Hillel has a long way to go if it wants to live up to its stated values of inclusion and belonging.
I arrived on the campus of the University of Southern California (USC) yearning for a Jewish space where I, as a queer Jew, could feel celebrated for all of my identities. I quickly became involved in Hillel, hoping to make that a reality. My sophomore year I became a Campus Engagement Intern and Ruderman Inclusion Ambassador to build places in Hillel where all Jewish students could belong. I created Nice Jewish Queers (NJQ) and established it as a member organization of the Queer and Ally Student Assembly on campus. I was excited that a space in Hillel finally existed that celebrated the intersection of Jewish and queer identities, as this intersection had seldom felt acknowledged in the existing Jewish and queer spaces on my campus.
But after almost a year of working within Hillel to create change, I have come to the unfortunate conclusion that I cannot work for an organization that only provides conditional support for LGBTQ students.
I first began to question Hillel’s commitment to LGBTQ equality when I learned that the funding for my Hillel Campus Engagement Internship came from Mosaic United, an organization set up by Naftali Bennett, an Israeli minister known for promoting racist and homophobic policies in the Israeli legislature. Its mission, according to Bennett, was to combat criticism of Israel on college campuses and counter “the weakening of the Jewish foundations of the family unit,” a not so subtle way of calling out marriages between Jews and non-Jews and promoting heteronormative Jewish families.
Bennett’s racist and homophobic intentions were in complete opposition to the Jewish values I hold dearly, values I thought Hillel held as well. Admittedly, I wanted to back out of my internship at that moment. How could I work towards inclusivity in an organization that so readily accepts funding from individuals that deny and demonize Jews with already marginalized identities? But, I decided to stay. It was precisely within my Jewish values to not walk away; my work creating community for queer Jewish students was far too important to abandon.
However, as I began to build NJQ I realized that I was not the only one with reservations about Hillel’s commitment to its students. A number of the queer Jews I chatted with voiced frustration with Hillel’s Standards of Partnership, a policy implemented in 2010 at the request of pro-Israel megadonors that bars speakers and groups that are deemed too critical of Israel. Many of the students I talked to said the Standards shut down important conversations around Israel and Palestine, and shut out students who questioned Israeli policy.
I thought the ultimate goal of an affirming community for queer Jewish students in the Jewish hub on campus was still valuable. So, I abided by the Standards of Partnership. I organized Shabbat dinners and a spirituality and sexuality retreat. While the events were amazing, I knew I was leaving out a number of queer Jewish peers who felt excluded from Hillel.
Then, last month, I decided to plan a Passover drag show. Passover is a Jewish holiday celebrating freedom and liberation from Mitzrayim – the narrow place. As I planned, I realized it was time to come out of Mitzrayim. I no longer wanted to make myself, or members of the queer Jewish community, small. I no longer wanted to hide parts of ourselves, our identities, and our politics. It is not my job to appear palatable. I refuse to conform to Hillel’s “Standards.” I refuse to allow donors to decide who should be celebrated and included in the community and who should not. It was time to leave the narrow place of making compromises and excuses for upholding policies that were dividing and hurting our community.
So, I decided it was important to co-sponsor our Passover drag show with the Queer and Ally Student Assembly (QuASA) and Jewish Voice for Peace USC (JVP), a Jewish political advocacy organization that both nationally and at my school provides a space for many queer Jews who feel uncomfortable at Hillel. Hillel bars partnership with the organization because of its critical stances on Israel. I knew that if I wanted my queer Jewish peers to feel comfortable at the event, inviting JVP to co-sponsor would publicly show that all queer Jews could show up as their full selves, and bring all of their identities and political affiliations to the event without shame.
However, when our campus Hillel became aware of JVP’s co-sponsorship of the event, Hillel rescinded their co-sponsorship of the event, citing Hillel International’s Standards of Partnership for Israel Activities. In doing so, Hillel sent a clear message that our inclusion as queer Jews is conditional on our political beliefs.
This is not the first time a Hillel has disaffiliated from its LGBTQ student organization. Almost two years ago, Hillel demonstrated the same callousness toward its students when it forced the Hillel at Ohio State University (OSU) to expel B’nai Keshet. B’nai Keshet, the queer Jewish group at OSU, had attempted to cosponsor a fundraiser for refugees with fifteen other student groups including Jewish Voice for Peace. In response, their campus Hillel withdrew its affiliation and pulled all material and financial support for the school’s only LGBTQ Jewish student group. Despite numerous protests from students, faculty, and rabbis, Hillel at OSU stood by its decision.
In order to create a climate in Hillel that includes and celebrates the diversity of the Jewish community on campus, Hillel must discontinue its use of the Standards of Partnership and reject money from donors that spread sentiments of homophobia, racism, and hatred. Hillel must prioritize its mission of creating a Jewish experience for every Jewish student on campus, regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, disability status, or political affiliation.
When that day comes, I will proudly rejoin Hillel. But until then, you’ll find me creating a new vibrant Jewish community on campus – one that exists for ALL Jews.
Ariella Amit is a second-year undergraduate at the University of Southern California working towards earning a B.S. in Urban Studies and Planning. She is particularly interested in creating equitable and sustainable communities through improvements to transportation and housing policies and developments. Ariella plans to pursue a Master of Public Administration upon graduation.
Featured image credit: https://www.jble.af.mil/News/Photos/igphoto/2001919777/.
