Expanding Jewish Life Across the State

by Daniel Bennett

Thank you for continuing to ask about campus antisemitism—it means so much to our students and staff that you care. You know that antisemitism on campuses the last half-dozen years grew significantly, then exponentially following the tragic events of October 7, 2023. While this painful reality isn’t going away, the intensity has lessened, our students are more resilient, and our work with university administrators is bearing fruit. After sixteen months of responding to hate I’m able to take a breath and share exciting news: Hillel of Colorado is expanding geographically and engaging more students than ever on our traditional campuses.

Expanding Our Reach

In the past two years, we’ve staffed a new Hillel on the Auraria campus, serving Jewish students at CU Denver, MSU Denver, and CCD. We’re guiding Semester at Sea, a program sponsored by CSU. Just this month, we’ve started building a Hillel at the Colorado School of Mines. These efforts reflect the overwhelming demand from students across the state for Jewish life and support, especially in areas without large Jewish populations.
Historically, Hillel of Colorado, incorporated in 2002, served Jewish students at CU Boulder, CSU Fort Collins, and the University of Denver. Previously, we could dream about expanding, but until we had the resources, we could do little more than serve those three university Hillels by, for example, welcoming a half dozen Colorado School of Mines students at University of Denver Shabbat evening dinners; bringing university of Northern Colorado student on the Colorado State University Hillel Birthright Israel trip; or supporting Colorado Mountain College’s Holocaust program. Some told us that was enough: didn’t families that care about Jewish life choose universities with a large Jewish population and a Hillel? It turns out that’s no longer true, if it ever was. Students select a university for a myriad of reasons, and the sheer volume of calls, emails, and texts I received post-October 7th made it clear there were families outside of the “big three” who needed Hillel.

Meeting the Need with Determination

Hillel of Colorado was faced with an unfunded mandate. Opening a new Hillel is costly ($50-100,000 each, annually)! So far, our community has stepped up in these initial stages: Rose Community Foundation and a few generous donors helped start Auraria Hillel, especially important after the encampments last spring that seemed to never end; two out-of-state donors assured I could travel to Portugal for Semester at Sea’s spring, 2024 voyage to address the worst onboard antisemitism we’d ever seen and now, to continue training staff and supporting students; and now we have found the funds, internally, to respond to an invitation from Colorado School of Mines Vice President of Student Life to explore forming a Hillel there (to our surprise Mines has 200-300 Jewish students)!

Hillel now must attract angel donors as we embark on a fiscally responsible plan to embrace the mandate for the Hillel Mines venture and raise increased sustainable funding for Semester at Sea and Auraria Hillel.

Record-Breaking Engagement

Student engagement is thriving too. For four consecutive years we’ve broken engagement records (both unique individuals attending programs and the number of students returning six or more times per year, the gold standard proven to predict future Jewish life behavior). The numbers speak for themselves: we’ve blown away each year’s data, with many more students engaged more deeply with Jewish life at Hillel of Colorado.

Why such success when many of the 500 Hillels nationwide show flat or declining engagement? A few thoughts:

A Laser Focus on what Matters

Our Hillel Houses—welcoming spaces for Jewish students—are thriving. They’ve become homes-away-from-home, where students find their voices, grow in leadership, and connect deeply to Jewish life. These spaces are not just safe and supportive but are vibrant hubs where students can explore their Jewish identity in meaningful ways.
Jewish life at Hillel is student-run. While staff provides guidance and support, the students drive the programs, build the community, and shape the future of Jewish life on campus. We focus on creating a balance between large-scale events like Shabbat dinners and smaller, more intimate cohort-based programs—such as Torah study, social justice initiatives, and Israel advocacy. This approach allows students to engage on their own terms, whether they’re attending a program, planning one, or stepping up as a leader.
Finally, thanks to our supporters, staff is fairly compensated and supported well, leading to organizational stability – enabling them to support students better, experiment with new ideas, and create an environment where student leaders thrive. Dynamic staff attract dynamic students, and student engagement metrics show it’s working.

Looking Ahead

While we are proud of the progress we’ve made, we know the work is far from done. There are still many students who need a Jewish community, whether at the University of Northern Colorado, Colorado College, or in smaller towns across the state. Our expansion must be strategic, balancing fiscal responsibility with our mission to serve Jewish students deeply and meaningfully.

The success of Hillel of Colorado will always be measured by one thing: whether we’ve empowered students to take ownership of their Jewish journeys and stand proudly in their identity. With your continued support, we will keep reaching them, expanding Jewish life, and ensuring that every student has a place where they can grow, lead, and connect to their Jewish identity.

Together, we’ve got this.

Leave a Reply