As students head back to college, Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove and Jon Frankel sit down with three veteran campus rabbis—Rabbi Jessica Kirschner of Stanford, Rabbi Rachel Isaacs of Colby College, and Rabbi Ari Israel of the University of Maryland—to talk about what Jewish life on campus really looks like today. From antisemitism and the aftermath of October 7 to Shabbat dinners, unexpected conversations, Jewish resilience, and even Tashlich in space, they explore why the essential work of Hillel remains what it has always been: building relationships, nurturing Jewish identity, and helping students discover a Judaism they can make their own.
What does it mean to be Jewish on a college campus right now? The headlines often tell a story of antisemitism, protests, polarization, and fear. Those realities matter—but they are not the whole story.
In this back-to-school episode of Common Faith, Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove and Jon Frankel are joined by three leaders whose campuses could hardly be more different: Rabbi Jessica Kirschner of Stanford University, Rabbi Rachel Isaacs of Colby College, and Rabbi Ari Israel of the University of Maryland. Together, they discuss what a Hillel rabbi actually does, how Jewish campus life has changed since October 7, and how students are responding to an atmosphere that can sometimes make Jewish identity feel contested.
What emerges is a more complicated—and ultimately more hopeful—picture. Jewish students are not simply retreating. Many are searching for community, connection, knowledge, pride, and the confidence to engage rather than hide. From harvesting Maine lake ice for a mikvah to launching Tashlich into the stratosphere to bringing hundreds of Jewish students together through basketball, Hillel becomes something larger than a campus institution: a laboratory in which young Jews learn how to build Jewish life for themselves.
The challenge, the rabbis suggest, is to acknowledge the oy without allowing it to eclipse the joy—and to prepare young Jews not merely to feel protected, but empowered.
Rabbi Jessica Kirschner:
https://www.stanfordhillel.org/staff
Rabbi Rachel Isaacs:
https://www.rabbirachelisaacs.com/
Rabbi Ari Israel:
https://marylandhillel.org/staff/ari-israel/
Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove:
https://www.instagram.com/elliot_cosgrove
Park Avenue Synagogue:
https://www.pasyn.org
https://www.instagram.com/parkavenuesyn/#
Jon Frankel: