Tufts Hillel

Spring 2026 Student Board Applications
2026-01-18 17:00 (America/New_York) | MA
Interested in building Jewish community on campus? Join Hillel board! This is a great opportunity to help shape what Jewish life looks like at Tufts, and it is also a really fun and exciting way to get more involved with Hillel yourself! The entire Hillel student board meets weekly from 12:00-1:15 pm on Mondays, but applicants must also be available for additional meetings and/or programming. The Junior rep will serve on the Community Branch, and the holidays co-chairs will work on the Religious & Spiritual Branch.

PLEASE SUBMIT THIS APPLICATION FORM BY SUNDAY JANUARY 18, 2026 AT 5PM EST: https://forms.gle/tuw5QhU7m7TR39Gu5

Holidays Co-Chairs: The Holidays co-chairs are responsible for coordinating programming related to the Jewish holidays, including but not limited to Sukkot, Chanukah, and Purim. The Holidays Co-Chairs are responsible for planning and executing larger holiday celebrations, such as for Chanukah and Purim, as well smaller events relating to Jewish holidays, such as T”u BiShvat, Rosh Chodesh, Passover, the High Holidays, and more. For holidays that include prayer services, they will work together with the Reform/Conservative Minyan coordinators to plan programming. If you have any questions, please reach out to Sarah Grand or Eli Fraiman at sarah.grand@tufts.edu or elijah.fraiman@tufts.edu

Junior Representative: The community branch is responsible for cultivating the larger Tufts Hillel community and keeping students engaged in Jewish life after their first year. This may include, but is not limited to, social programming open to the entire Tufts community, social programming tailored specifically to each class year, and/or longer campaigns that foster community and increase social interactions with others through Hillel. Note: One must be in/of junior standing in order to apply for this position. If you have any questions, please reach out to Sydney Cohen or Eli Fraiman at sydney.cohen@tufts.edu or elijah.fraiman@tufts.edu

Note: In accordance with the TCU and TCUJ bylaws for student organizations, All members of the Tufts community paying the undergraduate student activity fee may run for and hold any General Board elected office.

Community Dinner
2026-01-20 17:30 - 18:30, 2026-01-27 17:30 - 18:30, 2026-02-03 17:30 - 18:30, 2026-02-10 17:30 - 18:30, 2026-02-17 17:30 - 18:30 | MA
Join us for a free mid-week Kosher catered dinner! Come for the food, stay for the people! Check the instagram on Tuesday morning for what’s being served.

Food. People. Comfort.

For the most up to date info please see our social media

instagram.com/tuftshillel

facebook.com/tuftshillel

Highways to Hashem
2026-01-20 18:30 - 19:30 | Tufts Hillel Building, 220 Packard Ave, Medford, MA, 02155
Welcome back to campus, Jumbos! Join us for Highways to Hashem, where we’ll learn about different Jewish practices for entering a spiritual state.

Challah for Chesed
2026-01-22 15:00 - 21:00 | MA
Challah for Hunger is a student group committed to giving back through the tradition of baking challah. Each week, we bake and sell delicious flavors like Chocolate Chip, Cinnamon Sugar, Everything Bagel, Sweet Crumb, and Plain. All proceeds support Family Table, one of the largest Jewish food banks in Greater Boston, helping provide meals to families in need.

This semester, our bakes are on 1/22, 2/5, 2/19, 3/12, 3/26, and 4/23.

You can join us on Thursdays for…

Dough-Making: 3-4pm

Braiding: 5-6pm

Baking: 7-8pm

Selling: 8-9pm

Sign up here to bake with us: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gwh5K3jQw-jW_pK81vj7gW6oQ3AWssRpN6g8sXFJ3ew/edit?usp=sharing

Nice Jewish 'Bos: What Does it Mean to be an NJB?
2026-01-22 18:00 - 19:00 | Tufts Hillel Building, 220 Packard Ave, Medford, MA, 02155
Swing by our first Nice Jewish ‘Bos (NJB) meeting! This week, we’ll be discussing our group goals and what it means to be an NJB. Good vibes, good guys, good conversations and good eats. Dinner will be served.

