Hillel International believes Jewish college students are our future. Beyond this, Hillel believes social media is our future—if only we do it Jewishly.
I recently had the privilege of attending the third annual Hillel International Content Creators’ Forum, an outlet for Jewish students with media backgrounds to learn how best to infuse content creation with a uniquely Jewish energy.
The cohort of 75 college students from across North America joined together at Columbia’s Kraft Center in Manhattan to learn from more than 20 prominent Jewish creators, activists, journalists and professionals—people who are living proof that Judaism doesn’t have to be confined to a synagogue or classroom. Through mainstage sessions, workshops and hands-on content creation sessions, my fellow students and I gained the necessary tools to advocate for and educate on Judaism and Israel. From social media to food, journalism to mixology, advocacy to entrepreneurship, the message was clear: Judaism can, and should, show up in everything we do.
As Dr. Mijal Bitton, sociologist and rosh kehillah of the Downtown Minyan, put it: “Our strength comes from telling our story.” And in a world where Jewish stories are often misunderstood or misrepresented, especially since Oct. 7, this strength is more vital than ever.
For many of the speakers, Oct. 7 marked a turning point—not only in the Jewish world, but in their personal callings. Noa Cochva, former Miss Israel and IDF medic, shared her story of treating wounded individuals, including Hamas terrorists, only to be labeled genocidal by the world. “I was there saving Hamas terrorists because that’s what Israel does. We value life. And people were calling us baby killers and genocidal—and that’s where my advocacy came from.” She reminded us that being Jewish means choosing life, even in the face of unimaginable hatred. “After October 7,” she said, “there’s no difference between an Israeli and an American Jew—because we’re all one nation, one Am Yisrael.” For many of the forum’s attendees, this held true as well. Since Oct. 7, there has been an inherent pull towards sharing Jewish pride in content that may not necessarily be related to Judaism.
Food influencer and proud Orthodox Jew Melinda Strauss addressed the power of speaking out and seeking education on lesser-known topics. “So much hate just comes from ignorance. When I hate something, I ask myself why. I say, ‘What do I not know?’” She encouraged students to begin where they are. “Think about what’s important to you, and that becomes your advocacy… No matter how much inspiration you get from someone else, it’s still going to sound like you.” By educating people in every niche possible, ignorance turns into informed activism. Her message was both empowering and deeply Jewish: Just like each mitzvah counts, so does each voice. And each voice needs to come together. “We grow better when we grow together.”
Donna, an Israeli mother who co-founded the Hostage and Missing Families Forum’s U.S. headquarters just days after Oct. 7, brought tears to the room. Alongside two Israeli friends from Columbia University, she began advocating for the hostages still trapped underground. “It is all of our jobs to be their voices from the tunnels of Gaza. … Every single day until they’re home, think of one thing you can do to help the hostages.” She emphasized that while she might live in New York, her soul is still tied to the families suffering in Israel. “Across miles and miles and miles,” she said, “people know their family. Keith Siegel is walking around like a celebrity and getting hugs in the street.” That’s the power of collective storytelling—it turns strangers into family. Shiran, another Israeli working at the Hostage and Missing Families Forum, captured this same sentiment simply: “As an Israeli here, I felt I can’t just sit at home and watch the news.”
For Pamela Wiznitzer, a celebrated bartender and hospitality expert, the intersection of identity and profession is seamless: “I was able to—and thought it necessary to—infuse the work that I do with the life that I live. You can’t lose yourself in this. … Whatever you do, attach a little Judaism to it. Attach a little neshama to it.” Judaism, she reminded us, doesn’t need to be extracurricular—it is the core of who we are, even when we’re pouring drinks, building brands or writing Instagram captions. “You have to show how your Judaism integrates into who you are. Because otherwise, we become a monolith—and we’re not. We never have been, and we never will be.”
Max Cohen, a creative entrepreneur and strategist, spoke about the noise we’re up against, particularly in the media space. Digital activism is necessary, and doing it right is even more critical. “The commodity [of digital advocacy],” said Cohen, “is your attention. That’s what we’re fighting for.” Infusing digital media with heart, with passion, with identity, is how attention is captured and held. And in a field like social media, where nothing is guaranteed, “the moment of sustainability is the moment of taking the risk.” That risk of being openly, proudly Jewish online, even when it means being vulnerable and opening yourself up to criticism, is one many of us are now willing to take.
Rachel Weisberg, a Bergenfield native and graphic design student at Florida Atlantic University, summed up her takeaway from the conference: “You can turn anything into something Jewish, something related to Israel, even if it’s not remotely connected. When you do this, you help educate people on what they might not know, even if they don’t know that they don’t know it. You’re educating them in a deeper sense just by doing what you love.”
At its heart, the Hillel International Content Creators’ Forum wasn’t just about platforms or algorithms. It was about purpose. The kind of purpose you can only find in a tradition thousands of years old, carried by people who still believe in the power of light over darkness, life over death, story over silence. Whether through hashtags, hospitality, healing or hope, we were reminded again and again: Judaism isn’t just something you do. It’s something you are. And now more than ever, the world needs us to be quintessentially Jewish, in everything we do.
Eliana Birman is the assistant digital editor for The Jewish Link. She is a rising sophomore at Barnard College and lives in Teaneck.
