For many Jewish parents and grandparents, Hillel holds a special place in their memories

of college life.

Founded in 1923 as a modest program above a barbershop at the University of Illinois, Hillel

grew into a leading Jewish

campus organization, now present on many hundreds of campuses. For generations, it was where

Jewish students found community, celebrated Shabbat, and felt at home as Jews while navigating

the challenges of university life. Today, Hillel faces a crisis. That's the view of the writer

and former Crudhammer Fellow, and now I'll add Tikva colleague, Josh Toll. Before joining our team at

Tikva, Toll worked at Hillel for three years, and he saw the organization's reaction to October

7th and all the campus frenzy that would come after it up close.

In the December 2025 issue of commentary, Josh published an essay,

If Hillel is not for Jews, who will be?

It is an examination of how progressive ideology has weakened Hillel's ability to serve its

own students, especially in the days, weeks, and months

after October 7th, when Jewish institutions were most needed. Galvanized by that day,

Toll explains how Jewish students looked to their Hillel centers on campus, seeking clarity and

strength, only to encounter what he calls muddled objectives and self-defeating

strategies. Welcome to the Tickfoot podcast. I'm your host, Jonathan Silver. I want to

emphasize that Josh's essay and indeed our conversation are not simply meant as criticism alone.

As Josh makes clear, calling attention to the ways that Hillel has strayed

from its own mission is necessary, precisely because that mission is worth restoring.

Hillel's crisis, he also argues, reflects a larger condition in American Jewish life, particularly

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