Introducing NJB: Nice Jewish ‘Bos! This program explores what it means to be a Jewish man in the twenty-first century through conversations, bonding activities, and fun! Over four sessions throughout the semester, will cover topics such as men’s mental health, dating, mitzvot (religious obligations), masculinity, and more.

Talmud Chaburah
2026-01-23 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-01-30 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-02-06 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-02-13 10:00 - 11:00 | Tufts Hillel Building, 220 Packard Ave, Medford, MA, 02155
Want to take sharpen your Talmud skills? Join a weekly, text-based study group where you’ll work through the Hebrew/Aramaic of the Gemara together, sharpening both reading skills and analytical thinking. Guided by Rabbi Brawer, this chaburah offers a collaborative space for deep learning and thoughtful discussion.

Prerequisite: Participants should be comfortable reading Talmud in the original Hebrew/Aramaic.

HCAP Info Session
2026-01-23 12:00 - 13:00 | Tufts Hillel Building, 220 Packard Ave, Medford, MA, 02155
Looking for an on-campus volunteer opportunity? Hillel Community Action Partners (HCAP) runs an afterschool program for middle school students on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30-4:30. Volunteer with the engineering/science, art, or homework help programs once or twice a week!

Come join us for free pizza and an informational session on January 23rd at 1pm at Hillel!

Babka & Board Games
2026-01-27 18:30 - 19:30 | Tufts Hillel Building, 220 Packard Ave, Medford, MA, 02155
Come to Hillel for a fun, low-key night with games, babka, and good vibes.

Apply to Live in the Bayit
2026-01-28 23:59 | MA
Applications to live in the Bayit (Tufts Jewish Culture House) during the 2026-2027 school year are open and due January 28th via the Housing Portal on SIS. Apply now!

Bunchi: an Ethiopian-Israeli story (Film Screening, Dinner, and Discussion with Director Esti Wexler)
2026-01-29 18:00 - 20:00 | Tufts Hillel Building, 220 Packard Ave, Medford, MA, 02155
Join us for a special screening of Bunchi, a powerful short drama by acclaimed Israeli filmmaker Esti Almo Wexler. The film will be screened at Tufts Hillel, followed by a live Q&A with the director. Dinner will be provided.

Esti Almo Wexler is one of the leading voices in contemporary Israeli cinema and one of the most prominent Ethiopian-Israeli filmmakers working today. Following the screening, she will speak about the making of the film, her personal journey, and her experience working as an Ethiopian-Israeli woman in the film industry.

Bunchi tells the story of an Ethiopian-Israeli mother who must confront deeply rooted traditional gender roles as she struggles to protect her family from a growing crisis. With emotional depth and striking intimacy, the film explores themes of motherhood, immigration, cultural identity, and the tensions between tradition and modern life.

This moving and thought-provoking film offers a rare and authentic look into a community and a story that is seldom seen on screen. The screening and conversation with the director promise an engaging evening of cinema, culture, and dialogue.

Sponsored by:

Department of International Literary and Cultural Studies

Charles Smith Endowment Fund

Judaic Studies Program

Hebrew Program

Tufts Hillel

Department of History

Program in Medieval Studies

Ethiopian Jewry and the Lost Kingdom of the Gideonites
2026-01-30 13:00 | Laminan Lounge in Olin Center, 180 Packard Ave, Medford, 02155
This short presentation explores two interrelated subjects: the unique history of Ethiopian Jewry (Beta Israel) and the story of the Kingdom of the Gideonites—an independent Jewish polity that existed in the Ethiopian highlands between the 14th and 17th centuries.

The presentation will also include the latest discoveries and developments in the research on the Gideonites, drawing on Dr. Wexler’s recent expedition to Ethiopia, where he and his team searched for archaeological and historical evidence of the lost Kingdom of the Gideonites.

Dr. Elad Wexler is a Visiting Professor at Tulane University, a scholar of Ethiopian Jewry, and a filmmaker.

