Across the U.S. and especially on campuses that have experienced some of the worst cases of antisemitism, such as UCLA, Jewish students have found solace and comfort through Chabad and Hillel.
It has been difficult to be a Jewish student in the U.S. since Oct. 7. Many have faced severe incidents of antisemitism, which were often overlooked by campus administrations. In response, Jewish students — some of whom had never previously given much thought to their religion or participated in synagogue life or Shabbat dinners — have begun turning in large numbers to Jewish organizations on campus, particularly Chabad and Hillel.
It’s particularly evident at the Chabad House on the UCLA campus. Just before Oct. 7, an average of 100 students attended Friday night dinners. Now, it’s up to 190 students. And the numbers have remained steady; each and every Shabbat since the war began, they have been flocking to the Chabad House to enjoy a warm dinner with their peers. The numbers have nearly doubled, and no one is happier than Rabbi Dovid Gurevich, who has served as the Chabad rabbi at UCLA for the past 19 years. “In terms of the climate, it’s calmer on campus, but it’s not 100% where it should be,” he said. “There is definitely still some fear of expressing Jewish identity. Some are still hesitant to wear outward displays such as a Star of David, an Israeli shirt or to have a mezuzah on their door. But it’s gotten a lot better in terms of the open, in-your-face kind of hatred they experienced a year or two ago.”
Chabad operates on college campuses nationwide, offering Shabbat dinners, holiday celebrations and other programs that are open to students free of charge. Rabbi Gurevich says that this phenomenon isn’t unique to Chabad at UCLA — it’s happening across U.S. campuses. Jewish students feel a stronger connection to Judaism, and their Jewish identity is playing a bigger role than ever before.
It appears that the surge in Jewish life has been seen on virtually every campus, Gurevich said. “Even though not all were impacted by antisemitism like ours, I think that with everything that’s going on in the world, [Jewish] students are embracing their identity, and it plays a bigger role than ever before.”
Eli Tsives, 20, an active student at UCLA’s film department when the war began, experienced his first incident of harassment shortly after Oct. 7, when pro-Palestinian students blocked him from reaching class. He recorded and shared the incident online, and the video went viral. Tsives soon became a vocal advocate, giving interviews to the media and exposing the hostility Jewish students faced on campus. In one clip, he even confronted a professor who accused Israel of committing genocide.
“Things have significantly calmed down,” said Tsives. “They still hold protests from time to time, but it’s no longer a hot topic.”
Like many other students, he began attending Shabbat dinners and says it gave him a sense of family. He agrees that the experience has strengthened many students’ Jewish identity. “For me, it’s more cultural,” he said. “I don’t think my religious level has changed, but for some people it has.”
Rabbi Daniel Levine, who has served as the rabbi for Hillel at UC Irvine for nine years, also teaches Jewish history at the university. He saw the same surge in numbers of students attending Shabbat dinners since Oct. 7.
“We used to have 20 to 30 students, now we have 60 students and sometimes even 100 every Friday night. We used to host students in our apartment,” Levine said, “but as attendance kept growing and we didn’t have enough room for everybody, we moved to a house.”
In the immediate aftermath of Oct. 7, he said, Jewish students were stunned by the open support for Hamas and the hostility they saw on campus. There was no compassion for what had happened to innocent Israelis, but there was blatant hatred and anti-Israel sentiments right after, on Oct. 8 and on.
“It shocked a lot of our students, and they felt very isolated,” said Levine. “Just being Jewish meant they weren’t fully accepted — whether it was on the soccer team, in the LGBTQ community or any other group. The flip side was that many began spending more time at Hillel, using this as an opportunity to deepen their knowledge and connection.”
Levine believes that Jewish campus life must go beyond simply responding to hate. “I’m a big believer that the Jewish community can’t just be reactive — we need to be proactive,” he said. “I don’t want Jewish students to feel that their Jewish or Zionist identity is defined solely by fighting back. I want them to see their Jewishness as something deeply positive — through ritual practice, visiting Israel, going on Birthright,and embracing the richness of Jewish learning and community.”
That positive vision, he said, has guided Hillel’s efforts to create an inclusive, welcoming space where students can strengthen both their knowledge and sense of belonging. “We have to be realistic — yes, there are those who oppose us,” he said, “but we can choose to respond by building something beautiful and lasting.”
Arielle B., a student at UC Berkeley, said that the highlight of her week was going to Chabad on Friday nights. “My family doesn’t do Shabbat dinners, so when I first arrived here, I never thought of going to one. It wasn’t something that interested me. But after experiencing what happened on my campus after Oct. 7, I needed support. I wanted to be with other Jewish students who would understand what I was going through, so I started going to Shabbat dinners. Not only did I find that support, but I also fell in love with the Jewish tradition. It felt so spiritual and beautiful that I kept coming week after week.”
Now, when Arielle goes back home for vacation, she insists that her family light the candles and sit down for Shabbat dinner. “I discovered the beauty of my religion because of what happened on Oct. 7, and from talking with other students, I can tell you I’m not the only one. So at least one good thing came out of all the hatred and antisemitism we experienced on campus.”
Even as tensions have eased, participation in Shabbat dinners at Hillel and Chabad has remained strong. Students, Levine said, have discovered the beauty of Judaism, along with a renewed sense of community and belonging. “This is one of the silver linings of the tragedy we’ve lived through,” he said.
