When it was announced that in-person classes were suspended, I thought: “What about Hillel?” A few months earlier, before I came to Hillel, I was ready to transfer. My name is Zhanna Olevskaya, I immigrated to Brooklyn from Ukraine when I was 2 years old. Coming from the Former Soviet Union, Judaism wasn’t a major part of my life, so Hillel didn’t seem like a place for me. But when my friend finally brought me along, I found my second family.
Read MoreAt first, I was incredibly hesitant. I felt overwhelmed on a campus of 18,000 New Yorkers who are all searching for their path. I was lucky to be introduced to the Hillel community. I found a welcoming home where students, staff, and new friends made me feel proud to be Jewish for the first time in my life. I grew up in a Russian-speaking home in Brooklyn, where no Jewish traditions were observed and I didn't feel a connection to a Jewish community.
Read MoreEvery time I exited the Macaulay office at City College, I could see the Hillel office down the hall. Born in Brooklyn and raised in a Russian-Jewish family that was always skeptical of religion, I turned the other way. Then, one day, a student named Tamar approached me and invited me to Hillel. I was intrigued by how open she was about her Jewish identity and ultimately was convinced to come along.
Read MoreMost students come to Hillel looking for Jewish community, a place to hang out, and food, but two students found even more than that — love. Adam (‘16) and Stephanie (‘19) met at Hillel at Baruch College and after watching a movie together for Stephanie’s class in the Hillel Suite, the two became inseparable.
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