Proudly sponsored by: Department of International Literary and Cultural Studies, Charles Smith Endowment Fund, Judaic Studies Program, Hebrew Program, Tufts Hillel, Department of History, and Program in Medieval Studies

Pickling for Tu B'shvat
2026-02-01 14:00 - 15:00 | The Bayit, 98 Packard Avenue, Somerville, MA, 02144
Learn how to pickle vegetables in honor of Tu Bishvat, the New Year of the Trees! Celebrate everything trees give us. All supplies provided, everyone is welcome!

Tu B’shvat Seder
2026-02-01 17:00 - 18:30 | Tufts Hillel Building, 220 Packard Ave, Medford, MA, 02155
Come join us for Root Systems: a Tu B’shvat Seder. We will explore the roots that connect us all and discuss what it means to show up intentionally in our own lives and in the lives of those around us. There will be an abundance of fruit, snacks, and great discussions. We’d love for you to join us!

Making Micrography!
2026-02-03 18:30 - 19:30 | Tufts Hillel Building, 220 Packard Ave, Medford, MA, 02155
Micrography is an old Jewish art form that uses biblical and liturgical texts in small font letters to create figurative designs, such as animals, plants, and human beings. Come try your hand at micrography in a beginner-friendly, judgement-free zone, and have fun with your friends in the process!

Tu B'shvat: Pot Decorating & Planting
2026-02-04 11:30 - 13:30 | Campus Center, 44 Professors Row, Medford, 02155
Stop by the Campus Center to celebrate Tu B’shvat! Join us to decorate a pot, plant seeds, snack on foods that grow from the Earth, and learn about the Jewish holiday called the “New Year of the Trees.” Take your plant home to brighten your room and watch it grow all semester long!

Challah for Chesed
2026-02-05 15:00 - 21:00 | MA
Challah for Chesed, formerly known as Challah for Hunger, is a student group committed to giving back through the tradition of baking challah. Each week, we bake and sell delicious flavors like Chocolate Chip, Cinnamon Sugar, Everything Bagel, Sweet Crumb, and Plain. All proceeds support Family Table, one of the largest Jewish food banks in Greater Boston, helping provide meals to families in need.

This semester, our bakes are on 1/22, 2/5, 2/19, 3/12, 3/26, and 4/23.

You can join us on Thursdays for…

Dough-Making: 3-4pm

Braiding: 5-6pm

Baking: 7-8pm

Selling: 8-9pm

Sign up here to bake with us: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gwh5K3jQw-jW_pK81vj7gW6oQ3AWssRpN6g8sXFJ3ew/edit?usp=sharing

Nice Jewish 'Bos: Dating as an NJB
2026-02-05 18:00 - 19:00 | Tufts Hillel Building, 220 Packard Ave, Medford, MA, 02155
Growing up, were you ever told you had to marry a Jew? Let’s talk about it this week at our second Nice Jewish ‘Bos (NJB) session. Snacks will be provided.

Introducing NJB: Nice Jewish ‘Bos! This program explores what it means to be a Jewish man in the twenty-first century through conversations, bonding activities, and fun! Over four sessions throughout the semester, will cover topics such as men’s mental health, dating, mitzvot (religious obligations), masculinity, and more.

First Year Retreat
2026-02-07 17:00 - 2026-02-08 15:00 | Prindle Pond, Charlton, Massachusetts, 01507, United States
Calling all first years!! This year’s FROZEN-themed First Year Retreat is coming up soon… applications open Jan 25. Get ready for a fun getaway to meet & build lasting connections with fellow Jewish first-years through games, bonding activities, and more.

The trip leaves the evening of February 7th and returns the afternoon of February 8th (leaving plenty of time to get to your Super Bowl watching parties). We will stay at a retreat centre.

Grab your spot while they last and join us for a weekend of fun & bonding!

Schmüsic Night pt.2
2026-02-11 20:00 - 22:00 | Tufts Hillel Building, 220 Packard Ave, Medford, MA, 02155
Get ready for Schmüsic Night, Tufts Hillel’s annual night of music and schmoozing. Come hang out, meet new people, and enjoy live performances from talented student musicians!
