鈥淚 was a freshman at the University of Pittsburgh聽on October 27, 2018, the day of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting that took the lives of 11 Jewish people. I remember certain bits of that day very vividly. I can still hear the never-ending sirens blaring over and over into the morning. I remember crying on the phone with my mom and asking the unanswerable question of why?聽I remember suddenly being aware of how prominent my gold necklace was, sporting a hamza, announcing my identity that now felt like a brand, seared onto my chest. I tucked my necklace underneath my shirt and zipped up my coat over it.

鈥淣ow, as a senior, not a day passes where I do not wear my necklace, over my shirt, where everyone can see it. Never again will I allow my hamza, a sign of protection, to be perverted into a target. I am proud to be Jewish and I am proud to #OwnMyStar.

鈥淟ast week, the greatest minds in government, academia, law, and many other fields came to Pittsburgh for the Eradicate Hate Global Summit – a convention created by University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University鈥檚 Collaboratory Against Hate. I got to attend the summit and hear international leaders brainstorm ways to actively fight against hatred and antisemitism. The start of my college experience was irrevocably marked by the events of October 27. Three years later, the end of it is being marked by the Pittsburgh Jewish community鈥檚 strength, resilience, and commitment to preventing this hatred from resurfacing in any other community or city.鈥� 鈥� Dionna Dash, University of Pittsburgh ’22

鈥淕rowing up in an interfaith family shaped my experiences as a Jewish woman. I learned that the more we embrace different traditions and listen to different perspectives, the more we can learn and grow. Becoming involved in Hillel Jewish University Center helped me expand on these perspectives and meet new people whose experiences differed from mine. My freshman year, Robyn Markowitz Lawler, the assistant director at the time of Hillel JUC, asked if I would be interested in becoming editor-in-chief of 70 Faces, a Jewish art and literature magazine at Hillel. I said yes. Judaism is about asking questions and making space for people, and that鈥檚 exactly what this magazine does. We鈥檝e published student pieces like 鈥楾hey Sat in the Back,鈥� an emotional response to the shooting at Tree of Life synagogue, which happened right in our neighborhood. The beauty of 70 Faces is that we are able to find spaces where we can connect with Jewish students of different backgrounds in creative and meaningful ways. I connect to my Judaism in so many different ways, including the arts. 70 Faces embraces everyone, and I鈥檓 so lucky to be a part of it.鈥� 鈥� Rachel Barcelona, University of Pittsburgh

鈥淚 grew up in an interfaith family, with a Jewish father and a Christian mother, and my parents decided to raise me Christian. I was baptized, I had communion, but I never really identified with Christianity, nor had much of a choice in practicing it. I wasn鈥檛 supposed to be questioning my practices and beliefs, but I was questioning them.

鈥淲hen I got to college, I began exploring my Jewish identity by going on Birthright Israel. Just being in Israel, I finally felt like I was a part of something. When I came back to the United States, I started going to Shabbat at Hillel JUC because that was the part of Judaism that really drew me in. I loved that Shabbat was something we did every single week. It was special, and it was all about self-care and spirituality.

鈥淚 was eventually asked to become president of our Hillel鈥檚 Shabbat committee. Now, I鈥檓 Hillel president, which is kind of crazy. Four years ago, I never would鈥檝e thought that I鈥檇 be Hillel president.鈥� 鈥� Carolyn Brodie, University of Pittsburgh

鈥淏ecause I was raised in an interfaith household, being Jewish was always a choice for me. I went to temple and Jewish camps, and became heavily involved with the youth group NFTY, where I served as North American president and became a gun violence prevention activist. I wanted to continue my Jewish involvement and activism work when I enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh.

鈥淎s a Jewish student living in Pittsburgh, the shooting at Tree of Life Synagogue hit close to home. I could no longer just be an activist for gun violence prevention, I had to commit myself to continually fighting for it day in and day out. This summer, I鈥檓 interning for Senator Jacky Rosen from Nevada. I鈥檝e dedicated most of my work to legislative projects, including gun violence prevention and building bipartisan support around it. I鈥檝e also founded , a nonprofit that engages young adults on gun violence prevention.

鈥淎ctivism is rewarding, but it also takes a lot out of you. Whether I鈥檓 on campus or off campus, my community at Hillel Jewish University Center of Pittsburgh has physically and emotionally supported me and my work. Their support has been restorative, and pushes me to keep going.鈥濃�� Kathryn Fleisher, University of Pittsburgh