Affiliated Groups

BAGELS is Harvard's group for Jewish gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered students. We have monthly meetings and special events in order to foster a BGLTQ Jewish community on campus, and to increase awareness of religion and sexuality and how they connect to each other.

We believe there's something to be said for simply hanging out with other Jews. That's why Friday Night Lights approaches Judaism from a social and cultural perspective, holding dinners and other events, often outside the Hillel building. Our members are largely unaffiliated with other Jewish activities and widely involved in secular campus life, but still enjoy attending the Friday night dinners, holiday celebrations, and other fun programs we hold throughout the year. This year we are aiming to expand our programming to include Israel advocacy and an awesome education component run by one of our members. Look us up on Facebook or find us through Hillel. Or, even better, talk to someone who enjoys Friday Night Lights events. It's hard to go wrong with good food and good company.

Harvard Students for Israel is founded on a belief in the Jewish nation's right to exist as a sovereign power in its historic homeland. HSI promotes a wide variety of programs relating to political, social, religious, and cultural aspects of Israel. Our regular activities include guest speakers at our meetings, movie nights, and Israeli Dance Nights.

Israeli Dancers meet weekly at the Hillel building to learn ever-more-fun Israeli dances! The pool of dances is massive, from the traditional circle dances of the early kibbutzim to the modern pop dances drawing from the same steps, from religious music to secular beats. Levels range from beginning to advanced, and regular attenders sometimes get unexpected chances to perform around Harvard campus!

Jewish Outdoors Club - Hiking through forests, skiing down mountains, and barbecuing in Harvard Yard, the Jewish Outdoors Club. Ever since their wanderings through the desert, the Jews have maintained a great fascination with the outdoors.

Where else but Harvard Hillel will you find a completely egalitarian Men's Club? All joking aside, the Men's Club at Hillel is open to everybody. We host Friday night get-togethers with cholent (read: Jew Stew) cooking contests, singing and much shtick. Ask around the Hillel crowd, we host the Friday night parties with the most good clean fun on campus.

Mosaic is an interdisciplinary journal that engages with all aspects of Jewish life, thought, and culture. Celebrating its 40th year, it has long served as a literary space where Harvard students and faculty, as well as guest authors, are empowered to explore the issues that matter to contemporary Jews.

New Society: Harvard College Student Middle East Journal is a forward-looking biannual journal of scholarship and opinion on the history, politics and culture of the Middle East. It encourages students and faculty members at Harvard University to debate positive visions for the future of the region.

PJA: The Harvard College Progressive Jewish Alliance is a space for progressive Jews, Jewish progressives, and their allies to express both their Judaism and their political and social values. We are committed to advocating for progressive causes regarding Israeli and domestic politics and to creating an inclusive and social-justice oriented Jewish community on campus.

RecKlez, the Harvard Klezmer Band, is a fun group of musicians that plays a mostly traditional mix of Klezmer tunes (Eastern European Jewish folk/dance music) and Yiddish vocals.

Harvard has many highly skilled, serious, culturally interesting musical groups on campus, but only one Jewish rock band. As it turns out, that band is Red Heifer. If you play an instrument (any instrument) and want to get involved (any involvement) please get involved with us. We're the most fun you'll have at Harvard Hillel.

Shani (שני, Hebrew for "crimson") is Harvard's Jewish a cappella group, founded in Fall 2007 by Jhosh Friedman '08 and Ilan Caplan '10. With a repertoire ranging from Debbie Friedman to 16th-century liturgical arrangements, Shani performs primarily for local nursing homes and charity fund-raising events. The group's commitment to social action work through Jewish music blends with a healthy dose of humor and a warm inclusivity among performers and audience alike.

The Jewish Women's Group offers the Jewish women of Harvard a space to explore what it means to be a Jew, a woman, and a Jewish woman in the 21st century. WG throws social events, such as ice cream outings and Tu B'shvat study breaks along with dinner converstions about pertinent topics, such as relationships and women's place in Judaism and at Harvard and excursions to hear speakers.