Jewish life was a big part of my life when I was a kid, but it went away after my bar mitzvah. I have missed Shabbat dinners and the traditions I used to hold dear. Now as a young adult, with more things to do than there is time to do them, it’s even harder to define what it means for me to be Jewish.

That’s when I found Illini Hillel.

I know that my personal experience is only one entry point to Hillel. Some come to learn about Israel advocacy—since the beginning of this school year, Israel has been front and center on campus. Others come to do social justice work—whether it is “Challah for Hunger” or an “Alternative Spring Break.” Some simply come for free food, and the hopes that a new circle of friends will be waiting there for them.

When people ask what Hillel is and someone responds “the center of Jewish life on campus,” I’m not sure they know what that means. We are basically one large family. To me, the biggest part of religion is that community aspect. I mean, sure, we offer Shabbat and High Holiday services, kosher food, and Jewish learning sessions, but all of those just tie back to everyone coming together and being with one another.

It’s the Jewish life I remembered when I was young and with my family. All of us get a safe environment for us to be ourselves, but this friendship idea is the one that stands out to me the most.

Of course that happens in other places too, but it just feels different with Hillel. People seem to genuinely care more about you, and also how you got to where you are now. The staff wants to learn about you. They will meet you on the quad with apples and honey for Rosh Hashanah, or at your dorm with soup or your fraternity or sorority with bagels and cream cheese. They are there to hear from you and they have all the time in the world for it. More than that, they want you to succeed in your own path.

This is why I got involved with engagement in the first place, to make sure no one missed out on this wonderful experience I’ve had. If I bring an idea to Hillel, I know that the question is going to be “How can we help make this happen?” This is how the group First Year Students at Hillel developed last year-when someone suggested a “big brother” program between upper and lower classmen. This year the program is bigger than last year, but most importantly, it is still run by students. It’s Hillel gone Greek life, in some regards. But that only proves the point: we are building one giant family, we are one house-we are one people. Our large Hillel family is continuing to grow day by day; I’m constantly meeting new and exciting people.

So I guess I haven’t really lost my definition of being Jewish. Being Jewish is more than what I do; it’s about who I share it with. Being Jewish means being part of a whole, and whether I’m celebrating it through Shabbat at school, being a listening ear, or encouraging someone to try Hillel for the first time, I’m not only making myself stronger, but continuing to build our Jewish community.

UIUC Hillel | Margie K. and Louis N. Cohen Center for Jewish Life is an integral part of the Hillels of Illinois, a partner in serving our community, supported by the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago; the Champaign-Urbana Jewish Federation; an accredited campus foundation of Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life.

Evan Frank is a junior in Accounting at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and student Vice president for Engagement at the Illini Hillel.