Too often we hear about difficulties facing Jewish college students on Illinois campus, but to focus solely on the politics gives only one piece of the complex narrative that is Jewish life on campus. Students work hard to bring Israel to their schools, and meaningful, informative engagements introduce pro-Israel students to the broader campus community.

Many campus events around Israel help create positive, apolitical associations with the state, and these positive Israel engagements carry over in interactions across campus, creating a more open, vibrant campus environment. Here are a few…

Jeffrey Goldberg comes to town

Journalist Jeffrey Goldberg visited the University of Chicago to share his insights about the reality on the ground in Israel in his talk titled, “Settlements and Israel’s Isolation from Her Closest Allies.” His analysis of the situation garnered positive reception by the audience. Jewish, Israeli, Palestinian, and curious unaffiliated students, as well as faculty, were engaged and interested, asking thoughtful questions of Goldberg.

After his University of Chicago visit, Goldberg headed south to the University of Illinois, where he joined Hillel students and others for Zionist Food for Thought to present “Israel and the Middle East: The Tragic History of a Two-state Solution.” Students gathered to listen to Goldberg and to ask deep questions to help further their understanding and knowledge about Israel.

Conversations about race

Yavilah McCoy and Rick Pinderhughes, experts on dialogue surrounding race on university campuses, spoke with students at Northwestern University Hillel and JUF’s Israel Education Center Israel Interns over two days in February. McCoy, who is African-American, was raised in an Orthodox Jewish family and community. She has expertise in facilitating dialogue, while Pinderhughes’ background in psychology and community trauma helped guide the students in attendance. The speakers helped students understand ways to be more authentic in their interactions across differences on campus, guiding the students toward better listening and engagement, and helping frame the Northwestern campus affinity groups in new language that inspired nuanced understanding and complexity.

Israel loves you!

For Valentine’s Day, many Illinois campuses wore their hearts on their sleeves with the annual “Israel Loves You!” event. Students from Hillel passed out roses and cards saying “Israel Loves You!” to passing students. The event put smiles on faces across campus, spreading love and positivity, rather than the buzzword negative reactions that the anti-Israel movements seek to foster.

At the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the “Israel Loves You!” event reached least 75 students and faculty, many of whom had never before engaged with Hillel or Israel-related campus activities. The love campaign garnered warm reception from both students and faculty on campus.

Coming soon…

Good Deeds Day

Campuses across Illinois will play host to Good Deeds Day on April 10 in partnership with JUF’s TOV Volunteer Netork. Inspired by Israel, Good Deeds Day is a celebration of giving back through projects, donations, and collaboration to bring the goodwill of students to bear on some of our communities’ more pressing challenges. Students will make fleece blankets to donate to homeless young people, collect toiletries to donate to survivors of sex trafficking, and write cards for children in the hospital. Last year’s Good Deeds Day was a huge success, reaching over 1,500 individuals. On April 10, organizations across the region will be hosting events to encourage volunteerism and support of our neighbors and community members. We can’t wait to see how many people we can reach this year through good works on campus and in our neighborhoods. As we like to say, Good Deeds Day: Made in Israel, Good for the World.

For more information on projects for all ages across Chicago, visit http://juf.org/tov/good-deeds-day.aspx .

Emily White is program director of JUF’s Israel Education Center.