In 2016, Hillel Montreal was absorbed into Federation CJA as part of their GenMTL program. Then things went a little sideways. Hillel went from having a non-stop campus presence to seeing students quit committees in frustration. Staff members showed up less, and eventually there were fewer staff members, period. Numerous students complained that the organization became overly focused on pro-Israel activism, and if they didn’t buy in, they felt there wasn’t a place for them at Hillel.
Now, after two years of a state of COVID-related flux, Hillel is making a big push to return to campus visibility. On July 6, they made a post on their Instagram page proclaiming, “We’re back!” To understand what they’re back from, and how recent changes indicate a shift in campus life for Jewish students across Canada, Avi sat down with three students to understand what’s been happening and what they hope the future of Jewish campus life looks like.
What we talked about
- Learn more about Hillel Montreal
- See the semi-controversial mural in Toronto’s Tarragon Village
Credits
Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold, Ilana Zackon and David Sklar. Michael Fraiman is the producer. Andre Goulet is the technical producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video.
