Graduating to a new century

How did a barber shop in the middle of Illinois become the international birthplace of Jewish life on campus?

Before 1923, Jewish students did not have space to gather on college campuses. Between that issue and quotas limiting Jewish students at universities, students often felt isolated and craving community.

Rabbi Ben Frankel, a rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College interning at Temple Sinai in Champaign, decided to take action. Around the time he was ordained, he and a small group of Jewish students at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) began meeting in a rented room above a barber shop in downtown Champaign.

Rabbi Louis Mann, a Chicago Jewish leader, and Edward Chauncey Baldwin, a non-Jewish English professor, worked with Frankel to raise funds, and turn the part-time student program into a full-time organization. These efforts inspired Jewish populations at other campuses to establish similar organizations–and Hillel was born. Named after Hillel the Elder, the great Jewish sage and scholar, this new student organization was adopted by B’nai B’rith and quickly expanded to campuses across North America.

One hundred years later, Hillel now operates in 16 countries, across 14 time zones, with a presence on 850 campuses worldwide. JUF is home to five Hillel foundations in Illinois, including UIUC, Northwestern University, University of Chicago, Bradley University, and Metro Chicago Hillel. And it all started above a barber shop in Champaign.

Over the past century, Hillel has been a space for Jewish students to connect, learn, and grow. Hillel supports Jewish student life on campus through social networks, educational programing, identity building, and tikkun olam (repairing the world) efforts. Through student-led programming, Hillel is constantly evolving to address students’ needs in an approachable and meaningful way.

In honor of this momentous milestone, community members are invited to celebrate “100 Years of Hillels in Illinois.” The event will be held on Sunday, Nov. 12 at Bryn Mawr Country Club in Lincolnwood, from 4 to 6 p.m. Join JUF and The Hillels of Illinois for cocktails and heavy hors d’oeuvres, followed by a program hosted by mental health advocate and comedian Pamela Schuller, who most recently appeared on Netflix’s Jewish Matchmaking

Decades after Hillel was founded, it became a department of JUF because of the community’s commitment to the next generation. “Forty years ago, JUF made a significant commitment to Hillel–to ensure it operated with the funds and communal support it needed so Jewish students would always have a place on campus where they could develop their Jewish identities, form community, learn, and grow,” said Emily Briskman, Associate Vice President of JUF Campus Affairs and Executive Director of The Hillels of Illinois. “That commitment continues today and we look forward to celebrating Hillel’s past, present, and future.”

Tickets are $180/person or $100/person for young adults under 30. Register online at juf.org/hillelcentennial.

Avi Hessel and Hannah Prezant were past Program Assistants for the Lewis Summer Intern program.