High-profile Jewish donors made headlines during the last academic year when they halted financial support for Ivy League universities, but there was surprisingly little public debate over where else those funds might go. Marc Charendoff proposed the minyan idea in eJewishPhilanthropy, and Bret Stephens offered his own challenge in The New York Times: “If you are an Ivy League megadonor wondering how to better spend the money you no longer want to give to a Penn or a Columbia,” Stephens wrote, “maybe it’s time to forgo the fading prestige of the old elite for the sake of something else, something new.” 

The City University of New York (CUNY) is likely not the “something” Stephens had in mind, but it should be up for consideration. 

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Chancellor visits Queens Hillel Sukkah

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In May of 2023,  I published an investigative op-ed in The Knight News on the state of kosher food on campus. I argued that Queens College, despite its public emphasis on food equity, was leaving Jewish students behind in their advocacy of that mission. I discussed how some students were choosing to not eat at all due to the lack of time and/or money to walk to Main Street and purchase food from the stores there. I also argued that the lack of kosher options on campus was a negative factor in prospective Jewish students’ evaluation of Queens College as an option to continue their education.

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The month of October kickstarts Health Literacy Month, aligning with the agenda of the Queens College Hillel to tackle food insecurity and raise cognizance of wellness. Despite it not being underscored heavily, it is a month that highlights the health of all people, aiming to teach people how to protect their health, address existing health concerns, and learn to take preventative measures to ensure one’s well-being. 

QC Hillel’s new program called the Kosher Grocery Program started in 2022 with the purpose of bringing attention to food insecurity and the overall wellness of peers. Emily “Em” Riveles, a  licensed clinical social worker who works as the director of wellness, helped launch the Service Engagement Internship (SEI) to call attention to this grocery program and matters at stake. 

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KV, an incoming fourth-year student at Queens College who is gaining a teaching certificate in social studies, experienced his first year online because of Covid. After months of isolation, he wasn’t sure how to begin to make friends when he returned to campus.

Queens College Hillel, a UJA partner, was there with open arms.

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This past December, three members of the CUNY community won coveted awards at the Hillel International Global Assembly (HIGA) for embodying the organization’s mission, empowering Jewish voices and fostering an inclusive, positive campus climate in which Jewish students feel comfortable expressing their identity. Rozeeta Mavashev, director of Jewish Campus Life and Engagement at The Tanger Hillel at Brooklyn College, won the Richard M. Joel Exemplar of Excellence Award after being nominated by her peers for her impact on the Jewish future, while Jenna Citron and Rav Sara Zacharia accepted the Joseph Meyerhoff Award for Jewish Educational Vision on behalf of Queens College (QC) Hillel won for creating an interfaith space and the Building Bridges Fellowship.

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Online programs. Outdoor gatherings. “Shabbat To Go.” Adaptations like these have kept Jewish Studies, Queens College Hillel, and Chabad of Queens College engaged with communities on campus and beyond—and ready to move forward in the new, COVID-cautious environment.

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QC Hillel wins prestigious Joseph Meyerhoff Award for Jewish Educational Vision at Hillel International’s 2022 Global Assembly (HIGA). This award highlights a campus Hillel that finds new ways to keep students connected to their Judaism amidst the many competing factors and commitments of Jewish students today.

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On October 12, Queens College President Frank H. Wu presided over a celebration marking the 85th anniversary of the first day of classes at the college on October 11, 1937.

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Congresswoman Holds Roundtable with White House Jewish Liaison and Local Jewish Leaders

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CUNY Adopts New Initiative with Hillel to Fight Antisemitism

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“Anna Lian and Rabbi Sara Zacharia closed the ceremony praying for kindness, love and peace, reading a blessing from the Bible that is invoked in the Jewish and Christian faith.”

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Over winter break, the students of CUNY Hunter and Queens College Hillels’ embarked on a journey to Israel, where they formed their own perspectives on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, while also exploring different ones.

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Prior to my college years, I was only acquainted with a few Bukharian Jews my age. I was aware of my native culture and traditions, but I never understood their significance or origin. I thought I did certain things and thought a certain way simply because that’s how I was raised. It wasn’t until I was on the brink of adulthood as a college freshman that I began to embrace my heritage because it’s mine, and I became a champion for the Bukharian people on- and off-campus.

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Here, students do not get into shouting matches or picket on the campus green. The Muslim Students Association partners with Hillel. There are few reports of anti-Semitism or Islamophobia: Jewish students wear Israel Defense Forces shirts and yarmulkes; Muslim women don hijabs and niqabs. There have been issues and hurdles. But, at least recently, no blowups.

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As an Orthodox Jew who is a fairly recent college graduate (and proud alumna of NYU), I know firsthand the challenges of being an observant Jew on a college campus. At many universities, Shabbat, holidays and everyday meal planning can be a hassle — especially in universities far from a large Jewish community. Thankfully, I attended a college with an abundance of resources — including delicious kosher food available on the meal plan and at Hillel events, abundant Jewish programming on campus, an engaged and tight-knit Jewish student community, dedicated Jewish professionals and plenty of synagogues nearby.

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Colleges must understand their distinct needs and find ways to lend support

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At Queens College, whose 4,000 Jewish students (out of just under 20,000) constitute one of the largest Jewish student bodies in the county, “students do not feel threatened,” said Uri Cohen, director of the school’s Hillel chapter. “There’s a culture of being together with people who are different.”

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