The Orthodox Union’s Seif Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus (OU-JLIC) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst was created to help young men and women thrive in a campus environment and help Jewish students observe key aspects of Jewish life, such as Torah study, tefillah (prayer), kashrut, Shabbat, and Chagim (holidays). In partnership with UMass Hillel, our OU-JLIC directors, Rabbi Raffi and Ariella Leicht serve as teachers, hosts and role models, learning with students one-on-one, coordinating weekly classes and social events, hosting Shabbat and Holiday meals, social events, building religious infrastructure, and organizing guest lectures. Our OU-JLIC directors seek to help you balance your commitments to Jewish life and provide avenues for spiritual development and leadership while experiencing college life.

Rabbi Raffi and Ariella Leicht work closely with Degel, the Orthodox student group at UMass Amherst, in organizing Minyanim, Shabbat meals, and social activities. The Leicht’s also partner with Greek life’s Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPI), Alpha Epsilon Phi (AEPHI), Sigma Delta Tau (SDT) and Zeta Beta Tau (ZBT), on Jewish learning, Shabbat meals and heritage programming. In addition to being the directors of UMass Amherst OU-JLIC, the Leicht’s are also Senior Jewish Educators at UMass Hillel, teaching the highly popular Jewish Learning Fellowship among offering other experiences and opportunities. UMass isn’t your typical observant community and that’s the way we like it.


Shabbat & Holidays at UMass
OU-JLIC provides students at UMass with a fully programmed Shabbat every week. A typical Shabbat includes a Carlebach Friday night davening, free Shabbat meals, provided by Hillel and OU-JLIC, periodically students will also cook Shabbat lunch together on Thursday nights, an OU-JLIC Friday night program at the Leicht’s home or at Hillel, guest lecturers, Shacharit, Mincha, Seudah Shlishit at the Leicht’s, Maariv, and Havdalah. Students often spend Shabbat afternoon at the Hillel House resting, learning or just socializing in a friendly Shomer Shabbat environment over games. Shiurim, one-on-one learning opportunities and Hitbodedut excursions into the natural beauty of Amherst are offered on Shabbat afternoon as we craft a beautiful ‘Shabbos in Amherst’ experience through learning and singing niggunim at Seudah Shlishit and exploring different models of connecting to Hashem through the delight of Shabbos.

Chagim (Holidays) are always taken care of for you at UMass Amherst. Whether it’s coordinating minyanim or meals, or a place to stay, if you are on campus during a holiday, we will celebrate together.

Kosher Dining at UMass
There are several options for Kosher food in the Amherst area, a wide selection at local supermarkets, Kosher Dining and Shabbat food at the UMass Hillel House. The Kosher Dining Commons (KDC) is located in the Franklin Dining Commons. Its meat-only kitchen is open Sunday-Friday, from 11am - 7pm and from 11am to 2:30pm on Fridays.

The Shabbat meals provided by the UMass Hillel House and OU-JLIC are always free to UMass students, including Friday night dinner, Shabbat lunch and Seudah Shlishit. Friday night dinner is catered while Shabbat lunch rotates between being catered, hosted at the Leicht’s, or prepared by several dedicated students in cooking crews. For the fourth year in a row, the University of Massachusetts Dining Services received Princeton Review's number one ranking for the best campus food in the nation. The announcement further cements UMass Dining's reputation for serving up healthy, sustainable and delicious food prepared by award-winning chefs. Kosher Dining is no exception, offering a variety of meal options, aware of each student on the Kosher meal plan and their dietary needs and preferences. They even take requests!

UMass Amherst-Hadley Eruv
As of Spring 2021 there is officially an Eruv! Come carry with us! Thank you to all of our supporters!

JEWISH LIFE & LEARNING AT UMASS

MONDAY
Jewish Learning Fellowship 2.0
with Rabbi Raffi Leicht | Zoom
The Jewish Learning Fellowship (JLF) 2.0 is a follow-up class to JLF, our 8 week experiential, conversational seminar for students looking to deepen their understanding of Judaism on their own terms.

Monthly AMA (ASK ME ANYTHING....ABOUT JUDAISM)
with Ariella and Rabbi Raffi Leicht | Zoom & Instagram: @umass_oujlic
A safe zoom space where you can ask Ariella and Raffi any and all your questions about Judaism. Join us on zoom the first Monday of every Month at 8:00PM. Don't miss a week, add it to your calendar. Have a Q that you've been thinking about? Submit it here!

​TUESDAY
6:00 - 7:30 PM
Jewish Learning Fellowship with AEPI & AEPHI
with Rabbi Raffi Leicht | Zoom
The Jewish Learning Fellowship (JLF) is an 8 week experiential, conversational seminar for students looking to deepen their understanding of Judaism on their own terms.

WEDNESDAY
6:00 - 7:30 PM
Jewish Learning Fellowship
with Rabbi Raffi Leicht | Zoom
The Jewish Learning Fellowship (JLF) is an 8 week experiential, conversational seminar for students looking to deepen their understanding of Judaism on their own terms.

THURSDAY
4:00 - 4:45 PM
Middot Workshop
Led by JewMass’ Shlomo Warren Class of ‘23 | Zoom & Whatsapp
We learn ways we can practice becoming better people from each other.

7:00 - 8:00 PM
Thursday Night Niggun
with Rabbi Raffi Leicht | Zoom
We sing a different niggun (melody) each week and talk a little about it’s source and parsha.

