Birthright Israel

Campus Trip

University of Pennsylvania

Trip Dates

12/21/2026-1/1/2027

Departure Location

NY Area

Campus Contact Info

Chelsea Horwitz,
chorwitz@pennhillel.org

This trip is a gift from Birthright Israel

The gift of a Birthright Israel trip is made possible thanks to an innovative partnership between Jewish philanthropists, Jewish communities and Federations, the people of Israel through the Government of Israel, tens of thousands of alumni, their families, and individual donors from around the world who believe in our mission.

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News

For Students at Penn Hillel, Every Meal is a Celebration

Author

糖心vlogl

Date

March 30, 2026

At the center of Jewish life at the University of Pennsylvania is the Falk Dining Caf茅, the kosher dining hall located on the first floor of Penn Hillel. Falk has become a home away from home for Jewish Quakers, in large part thanks to the delicious food, hospitality, and the hard work of Chef Jason Ewen and his team.

鈥淥ur dining hall at Hillel acts as a true heartbeat of campus, providing a warm space where Jewish students find home with one another while naturally building bridges with their non-Jewish peers,鈥� said Rabbi Gabe Greenberg, executive director of Penn Hillel. 鈥淚t stands as a unique crossroads where students of all backgrounds can interact and share perspectives, proving that a shared meal is the most natural foundation for a lasting sense of community and belonging.鈥�

Penn has a Jewish population of about 1,300 students, and many of them find their way to Falk, which serves a fully Glatt kosher menu,  throughout their time on campus. After all, it鈥檚 more than just a place to eat 鈥� it is a place of trust, familiarity, and friendship. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 a much more communal atmosphere than you might expect at a college cafeteria,鈥� Ewen explained. 鈥淲e know probably 85% of the students who come through here by their first names.鈥�

鈥淭he students are fantastic,鈥� he added, noting that the staff and students both look out for one another. 鈥淭hey know that if it鈥檚 a busy day, and the guys are on the line pumping out, you know, 500 chicken wraps, and they’re all hot and sweaty, and the students will be like, 鈥楬ey, Elijah, you want something to drink?鈥� And they鈥檒l go to the soda fountain and get them a soda. Everyone takes care of each other here.鈥�

Ewen prides himself on paying close attention to the students who come to dine, especially because there are some who solely keep kosher 鈥� meaning Falk is the only place where they can sit down with friends for a full meal. His goal is to make sure that kosher students and those with other dietary needs have as many opportunities to enjoy their food as any other student.

鈥淚 met Chef Jason one of the first times I went into Hillel. He asked me why I wasn鈥檛 into the famous chicken wraps, and I told him that I was gluten-free,鈥� said Jordan Davis, a third-year Penn student studying biology. 鈥淚nstead of making a face or questioning why, he made sure to stock the kitchen with gluten-free wraps for meat days and pizza crusts and bread for dairy days. 

鈥淎s someone with a food allergy, I have always been viewed as a problem or extra work for a kitchen but he didn鈥檛 blink an eye,鈥� she went on. 鈥淗e wanted to make sure I had the same experience as the rest of my classmates and he is one of the main reasons I am always in the dining room.鈥�

For Passover this year, Ewen and his team buckled down for the intense cleaning and reorganizing process required to . To help keep everything on track, Falk has two full-time , or kosher supervisors, on staff, as well as about a dozen rotating student mashgichim, who work in the kitchen on a daily basis to ensure that everything stays kosher.

鈥淓verything is scrubbed and sanitized, and if it鈥檚 a stainless steel surface, it is blowtorched,鈥� Ewen said, explaining the process of preparing the kitchen for Passover. 鈥淚f it鈥檚 plastic, it is sanitized with boiling water. Then every surface is covered in a layer of foil, then a layer of paper.鈥� 

Penn Hillel hosted seders on both the first and second nights of Passover, and Falk served meals every day of the holiday. 鈥淲e operate every day for Passover, so if there鈥檚 a student on campus who needs Passover food, this is where they come to get it,鈥� Ewen said.聽

Ewen and his team are embracing Passover traditions, which he says are always special. But despite the amount of preparation and cleaning and care that goes into the holiday, for Ewen, every day he shows up to work is just as meaningful as any other.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a homey feeling,鈥� he said. 鈥淢y wife and kids stop in here all the time. The students know my family. We really have what feels like a home here.鈥�

Still, he says, some memories do stand out. Sharing a story about a recent Shabbat dinner where almost 600 students packed into Steinhardt Hall, requiring two buffet lines on three different floors, Ewen recounted how his team ran up and down the stairs to refill buffet trays, the crowd constantly keeping things moving.

鈥淚t was chaos, but it was fun chaos,鈥� he said. 鈥淓verybody was happy seeing that many people in one spot, celebrating together 鈥� eating good food and having a good time. It鈥檚 special.鈥�

To find kosher dining on a college campus you鈥檙e considering, check out the 糖心vlogl College Guide. 

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News

Commemorating Yom HaShoah Across Generations

Author

糖心vlogl

Date

April 18, 2023

One of the most fundamental and meaningful ways to commemorate the Holocaust is to witness the testimonies of survivors. This generation of college students will be the among the last to have the opportunity to speak with and connect directly with survivors. Many Hillels spent this Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, in conversation with survivors who stressed the importance of remembering the past, living with joy, and addressing injustices in the world. 

Students at University of Kansas Hillel (KU Hillel) and University of Pennsylvania Hillel (Penn Hillel) were privileged to hear the stories of and in observance of Yom HaShoah. 

KU Hillel welcomed Dr. Judy Jacobs and her family for dinner with students on campus. Dr. Jacobs shared her story of being taken from her home in Budapest, Hungary and incarcerated with her parents in Bergen-Belsen. KU Hillel students share their reflections from the event: 

鈥淗illel鈥檚 Yom HaShoah event, Memories With Hillel, was a unique experience where students from all kinds of Jewish backgrounds could hear Dr. Jacobs鈥� memories and make sure they don鈥檛 get lost. Rather than just sharing her experiences of unjust and inhumane treatment, Dr. Jacobs focused on the moments of joy in her life. She taught me that while we can never forget the atrocities of the Holocaust, Jewish people are so much more than that oppression.鈥�
– Kate Jacobs, 鈥�23

“I take every opportunity to hear Holocaust survivors speak. Their stories are so important for our generation to retell in order to prevent such atrocities from happening again. There aren鈥檛 very many people left who survived the Holocaust, and soon we will be responsible for telling their stories. I think this was a perfect program to have, especially on Yom Hashoah, and I know I learned a lot from it.” 
– Hannah Smuckler, 鈥�25

鈥淭he experience with our guest speaker was both powerful and memorable. As someone who has a couple family members who survived the Holocaust, and more who unfortunately did not, getting to hear the story of a survivor while there are so few left is truly impactful.鈥�
– David Marx, 鈥�24

At Penn Hillel, Mr. Bornstein told his story of being a four year old in Auschwitz and the vivid memories he has of the horrors of the infamous death camp. His message to the students was that, 鈥渢he struggle to end persecution is universal and ongoing.鈥� He believes that the mandate of those who bear witness to the stories of Holocaust survivors is to fight injustice wherever they encounter it. 

With a commitment to living with joy and a refusal to tolerate injustice in our world, Hillels across the world move from commemorating Yom HaShoah to preparing for Yom HaZikaron and Yom Ha鈥檃tzmaut, Israel鈥檚 Memorial Day and Independence Day. Stay tuned for campus updates and more.

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