Pictured: Director of Campus Affairs, Rabbi Jill Avrin with Byron and Shirley Frank, whom together with the Minneapolis Jewish Federation funded this new position at JCRC. (Darrell Owens Photography)

By Rabbi Jill Avrin 
JCRC’s first Director of Campus Affairs

July 10, 2025

My first experience with antisemitism was as a college student at the University of Minnesota in 2003.    

I was helping to lead a Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration as a Hillel student leader and was confronted by a small, but intimidating group of anti-Israel protesters as we walked across the Washington Avenue Pedestrian Bridge singing Am Yisrael Chai.  

The intensity of their hatred shook me, making me question whether it was smart to pursue a career in the rabbinate. It didn’t take long for me to realize I had no other choice. To do anything else would be to give up on my core beliefs, and on all those who have, and would experience much worse than ugly slurs and name-calling. I leaned in, became even more active at Hillel, and more vocal about my love for Israel. 

I could have never imagined that all these years later, I’d return to campus in a professional capacity to support students who are struggling to navigate the challenges related to being Jewish on campus. 

In this photo, I stand (middle-right) in the lobby of Hillel with just a few of the incredible Hillel staff members. Above us is the photo of the Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration I helped lead back in 2003 (I’m in the front row with the gray sweatshirt and guitar). I don’t remember if this photo was taken before or after our parade around campus, but I remember feeling determined to continue celebrating such an important part of my identity. I’m so grateful that my career enables me to do precisely that, not only for myself, but in a way that supports others on their own path, too. 

On October 7th, 2024, I helped lead the Hillel-Chabad October 7th Commemoration through my role as the rabbinic representative on the Hillel Board of Directors. While we recited prayers of remembrance inside a full chapel, outside the building, a small group of protesters sought to disrupt the commemoration. 

In 2003, we knowingly brought our celebration to the public sphere. In 2024, our students were targeted in our private sacred space—on a day of mourning and remembrance. I saw the emotional impact the protesters had on the students and staff—in an instant; the mood of the moment shifted from remembrance to concern, from grief to fear. The experience again instilled in me a desire to become more involved and help make a difference in the lives of Jewish students on college campuses, beyond the volunteer work I was doing on the Board. 

I applied for the inaugural Director of Campus Affairs role at JCRC and started here on June 1st. Since then, I have been meeting with a range of campus stakeholders to more intimately learn the needs, the challenges, and the opportunities that Jewish students, faculty, and staff are facing—not only at the University of Minnesota, but on campuses across Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota.  

One of the things I’ve learned, both in my conversations, and also in my research of data, is just how complex and diverse the landscape is. Some might imagine campuses as a binary battleground between fervent Zionists or fierce anti-Zionists. Research shows a more nuanced picture, both amongst Jews and in the broader student body. Jewish students’ relationships with Israel and their perceptions of the campus climate represent a wide range of experience. There are, of course, those who feel affirmed or aggrieved in their relationship with Israel, but there are also those who feel conflicted or disengaged, retrenched, or disillusioned.   

Study after study after study has shown that the most common issue that Jewish college students report is social ostracism, particularly when it comes to expressing positive, or even nuanced views about Israel. Many Jewish students feel they can’t be their whole self on campus and that the campus climate is hostile toward Jews, and especially those who have anything positive to say about Israel. Many Jewish students fear they will not be accepted for who they fully are. Therefore, many students hide their Jewish identity in their social circles. They opt out of certain social groups and avoid taking certain courses.  

This reality is devastating. The concept of wholeness is foundational in Judaism. We strive to achieve wholeness of mind, body, and spirit as we stand before God in prayer. Our ancestors could not offer sacrifices if they were not in a spiritual state of wholeness. (Moed Katan 15b, Zevachim 99b). We cannot achieve peace (shalom) with others if we, ourselves, are not whole (shalem). 

Through my work, I hope to help Jewish students embrace the wholeness of their identity as they navigate challenges from their dorm to the classroom.  My goal is to improve the campus climate through education, engagement, and pastoral care. I am working to build partnerships on and off campus with those already engaged in these issues, and to be a liaison, convener, resource, and bridge-builder, increasing awareness and understanding of Jewish identity, Israel, and antisemitism.  

I’m so grateful to all who have welcomed me so warmly into this role and who have introduced me to the partners we will need to achieve our goals. Please be in touch anytime if you’d like to share your own personal experiences on a college campus, or to help make a connection with any Jewish college students, staff, or faculty in Minnesota or the Dakotas. I’m here to listen and to learn, and I look forward to working collaboratively with others to make a difference.  

This blog post was the featured staff column for the July 2025 Gesher (‘Bridge’ in Hebrew) – JCRC’s monthly email newsletter.
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