The Hillels of Georgia Weekly Chai-Lights Reel

ISSUE NO. 1 | VOL. 27

A new school year is officially underway across Hillels of Georgia, and we’re so excited to have students back on campus and our Hillel communities buzzing again. Each week, we’ll be sharing a quick wrap-up of what’s happening across our campuses, from big moments to the small connections that make Hillel feel like home.

Here’s a look at our first week back:

A Pawsitively Warm Welcome to Hillel UGA

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A new school year means new classes, and for our Jewish students, a community ready to welcome them home. Hillel UGA started the year strong, welcoming students back to campus with open arms and plenty of treats!  Returning student Shira Preis (‘29) shared, “I’m looking forward to all the events at Hillel and to meeting all the new people, because I was really welcomed last year.”

That’s the kind of impact we hope to create across Hillels of Georgia: when a student who once felt welcomed becomes the person excited to welcome someone new. Here’s to a year of connection, belonging, and vibrant Jewish life at UGA. Go Dawgs!

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Meet Harris Plofsky, the new Director of KSU Hillel!

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For Harris, joining Hillel is more than a career change. As he puts it, he wasn’t “running away from something,” he was “running to something.” Jewish life and leadership were a meaningful part of his own college experience, and now he has the opportunity to create that experience for the next generation of students.

At Illinois State University, Harris helped transform a small Hillel Passover Seder of about 20 people into a gathering of roughly 65 students and community members. More importantly, it became a tradition that brought together students from different groups, campuses, and the broader Jewish community for years to come.

That same spirit is what Harris hopes to bring to KSU: a Hillel where students can find community, grow as leaders, explore their Jewish identity, and walk in feeling like they already belong.

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Jewish Students Find Their Hive at Hillel at Georgia Tech

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Hillel at s helping new Jewish Jackets find something just as important as their classrooms: their community.

Throughout Week of Welcome, students are meeting Hillel staff, sharing their first Bagel Break, exploring the Hillel space, and finding familiar faces they’ll see throughout the year.

Sophomore Caylie Brennan remembers what that meant during her own first week: “Through events I got to meet Hillel staff, board members, and other first years, allowing me to build a community from day one... It really helped me find a community.”

Brewing Up Belonging at Georgia College

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Hillel at Georgia College kicked off Welcome Week with its first Coffee Chat of the year, bringing together more than 28 students, including many new freshmen eager to find their place in Jewish life on campus. “Wow, I’m so excited to see so many new freshmen here excited to be a part of Hillel,” shared Elle Weiner (‘28). That excitement is exactly what Welcome Week is about. A cup of coffee can be the beginning of a new friendship, a connection to Jewish life, and a community that feels like home. With so many new faces joining us, we can’t wait to see what Georgia College Hillel brews up this year.

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Sometimes it just takes a potato to help a student find Hillel

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Yes, you read that correctly. Georgia Southern Hillel celebrated National Potato Day with trivia, recipe cards, prizes, and, of course, potatoes. Natalia Hernandez was the first student to stop by and shared how surprised and excited she was to see Jewish life happening so openly on campus. Coming from a part of North Carolina where her family was one of the only Jewish families, it meant a lot to find that community at Georgia Southern.

Later that day, Natalia reached out to thank Hillel and student president Austin for making her feel so welcome and said she was already looking forward to the next event.

It may have been a silly reason to get together, but that’s what Hillel is all about: creating opportunities for Jewish students to find each other, feel welcome, and know they have a community on campus.

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Reading Day Becomes A Celebration of Community

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At Hillel UGA, Reading Day became so much more than a study break; it became a full celebration of community at the exact moment students needed it most. Food trucks, a gaming truck, and a bounce house (which famously deflated and heroically re-inflated mid-event) filled the day with energy, laughter, and connection. As night fell, students gathered for Midnight Breakfast, sharing pancakes and late-night conversation in a reminder that no one faces finals alone. From the first food truck to the last syrup-soaked pancake, the day reflected Hillel UGA's core belief: that even in the middle of the most stressful week of the semester, there is always room for joy.