The House of Hillel said: One should teach to everyone. (Avot DeRabbi Natan 2:9)

Purpose
The UMass Hillel Center for Jewish Education aims to provide students from wide-ranging backgrounds with access to compelling Jewish educational opportunities and authentic Jewish role models.

We believe Jewish education to be a central way to empower students to achieve personal growth and to better understand their Jewish identity, while deepening their connection with community, and providing a sense of purpose and direction for bettering our world.

Kinds of Experiences

House of Study takes place on the University of Massachusetts Campus at the Student Union and Campus Center. House of Study’s curriculum is rooted in the framework of the Jewish Development Threshold Theory, which holds that Jewish life is akin to a portal, opening up new and previously inaccessible ways of thinking about something. 

What threshold experiences enable students to access new dimensions of their Jewish adulthood?

House of Study proposes three primary aspirational Thresholds of Jewish Development, based on a statement of Hillel the Elder.

“If I am not for myself, who will be for me?
Becoming I Self I Who am I?

If I am only for myself, what am I?
Belonging I Community I What am I?

And, if not now, when?”
Building I World I How will I?

This new initiative scales and elevates our Jewish and Israel education opportunities under the leadership of Rabbi Raffi Leicht in the new role of Campus Rabbi & Director of Education. Our successful learning programs consistently demonstrate that students are hungry to explore big life questions through Jewish learning, whether they’re just getting started or come with years of experience. House of Study takes our educational work to the next level and deeper onto campus, as this pilot program enables students of all backgrounds to discover who they are and who they want to become within a welcoming culture of exploration and growth. House of Study will also feature a diversity of local-to-Western Massachusetts Jewish professionals to facilitate interactive Jewish learning on campus over the course of the academic year.

Kol Hillel (“The Voice” or “All of Hillel”) is student-led Jewish learning facilitated in partnership between Degel (UMass Hillel’s Orthodox student group) and Mizmor (UMass Hillel’s Conservative student group). Every other Thursday 7:00-8:00 PM in the Hillel Conference Room. Check the calendar and feel free to join!

In this weekly class on Monday evenings 7:30-8:30 PM in the UMass Hillel Conference Room, Ariella Leicht leads discussions on womanhood, Jewish identity and spiritual practice.

During winter break ‘25-’26, join Rachel Pellis, Ezra Springboard Fellow, and Meredith Lewis, Managing Director, for this zoom series on acquiring tools, and developing your skills and readiness for being a Jewish adult. Check UMass Hillel’s Instagram and News for Jews for forthcoming information!

Join UMass Hillel’s Executive Director, Rabbi Aaron Fine, Fridays at 12:30 PM (10/31, 11/7 11/14, 11/21, 12/5, 12/12), for a topical discussion over lunch at the UMass Franklin Dining Commons on campus. If you’re not on a meal plan, we’ll swipe you in!

On Shabbat morning, join Rabbi Raffi Leicht, in his office at UMass Hillel to study the english/hebrew book Mesilat Yesharim - Path of the Just, by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato. All are welcome! 9:30-10:00 AM on Saturday Mornings 9/5, 9/12, 9/19, 9/26, 10/24, 10/31, 11/7, 11/14, 11/21, 12/5, 12/12.

The Jewish Learning Fellowship (JLF) is an 8-week experiential, conversational cohort for students looking to deepen their understanding of Judaism on their own terms. We’re interested in building friendships, creating community, and asking big questions. You know, the big stuff —like Who am I? What communities am I a part of? What is worth committing myself to, and why?

We make no claims about the “right” way to practice or not to practice Judaism. Our job is to help you explore the tradition in a safe space and find your own place, on your terms, in Judaism’s Great Conversation. Applications are now closed for fall ‘25’s Jewish Learning Fellowship: Sex, Love, and Relationships. Topics include: Life's Big Questions, Ancient Wisdom for Modern Well-being, Sex, Love and Relationships, Judaism as Art, Pursuing Justice, and JLF 2.0: Life's Bigger Questions.

Stay tuned for more fall ‘25 and spring ‘26 offerings:

Kol Yisrael a 6-week cohort learning experience to explore big ideas and big questions animating the contemporary Israeli discourse.
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The name, Kol Yisrael, embodies the aim and methodology of this curriculum. In Hebrew, the word Kol (כל) means “all”. While we can’t provide “all” perspectives and narratives on the questions raised here, it is our aspiration to make our tent wider, to invite more voices to the table, and to cultivate resilient empathy for diverse perspectives. Kol Yisrael currently includes four curricula: Pluralism, Ethnic Diversity, Zionism(s), and Home & Homeland. ​

The Four the Moment (4tM) Mini Series provides an opportunity to develop relationships and community within a learning cohort, all while exploring timely topics that speak to the big questions and ideas of the moment. Each mini series is designed to create educational connections that cater to students' acute interests, to provide an accessible on-ramp and pipeline for interested students not yet ready to commit to longer-term programs, and to support educator capacity and campus teams. Four the Moment is designed to meet students right where they are — especially those who find their way to Hillel later in the semester. 4tM creates a meaningful entry point for students who may have missed earlier registration deadlines or are just beginning to explore Jewish life on campus. By building on the relationships and momentum Hillel staff have cultivated throughout the semester, Four the Moment helps guide students into a high-impact cohort experience without competing with more intensive offerings like JLF, Kol Yisrael or Shabbat Hosting Lab. It’s a powerful on-ramp for Jewish learning, connection, and community — and often a gateway to deeper, longer-term engagement. Topics include: Jewish Values & Civic Engagement, Beyond Labels: Jewish Perspectives on Zionism, Shabbat for the Moment, Art & Wisdom, and Bridgebuilding. UMass Hillel will be utilizing 4tM resources for a Dinner and Dialogue series in the fall on the topic of Bridgebuilding.

Shabbat Hosting Lab (SHL) invites students to develop confidence and knowledge surrounding Shabbat rituals, to design and execute a Shabbat skill set, and to become emboldened hosts, capable of facilitating a table experience in their own living spaces that is informed and inspired by Jewish wisdom and tradition.


SHL Fellows will participate in 10 weeks of learning and host two Shabbat gatherings for their peers. 

Additional educational initiatives include: Open Study Hall Evenings, Friday Night Panels on Current Events and Pluralism, Guest Lecturers, Scholars-in-Residence, Support with writing a Dvar Torah, Men’s Learning with AEPI.

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