Letter to Jewish College Students: You Are Not Alone

Hillel CEO Adam Lehman encourages Jewish students to embrace Jewish wisdom, values, and community, enriching themselves and those around them

Aug 28, 2025

Editor’s note: As the new academic year gets underway, we invited Hillel International President and CEO Adam Lehman to write a letter to Jewish college students returning to campus and those starting their academic journeys. Please feel free to share this letter with the college students in your lives. We wish them all a safe, fun, intellectually stimulating, and personally enriching year ahead. Shabbat Shalom. — A.M.

Dear Jewish college students,

Mazel tov!

Whether you're stepping onto campus for the very first time, or returning after summer break, you’re entering one of the most exciting and transformative chapters of your life.

Arriving on campus ahead of my first day at Dartmouth College in the mid-1980s, I felt the wide-open possibilities of discovering who I was, what I believed, and how I wanted to contribute to the world. My experiences at Hillel during those four years played a critical role in that journey of self-discovery.

I recognize that being a Jewish college student today feels very different from when I was in college — and even different than when my daughters graduated just a few years ago.

Since October 7, 2023, Jewish college students have experienced an unprecedented rise in antisemitism on campuses. During the last academic year, Hillel International documented more than 2,300 incidents of antisemitic discrimination and bias directed at Jewish students on college campuses — the highest level on record and a tenfold increase from pre-October 7 levels.

Behind each of those numbers is a real student like you, who was harassed in a dining hall, excluded from a student group, denied access to a building, physically threatened, or made to feel unwelcome simply for being Jewish or expressing a connection to Israel.

And yet, amidst these challenges, I have been inspired time and again by the incredible opportunities for Jewish students to nonetheless thrive, grow, lead, and experience Jewish joy — opportunities that will be there for each of you as well — and by Jewish students’ eagerness to embrace them.

Every day, I see Jewish students enthusiastically participating in Jewish life on campus. Last year, nearly 190,000 students across 850 campuses worldwide participated in Hillel programs, events, and services. Last week, I met with our Hillel International Student Cabinet, twenty student leaders from around the world, and was inspired to hear how Hillel has transformed their college experience — and how they are going to bring their passion and ideas back to their campuses to shape great Jewish life experiences for others.

Already this fall, students are diving into Jewish life on campus with over 250 Welcome Week events at Hillel — from barbecues and block parties to opening Shabbat dinners and FreshFests — on campuses from coast to coast. Jewish students need and deserve opportunities to feel a meaningful sense of belonging within their Jewish community and more broadly across campus, and we are working to ensure that environment for every Jewish student.

Most of all, I want you to remember this: You are not alone. We have your back.

There are more than 1,000 campus Hillel professionals who are excited to meet you and support you along your Jewish and life journeys. They and Hillel student leaders are there to create community with you, serve as mentors and supporters, and unlock pathways for life-changing experiences and lifelong friendships.

Our Hillel teams are also dedicated to making sure that if you encounter any issues — whether in classrooms, in dorm rooms, or on the quad — you have the resources and support to ensure your full inclusion on campus. Our Campus4All website and Instagram account are full of resources to help you understand and identify antisemitism on campus, and empower you with strategies to address it when necessary. Our ReportCampusHate.org tool provides you with a secure place to report incidents when they occur 24/7, and anonymously if desired. And our Campus Antisemitism Legal Line (CALL) provides free legal support if you need help to pursue a discrimination claim.

Know that every day, we are working with thousands of university leaders and administrators, through our Campus Climate Initiative and deep local relationships, to ensure fully welcoming and inclusive campus environments for Jewish students.

Remember, too, that being Jewish is about so much more than what you're seeing in the news. Judaism offers incredible wisdom on building community and finding meaning and purpose that you can rely on when you're adjusting to college and all the new life experiences it will bring. As you embark on new classes, activities, and interests, you can find ways to connect your Jewish identity with whatever you're passionate about — in domains as diverse as the arts, community service, music, bridge building, leadership development, sports, Israel and global Jewish peoplehood, civic engagement, your academic interests, and preparing for your career.

By tapping into the power of Jewish wisdom, values, and community during your college years, you can unlock your own unique superpowers and passions to become the kind of thinker, doer, and leader that our world desperately needs.

By being proudly Jewish in whichever ways you choose, you are helping your campus, your community, and your fellow students. By bringing your identity and perspectives to a conversation in class or in the dorm or by forming friendships with others (some of whom may have never met a Jewish person), you are fighting ignorance and breaking down barriers.

So, as you unpack in your dorm or reunite with friends after the summer, enjoy and take advantage of every moment of college. This is your time to grow, learn, and start figuring out what kind of person you want to be. It’s also a time to find the Jewish journey that works for you, and we are excited at Hillel to support you on every step of that journey. I know this year holds endless new possibilities for you, and I can’t wait to see what you make of it.

Best of luck!

Adam Lehman

Adam Lehman is President and CEO of Hillel International, the world's largest Jewish student organization with a presence on more than 850 college and university campuses in the U.S., Canada, and 16 countries around the world.