2025 – The story of Jewish New York is joined with the story of CUNY. Too often, CUNY is considered part of the Jewish past rather than a driver of its future. Its estimated 13,500 Jewish undergraduates are primarily first-gen college and/or first-gen Americans on continuum of Jewish observance and affiliation. Typically, they are working while earning their degree.
CUNY’s five Hillels have dedicated and talented directors. They play an outsized role in the lives of Jewish students by providing welcoming spaces to gather, learn, celebrate and by offering resources that are taken for granted at private, residential schools like academic advising, leadership opportunities, kosher food, mental health support, and professional development. In some cases, non-Jewish students access these services as well.
Since 2020, Revson has invested in the CUNY Hillels. Revson funding helped Hillels to meet student needs during the pandemic and in 2021, with the Harry and Jeannette Weinberg Foundation as lead funder, supported a pilot project at Hunter College Hillel that has been replicated by UJA-Federation as the Hub at Hillel. The Hub places a social worker on site at each Hillel to provide mental health support and to connect students with social services.
CUNY has been the site of disruptive anti-Israel protests and antisemitic incidents that are continuing into the 2024-25 academic year. Hillel staff monitor campus climate and serve as advocates for students with CUNY faculty and administration.

Learn more about Jewish donors and CUNY Hillels here.

Photo credit: Gili Getz