National Blog

Students love Shabbat meals hosted by OU-JLIC families
Anyone who walks into the Hillel at this university is usually approached by four friendly faces. They belong to the OU-JLIC couples, the Schwartzes and the Hirschhorns, who routinely host meals for students on Shabbat. This university is the only campus in America to have two OU-JLIC couples because it services hundreds of Jewish students. Hosting Shabbat […]
Students Travel At Speed Of Sound From Paris to Sinai via L.A.
Perhaps it’s the support and encouragement they receive from OU-JLIC educators Rabbi Aryeh and Sharona Kaplan, perhaps they aren’t content being only twelfth on The Forward’s “Best Colleges For Orthodox Jews” list, perhaps it’s both; because students at UCLA continue to push the limits of what is possible for their Jewish college community. Last semester […]
Alumni Spotlight – Shoshana Javitt
Interview by Hani Lowenstein, Associate Director of Community Projects, OU-JLIC: Shoshana Javitt grew up in Hillside,NJ and attended Bruriah High School. She spent a year studying in Israel at Michlelet Mevaseret Yerushalayim (MMY) and graduated from University of Maryland where she majored in Materials Science Engineering. HL: How did OU-JLIC impact your experience at University of Maryland? […]
OU-JLIC Most “Swiped” Program at UCLA
As a Jewish college student, two of the more difficult things to find on campus are often Kosher food and Torah classes. Not anymore at UCLA. This past semester, OU-JLIC student president and staff writer for UCLA’s Jewish student magazine Ha’Am, Joey Levin, found a simple solution: Introducing Jew-Swipes. Jew-Swipes is a feature on Ha’Am’s […]
RIETS Hosts Campus Rabbis Conference
OU-JLIC Educators Convene at YU for Day of Inspiration and Learning Yeshiva University-affiliated Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) welcomed back graduates who are serving as OU-JLIC (Orthodox Union Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus) educators to the Wilf Campus for a daylong conference on December 21. OU-JLIC representatives gathered with RIETS faculty and staff to share […]
Finding my family on campus as an international student
With guest blogger, Yakira Shepherd: I am a 19 year old South African from Johannesburg. When I decided to come to IDC Herzliya I knew that I would be inundated with hundreds of different cultures as it is an international school. At the same time I was anxious that despite being in Israel, maintaining my […]
Alumni Spotlight – Leead Staller
Interview by Hani Lowenstein, Associate Director of Community Projects, OU-JLIC: Leead Staller (PENN ‘17) grew up in Connecticut and New Jersey. He attended TABC high school and spent two years learning at Yeshivat Har Etzion in the Gush. Leead was an active member of the Orthodox community at PENN. He served as the Co-Chair of OCP, […]