As university students settle into campus life, Jewish organizations like Hillel are working to make sure Jewish students don’t get lost in the crowd.
The first few weeks are a crucial window for welcoming students and building community.
“This is a big campus,” Rabbi Alex Salzberg, executive director of Towson Hillel, said. “Students who are here for the very beginning can easily feel overwhelmed, not knowing where to go, not knowing where to find their place, not knowing where to find their people … So, giving students a home base on campus that they can use to come back, to see friends or meet people with similar values, or even just similar perspectives on the world, is really helpful for a lot of our freshmen.”
This year, Towson Hillel’s first week of events looks similar to year’s, but its student board has grown, helping it create more connections with the student body.
At Goucher College, Goucher Hillel hosts many events that relate to campus life, such as hosting an iced coffee stand at move-in.
Hopkins Hillel at Johns Hopkins University takes a similar approach, hosting sushi speed dating, the classic “bagel brunch” and even trips to Sky Zone or Topgolf.
“You can feel a little bit lost and not sure where to put yourself,” said Sammy Vidomlanski, president of the student board at Hopkins Hillel. “Hillel tries to give people that space where they can come, be surrounded by other fun, amazing people, and just have a place [on campus].”
Vidomlanski added having robust programming during freshman move-in week is vital to make sure students aren’t “walking through the doors alone.”
“At the start of the year, it’s important for Hillel to show up as an indelible part of campus life for all students and to meet as many people as possible,” said Rabbi Josh Snyder, executive director of Goucher College Hillel.
To get students engaged, word of mouth is essential for engaging students. While Towson Hillel is working to staff tables on different parts of campus and increase their visibility, many students come to Hillel events after hearing about it from a friend or community member.
“Towson is such a hyperlocal school,” Salzberg said. “Many of our community members know students who are coming to Towson and [they mention] to their student [to] check out Hillel.”
“New students are trying to find steady ground amidst tremendous personal change as they adjust to a new environment, new people and new routines,” Snyder added. “Hillel is here to give them a welcoming community and a home away from home. Our greatest successes early in the semester are when we help students relax, smile and connect.”
The beginning of the semester at many Hillels across the area has a “vibrancy” from a spike in attendance numbers. However, the numbers aren’t just made up of freshmen. “Our returning students are excited to see their friends that they haven’t seen in three, four months or longer sometimes,” said Salzberg.
At the heart of Hillel are the connections being made. Salzberg added once students settle into campus life, it’s the relationships that keep them coming back to Hillel.
“We … work really hard to create and deepen relationships between the staff … through one-on-one conversations and coffee dates,” he explained.
A sentiment shared at Goucher Hillel.
“Our staff and student leaders proactively reaching out and connecting with students all over campus … is at the heart of what we do as Hillel,” Snyder said. “The key to building a welcoming community is to emulate our namesake, Hillel the Elder, who was known for his inclusive approach.”
Salzberg explained, “It’s about feeling like they’re a part of a community that cares about them, where they’re seen, where they’re not one of 20,000 undergraduate students but rather, they’re a name and a face and a human being.”
At Hopkins, Vidomlanski added, “there are the students that … never would have thought … that they’d be involved in Jewish life, and then it totally changes their college experience for the better.”
mresnicow@midatlanticmedia.com
