Tufts Hillel

Community Dinner
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 (America/New_York)
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

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
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

Talmud Chaburah
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.

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

Shabbat at Tufts Hillel
2026-01-30 18:00 - 2026-01-31 17:00, 2026-02-06 18:00 - 2026-02-07 17:00, 2026-02-13 18:00 - 2026-02-14 17:00
Shabbat at Tufts Hillel

Shabbat is an opportunity to unplug from the week and plug into rest of all kinds as a community. On Shabbat, we invite you to step away from school, technology, and other stressors of the week, and step into holy rest and celebration at Tufts Hillel! We’re so happy you’re spending Shabbat with us.

Friday Nights:

Candle Lighting: Every Friday, join us in the Hillel lobby as we transition into Shabbat with a communal candle lighting and intention-setting. Candles will also be available to light on your own time as you arrive at the Hillel building. In the winter, feel free to come by earlier to light candles as the sun sets.Services: After candle lighting, welcome Shabbat with prayer in our Reform or Traditional Egalitarian services. Services are student led, with song, dvar torahs, intention setting, and a way to begin the weekly holiday with joy as a community.

Interested in leading a part of the service? Want to bring a melody you love, or a poem you want to share? Looking to learn some of the prayers? Looking to start (or re-start) a new minyan or service during Shabbat? Contact our staff or Tufts Hillel minyan chairs!

Shabbat Dinner: There is always a place for you around our Shabbat table! All students are welcome – bring your friends or come make new ones at Hillel every week for our delicious kosher Shabbat dinners. Each week is facilitated by a cohort of Shabbat Fellows, who are there to welcome you, facilitate the evenings, and ensure everyone who attends feels at home.Dinner concludes with Birkat Hamazon (the blessing after meals), dessert, and board games – we would love to see you for any or all parts of Friday night you can make it for!Registration for Shabbat dinner is strongly encouraged. To Sign up for weekly Shabbat dinners and to receive information about Shabbat each week, sign up for our text bot system:

Text the word ‘Dinner’ to 617 420 7411

click here to see upcoming Shabbats

Saturdays:

Shabbat at Tufts Hillel continues on Saturday mornings, with bi-weekly Saturday morning Conservative services. All students are welcome!

Following Shabbat morning services, join us for Shabbat lunch upstairs at Hillel. To register for Shabbat lunch, text the word ‘lunch” to 617 429 7411.

Shabbat at Tufts Hillel concludes on Saturday afternoons and evenings, with bi-weekly mincha and maariv services, dinner, singing, and Havdalah! Join us for any or all parts of the evenings as we conclude the day of rest as a community

All are welcome! We look forward to celebrating with you.

For questions please email hillel-center@tufts.edu

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!

Texts and Values: A Weekly Jewish Study Circle
2026-02-03 16:30 - 17:30, 2026-02-10 16:30 - 17:30, 2026-02-17 16:30 - 17:30 | Tufts Hillel Building, 220 Packard Ave, Medford, MA, 02155
Join Rabbi Naftali Brawer for a weekly exploration of Jewish values and ethical teachings embedded in ancient Jewish texts. No prior knowledge is required, just curiosity and an open mind.

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
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!

Read by the River Paint Party
2026-02-17 18:00 - 19:00 | Tufts Hillel Building, 220 Packard Ave, Medford, MA, 02155
Read by the River is an annual youth literacy carnival hosted by Tufts Hillel where local kids come and enjoy reading themed activities.

Help us prepare for this amazing event by painting decorations! This is a super fun way to destress after a long day and hang out with your friends. All artistic abilities are welcome. This year, the carnival is circus themed, so get ready to paint popcorn, elephants, balloons and more!

Queen Esther: Veiled Subversion
2026-02-18 18:30 - 20:00 | Tufts Hillel Building, 220 Packard Ave, Medford, MA, 02155
Join us for a Megillah text study and Q&A exploring how Queen Esther strategically navigates Persian patriarchal power structures through silence, timing, and subtle influence. Together, we’ll examine how Esther’s actions challenge traditional ideas of power and leadership while ultimately helping to save her people. No prior knowledge of the story is needed — all are welcome!
