On Tuesday, November 14, 2023, ten Hillel students from our Colorado campuses – thanks to an anonymous donation from a JEWISHcolorado donor – joined an estimated 300,000 supporters at the March for Israel in Washington, D.C. — one of the largest pro-Israel events in American history. Attendees showed support for Israel, for freeing the hostages, and for countering antisemitism on college campuses and in society.
Rallies such as this leave an imprint. Hillel of Colorado executive director Daniel Bennett has often spoken of one of his key Jewish awakenings: standing at Lafayette Park rallying for Israel in 1967 when he was just 14 years old. Similarly, DU student board leaders Ellie Schwade and Heath Yatvin reported that the experience left them, “feeling more connected to Jewish People all over the world than ever before.” Ellie and Heath report that being in Washington DC awakened feelings of deep meaning and empowerment, and that they plan to use this step on their Hillel Jewish journeys to continue leading other students at DU Hillel as they have this past year.
CSU Hillel leader Riana George, who like Heath and Ellie was grateful for the opportunity afforded her, expressed what so many Hillel young adults felt that day: “It was mind-blowing to see how far our community stretches and how strong we are. People showed up physically, yes – but they were even more present with their minds and hearts. To see is to believe, and so I know: we are a family of lions, not sheep.”
A pre-rally hosted by Hillel International brought college, high school, and middle school students together to meet and express their support for Israel and learn strategies for countering antisemitic violence and rhetoric that has risen and continues to rise at alarming rates on campuses since October 7th.
Heath and Ellie summed up a key takeaway: “As Jewish leaders, we hope to inspire younger students to get involved in Jewish life on campus so that they too can have experiences like this.”
