Syracuse's] campus."

California Court Upholds Right for New Beverly and Joseph Glickman Hillel Center at UCSD to Move Forward (Hillel San Diego) - "The $19 million project consists of three state-of-the-art buildings totaling 6,500 square feet, and will serve the Jewish students of UCSD each year by hosting worship, Jewish learning, and community activities."

Yeshiva University students file lawsuit to get LGBTQ student club recognized (Washington Post) - "The lawsuit against the New York City-based school of about 3,000 students is expected to surface tensions over LGBT issues at the Modern Orthodox Jewish university, which aims to keep one foot in the Orthodox tradition of Judaism and another in modern American education."

This looks like a great panel, and it happens to be co-sponsored by my kids' school!