AFTER SHABBAT
Instagram Havdala
with Rabbi Raffi and Ariella Leicht | Instagram: @umass_oujlic
Let’s go into the week together.

ONGOING LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

Jewish Learning Pods
Choose your own adventure. Organize a pod with 2-4 friends and set up a time with Rabbi Raffi Leicht to explore topics and questions of your choosing. You can also choose prepared topics, like Jewish Meditation, Sex & Intimacy, Science and Torah, Sin, Reward and Punishment, Afterlife, Redemption, Talmud, Jewish Observance, Kabbalah, etc. etc. We'll create a google doc that everyone in the pod shares and that we'll work off each meeting collaboratively, developing and marking each turn on our journey together. Pods will meet online or in-person depending on where people are. Start and end dates will be whatever the pod wants and we'll create a group chat to organize timing, topics, etc. Sign-Up Here.

Student Alliance For Israel Like Dreamers Book Club
In partnership with SAFI, OU-JLIC helps further support students' connection to Israel through reading Yossi Klein HaLevi’s Like Dreamers: The Story of the Israeli Paratroopers who Reunited Jerusalem and Divided a Nation.

One-on-One Learning
Rabbi Raffi and Ariella are available to learn Torah with you, no matter your background. Please contact them with the day(s) and time(s) you would like to learn and if there is any particular topic or book you would like to study with them: raffi@umassjlic.org, ariella@umassjlic.org.

UMass OU-JLIC Book Club
Get a free copy of a book written by a revolutionary Jewish thinker! Ask raffi@umassjlic.org.

ONGOING PROFESSIONAL & PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

OU-JLIC Internships
Undergraduate students are welcome to apply to paid OU-JLIC internships each academic year. For more information or to apply please contact raffi@umassjlic.org.

Mountain Meditations with Raffi
Meditate on Kabbalistic ideas in Western Massachusetts’ most beautiful natural settings. Email raffi@umassjlic.org for more information!
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ONGOING SOCIAL OPPORTUNITIES

Sharon Social Distance
In coordination with DEGEL, The Flagship’s Orthodox Community, OU-JLIC helps support students to get together in person in safe ways while classes are remote. In places like Stoughton, Sharon, Newton, Brookline, MA and NY/NJ.

Snacks + Deliveries = Mental Health Breaks (local)
Join the Jews on Campus Whatsapp group to be on the lookout for local snack deliveries by Raffi and Ariella.

Degel Newsletter (Orthodox Student Group)
Email Degel to receive the student newsletter.

Degel Fantasy Football League
Here in New England we take our football pretty seriously, even when it’s fantasy. Ask raffi@umassjlic.org to join future leagues!

Sundays in Amherst
Feel like taking a ride up to Amherst? Let us know and we’d love to have you over!

ONGOING VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES

Volunteering with UMass OU-JLIC in partnership with the Jewish Community of Amherst
Brighten someone’s day with our friends at the JCA. UMass Hillel, OU-JLIC and the Jewish Community of Amherst are partnering to bring students together with elderly community members. We are looking for students who have some spare time in their week to participate in a socially distant outdoor visit with senior citizens in the Amherst Jewish community. Have a car? We would love some help picking up groceries for those in need. Have a phone? We know you do- make a phone call to someone who could use a friend. Volunteer here!

Amherst Phone a Friend Sign-Up Form
Receive a daily call from a volunteer or sign up to be a caller for a wellbeing chat here. 

Amherst Senior Services
https://www.amherstma.gov/269/Senior-Center

Be An Informational Conversation Partner
Conversation Partners meet with advanced-level students to help them improve their oral conversation skills and become more confident about speaking English. These students are generally well-educated, and are familiar with "textbook" English, but may not be accustomed to hearing less formal English (spoken at a rapid pace). They want to be able to express themselves better and often have questions about American culture or "how things work" in the US. There is no training required, but you must be able to speak English fluently and clearly, and have an interest in learning about other cultures. Conversation partners meet once or twice a week for an hour or more. We ask for a minimum six-month, full-semester, or full-summer commitment. More information here.

If you’re a UMass student and have ideas for the community that you’d like to make happen, please contact raffi@umassjlic.org. Your ideas can be funded!

All sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expressions, and racial/ethnic backgrounds are welcome. For questions about accessibility please contact raffi@umassjlic.org.

Student Takes

“Rabbi Raffi and Ariella are always here for us and allow us to connect to our Judaism in ways I only explored recently.  They have opened up avenues of spirituality that I never really connected to before.”

“Our JLIC couple is so relatable and welcoming. They make it a point to communicate to us to 'come as you are', and they very much actively emulate this as well. I feel so comfortable and so enjoy coming to their onegs, meals, and other events.”

“Ariella and Raffi Leicht are two beautiful souls who nourish the UMass Amherst community with their wisdom, kindness, and generosity. We are beyond lucky to have them.”

“We love having Ariella and Rabbi Raffi on campus. They help provide us with a Jewish Framework that we may not have experienced in our homes or day schools. They both are around and available to us and have introduced a different kind of learning and spiritual connection that I’ve never felt before!!!”

“JLIC has been great for both the observant community and the rest of the campus community. JLIC is able to reach out to all denominations of Jews and students of other other faiths and backgrounds on campus to work with them at things that bring together the whole Jewish community and on a broader scale the whole campus community.”