News

No student should feel unwelcome at our Hillel because it’s not accessible.

Author

Gabriel Lesser

Date

March 1, 2022

Hillels across the country spearheaded new initiatives to make their spaces more inclusive this Jewish Disability, Awareness, and Inclusion Month (JDAIM). Every February, Hillel observes JDAIM to amplify the voices of Jewish people with disabilities and spread awareness in the Jewish community.

Naomi Hess, a senior majoring in public policy at Princeton University, has been hosting JDAIM events at Princeton Hillel since her freshman year. 

“We already had all sorts of amazing intersectional Shabbat events here on campus,” Hess said. “I wanted to make sure that people knew about the intersection between Judaism and students with disabilities.” 

Hess, who has muscular dystrophy, is continuing to spread disability awareness alongside a Hillel committee that reaches out to speakers and helps bring the events to fruition.

Katie Heinzer, a senior studying Slavic languages and literature at Princeton, has helped facilitate JDAIM events at Princeton Hillel. Heinzer moderated an event last year with Judy Heumann, an internationally recognized Jewish disability rights activist. 

“It was a really good opportunity for the Princeton campus to realize how important the intersection is between disability advocacy and Jewish life,” Heinzer said. “This year, I’m really excited to host more events regarding accessibility, and to have another speaker speak to our campus.”

To help advance the intersection between disability advocacy and Jewish life, students at American University Hillel partnered with Repair the World, a social justice organization that helps Jewish students get involved in service projects. For their project, American University Hillel students worked with the Center of Jewish Education in Baltimore to learn how to caption videos to increase accessibility for the deaf Jewish community.

“The students are training to caption videos, so that even after the training ends, they can continue to use their skills for more service work as long as it’s needed, which is really exciting,” said Sarah Bernstein, a ����vlogl Springboard Fellow at American University.

Not only are students assisting with accessibility in virtual formats, Hillels have also made changes to improve physical accessibility. 

At University of Minnesota Hillel, the building recently underwent an 11-month renovation to install a new elevator, multiple ramps for entryways, more accessible bathrooms, and wider doors.

“During the process, there was a lot of discussion. Why put in an elevator? Why spend that much money when you may have one or two students who need it?” said Benji Kaplan, executive director of Minnesota Hillel. “And our answer was: No student should feel unwelcome at our Hillel because it’s not accessible.”

In addition to programming on Hillel campuses during JDAIM, Hillel@Home also hosted a series of online events.

One of these events was a conversation with Chella Man, who talked about his experience balancing his identities as a trans, deaf, Jewish, and Chinese-American man. Man is also speaking at Princeton this month to continue spreading disability awareness and inclusion.

Rabbi Ira Dounn, a senior Jewish educator at Princeton Hillel, feels inspired by his students, many of whom are champions for inclusion all year round. 

“During Yom Kippur services last year, one of the aliyot I had was for Naomi Hess and her advocacy for disability rights,” Dounn said. “And I said, ‘Please stand in spirit or body to support the cause.’ The entire room stood up, which was truly beautiful.”

Hess said Hillel is an inclusive space where everyone is willing to learn. 

“Rabbi Ira started this tradition of saying, ‘Please stand if you’re able,” Hess said. “And this is just a really small, linguistic change. But it shows that he and Princeton Hillel are absolutely thinking about people whose experiences are different from the norm, which means a lot to me.”

Gabriel Lesser is a sophomore at Johns Hopkins University.

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News

Shir Delight: Jewish A Cappella Groups Bring Students Together

Author

Gabriel Lesser

Date

January 3, 2022

At the start of his freshman year, Itai Segev already knew that he wanted to join an a cappella group. He auditioned for one and got in, but when he learned that there were no Jewish a cappella groups on campus, he decided to start his own.

“I wanted to combine my passions for Judaism and singing. I found a group of people that shared the same passion.” said Segev, who is currently a senior at American University.

Segev co-founded with strong support from American University Hillel. “All of our advertising goes through Hillel,” he said. “And we try to perform at different Hillel events, like at Rosh Hashanah services, Hanukkah events, and Shabbat once a month.”

While TenLi Tunes was founded recently, Jewish a cappella has been thriving on North American college campuses for decades. These groups provide students an opportunity to connect with their Jewish identities through music and song.

Many of these Jewish a cappella groups create catchy names for themselves with multiple meanings. Segev talks about the meaning behind TenLi Tunes, with Ten Li meaning “give me” in Hebrew. Tenleytown is also the neighborhood in DC. in which the group resides.

At Northwestern University, the premier Jewish a cappella group is named Shireinu, meaning “our song” in Hebrew, with the final two letters capitalized to stand for the initials of the university.

Natalie Daninhirsch, one of the co-presidents of , emphasizes how a love of music brings together members of various religious and cultural backgrounds. “My Jewish experience on campus is this beautiful melange of music, culture, education, and people,” she said.

Fellow member Rachel Meiselman expresses a strong connection between ShireiNU and Northwestern Hillel, as the group both rehearses and performs in the Hillel building.

“We just performed in Hillel’s Hanukkah event, Latkepalooza, and we are lucky to have a very supportive audience,” Meiselman said.

As a freshman, Meiselman is delighted to start her college career as part of this group. “Music is something that truly bonds people together,” she explained. “It’s the most unique community experience I’ve had.”

In addition to fostering a strong sense of community, Jewish a cappella allows for students to explore a wide variety of music, ranging from traditional Hebrew songs to both Israeli and American pop.

At Syracuse University, Anna Fleischer describes how her Jewish a cappella group, , performs a variety of genres, mixing Hebrew music with popular American music.

“We have our two staple Hebrew songs: “Al HaNissim” and “Licha Dodi”,” Fleischer said. “And we’ve also performed popular songs like “Happier” by Olivia Rodrigo, “Set Fire to the Rain” by Adele, and “American Boy” by Estelle and Kanye West.”

Keren Binyamin, a current member of the Jewish a cappella group, (“sounds of joy”), at the University of Maryland, mentions how her group balances Hebrew and English songs and mixes in fun pop songs and ballads. “We are planning to record a CD of our music during winter break,” she said. “We’ve also made two recordings for the KOLedge A Cappella Competition.”

The KOLedge A Capella Competition, which Binyamin mentioned, is a Jewish collegiate a cappella competition that features multiple Jewish groups each year. This year, (“rhythm”), from Johns Hopkins University, won first prize singing Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”

Diana Bershadsky, president of Ketzev, describes the singular feeling of performing Jewish songs. “There is something so special about singing songs steeped with tradition and meaning,” she said. “When you get it right, time stops and you can feel the goosebumps.”

Ketzev performs “Hallelujah” at each of their concerts and invites visiting alumni to come sing with them, a touching tradition that has gone on for years. “These moments of meaning are why I joined Jewish a cappella in the first place,” said Bershadsky.

When asked about the essence of Jewish a cappella, students are filled with pride in being able to combine their Jewish identities with musical passions.

Segev describes his joy in expressing his Jewish identity through music. “I love singing and I love Judaism,” he said. “It’s amazing to give other people the opportunity to practice Judaism on campus in a way that fits their style.”

Anna Fleischer echoes this feeling of joy. “Judaism has always been a huge part of who I am, along with singing,” she said. “The combination of both is incredible beyond words.”

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