By Cheryl Hersh, Texas Hillel Interim Executive Director 

Hillel is a place on college campuses that provides Jewish students with free meals and programming such as Shabbat and holiday services. What is more, it is a place where hundreds of students can feel safe, heard and seen for exactly who they are and who they hope to become. 

The Texas Hillel staff fosters an environment for students to share about experiences such as Birthright trips and welcoming new students into the space every Friday evening and leading the candle lighting. They are also instrumental in assisting students with organizing guest speakers who lecture about a variety of topics as well as hosting monthly leadership dinners. 

There is no limit to how many inspiring moments are witnessed. And yet, with all of this good it is impossible to ignore the mental health epidemic on college campuses that has cast a shadow over the lives of too many students. There are numbers and statistics that prove just how severe this crisis is, and yet none of them could possibly convey the severity of this issue. These students are not okay, they are struggling. Texas Hillel has seen this crisis first hand and felt the need to increase student support and provide accessible wellness resources. 

Recently, when a student suicide occurred across the street from Texas Hillel, Hillel’s mental health professional jumped into action to strategize a way to support students. 

The organization’s central mission is bringing students into community, and supporting them in finding healthy and productive ways to build friendships and experience college life. It’s terrifying to think of all the obstacles that face students in the pursuit of accessing mental health resources. The social stigma of mental illness, the cost of therapy and due to the overwhelming numbers of students seeking help, many college campuses are unable to meet the need for mental health resources sufficiently. 

While the reality of that information can feel disheartening, not only did Texas Hillel confront these issues head on, they took action. After consulting with Hillel International (HI)and with colleagues on other campuses, Shalom Austin Jewish Family Services (JFS) and Texas Hillel formed a partnership in October 2021. With generous support from the Jarrell and Shirley Rubinett Family Foundation, the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas and the Houston Jewish Community Foundation, Emily Siegler LPC-Associate was hired as the JFS/Hillel counselor. Siegler is an employee of JFS and is under the supervision of Clinical Director Emma Howitt,LPC-S, LCDC. Hillel pays for Siegler’s time spent at Hillel. 

Therapist rates can be out of reach for some college students, so the program offers the first three sessions for free to help remove the barrier to care. Additional sessions are offered for students at an affordable rate, providing Jewish and non-Jewish students with care. 

Texas Hillel has great support from HI, and is currently one of fourteen Hillels working with a mental health professional in some capacity. A recent HI press release announced a $1.8 million dollar investment for mental health from the Zalik Foundation. As a result, HI “will be expanding the number of campus Hillels hosting embedded mental health and wellness professionals to a total of 32 campuses by 2025.” HI also provides Hillels with interactive Kognito Training which educates staff on how to recognize signs of distress and how to constructively engage, support and refer students to the appropriate resources. In addition, wellness grants are available from HI for qualifying programs. Texas Hillel is excited to pilot a Wellness Fellowship Program that incorporates Jewish text study with modern psychology designed by the team at USC Hillel. 

Through these partnerships, Texas Hillel is situated to be of maximum support to its students. Leah Siskin Moz, senior director of student and staff wellbeing at HI said, “Hillel International formally launched our wellness work in 2018 but as we know Hillels around the world have been a space that fosters connection, belonging and purpose, which are all mental health protective factors, for a century.” 

To learn more contact Angie Harrison at [email protected] or visit texashillel.org