Hillel Global Giving Week: A Place to Stand Together
Dear fellow member of Harvard’s Jewish community,
This is day four of Hillel Global Giving Week. Today, I want to begin with a characteristically penetrating account of what Hillel has meant to Harvard’s Jewish community, and to all of Harvard, by President Alan Garber.
We often focus on what is new, what is unprecedented, what is innovative or trending – and this instinct for innovation can enrich our community and our tradition. But looking back on the two and a half years since 10/7, President Garber’s words speak to a different, and deeper aspect of what it means to be Jewish: our community has been tested – by external pressures and internal tensions, by fears for our security and our continuity, by the tightrope-walk of maintaining both solidarity with one another and the sanctity of free thought and expression.
And we have responded, and continue to respond, not only, and not primarily, with what is new, but in the tradition honed by our ancestors over a hundred centuries: by steadfastly sustaining a community of purpose and integrity with and for one another.
Hillel – the namesake of this place and hundreds of other college Jewish community centers across the world – put it best perhaps, “If I am not for myself, who will be? But if I am only for myself – what am I?”. Amongst the dialectical tensions that animate Jewish life, this may be the most profound: how do we stand up in confident self-assertion, even when that requires conflict with neighbors and colleagues – while keeping open hearts and minds, and forging bonds that are not only alliances, but also friendships? As you heard in President Garber’s words: our community, and our tradition, have withstood this latest test – and by doing so, have made a contribution to the welfare of both the Jewish people, and that of Harvard.
Holding this complexity is, by definition, not easy. It requires resources – time to think, funds for programs, and staff who are principled and dedicated. All of that is made possible by you. Through tomorrow at midnight, every gift up to the first $50,000 is matched dollar-for-dollar, thanks to Hillel International and two generous members of our Board of Directors. Our goal this week is $100,000. Whatever you give right now does double the work toward helping us sustain this community, and through it, doing our part to support the integrity of our fractured people and world.
The work isn’t finished, and never will be. If you believe in this kind of Judaism, one that is both strong and kind, help us make this dream real, on campus, today.
With gratitude,
