What is Yom Kippur?
Imagine taking 365 days of self-reflection, and compressing it into one, single day. That, in essence, is Yom Kippur.
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News, stories, and updates from Hillel communities worldwide
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Remembrance and Renewal: Honoring Our Memories on Yom Kippur
Memorializing tragic communal events is ingrained in our practice and our liturgy. Some historians believe that the Ashkenazi tradition of saying Yizkor originated to commemorate the victims of the Crusades. Each Jew is a monument to a great family tradition that has survived incredible odds. As Jews, we do not build monuments of stone; rather, we fill our sanctuaries with stories.
Remembrance and Renewal: Entering a New Year with Grief
We, as a Jewish people, spend a lot of time marking important dates and holding on to them throughout time. We remember the day we received Torah at Mt. Sinai, and we make it the sacred festival day of Shavuot. We remember the day we left Egypt, and celebrate it as the festival of Pesach, telling the story to our children as though it happened to us. We celebrate new beginnings with songs, feasts, and stories, gathering family, friends, and guests to share our joy as widely as we can. On Rosh Hashanah, we celebrate the day the universe began. We say Hayom Harat Olam. Today, the world was born.聽
What is Rosh Hashanah?
Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of the Jewish calendar, which is entering the year 5784, and is celebrated as the Jewish New Year. The Jewish year begins in the fall with the month of Tishrei, and Rosh Hashanah occurs on the first and second days of the month of Tishrei.聽
Letters from Alyssa: How to Talk to Your Professors 蜜桃工作室 the High Holidays
Hi Friend, I鈥檓 Alyssa, a senior at the University of Southern California, and I’ve been through the “How do I tell my professors I need time off for the High Holidays?” process a few times now. Trust me, I know how nerve-wracking it can be, especially if you’re new to campus. As the fall semester […]
This Tu B鈥橝v, We鈥檙e Celebrating a Hillel Love Story
Tu B鈥橝v is the Jewish day of love 鈥 a holiday that鈥檚 both ancient and modern, with its roots as an auspicious day for matchmaking and weddings. Today, we鈥檙e celebrating a 蜜桃工作室 matchmaking success!
What is Tisha B’Av?
Tisha B鈥橝v, the ninth day of the Jewish month of Av, is recognized as the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. It is a day of mourning for tragedies across Jewish history, most particularly the destruction and loss of the first and second Temple and Jerusalem nearly 2,000 years ago.聽
At Syracuse University, Passover 5784 Marked the Return of 鈥淧assover in the Dome鈥
The JMA Wireless Dome is a fixture of the Syracuse University campus. The Dome has been the site of some of the most memorable concerts, championships and events in the Syracuse region 鈥 and, most recently, hosted more than 700 Syracuse University students for an unforgettable Passover Seder. 鈥淚t was more successful than we could […]
What Even IS the Omer?! Ancient Spiritual Refinement for Modern Times
What is the Counting of the Omer? The Omer is a period of seven weeks, or forty-nine days, from the second Passover Seder to the summer holiday of Shavuot. This year, the Omer period runs from the evening of April 23 to June 11. When we say we “count” the Omer, we really mean counting […]
Food and Resilience on Passover
On college campuses and around the world, the Jewish community is preparing for Pesach (Passover), during which we recall yetziat mitzrayim 鈥 leaving ancient Egypt, or sometimes interpreted as 鈥渁 narrow space鈥. There鈥檚 a common refrain that comes to mind during Passover and other Jewish holidays: 鈥淭hey tried to kill us, we survived, let鈥檚 eat!鈥 […]
