William & Mary has had a Hillel on campus for more than 60 years. Yet, 10 years ago there were only about 20 – 30 Jewish students attending programs annually. Meetings were held mainly in classrooms, and Entenmann’s and Krispy Kreme donuts was the fanciest kosher food offered.
Eight years after building the Shenkman Jewish Center, William & Mary Hillel’s engagement has exploded with success. During the 2024-2025 academic year, more than 440, out of the university’s approximate 650 Jewish students, attended programs at W&M Hillel at least once, and 90 students attended six or more events. During the 2025 – 2026 academic year, 525 Jewish students attended programs or events at least once and 101 students attended six or more programs. This massive increase in engagement is being celebrated as a significant achievement in Williamsburg.
Engagement success, says Rabbi Gershon Litt, executive director of W&M Hillel, has to do with teaching leadership and empowering students to succeed. The programs need to be engaging, recruitment strategies need to be in place, but the work on campus today is to find Jewish students wherever they may be both physically and philosophically and be willing to meet them there.
“Many Jewish students are not ready to come to a Jewish institution the first day on campus,” says Litt. “Their experience with Jewish institutions has not always been positive. A relationship can take time, and we need to go to where they are and help Jewish students see what Judaism and the Jewish people have to offer.”
This academic year, Rabbi Litt hired a part-time engagement professional to assist with student recruitment. A W&M Hillel success story, Lilly Tanenbaum became the president of the Hillel student board, graduated in 2025, and decided to stay at W&M to obtain her master’s degree in psychology. Tanenbaum was hired to add an engagement lens to everything that takes place at Hillel.
“Most of our programs are planned and facilitated by our student leaders. Lilly exemplifies the best of the best and she is now utilizing her skills to engage more Jewish students as staff,” says Rabbi Litt.
In addition to success in engagement, W&M Hillel saw incredible success in the Israel education space. Yeela Mimrod was the full-time Israel Fellow at W&M Hillel for the past two years and worked with Rabbi Litt, Tanenbaum, and the student board, to create a dynamic and inspirational Israel education program.
The Israel education program at W&M Hillel brought together students virtually every day of the academic year to examine the relationship between Jews in America and the Jewish state. Yeela had one-on-one coffee meetings, large classes, experiential cooking events, Hebrew classes, Israeli history and politics events, and much more. While Yeela will be leaving the area, W&M Hillel is looking forward to continuing the program with a new educator in the fall. Even during the recent wars, Rabbi Litt has not stopped leading Taglit Birthright Israel trips. His last Birthright trip was in January and his next trip, traveling with 37 students, is scheduled for June 8.
Engagement of Jewish students on college campus today is one of the toughest nuts to crack. William & Mary Hillel has not only cracked it but exploded in success. W&M Hillel needs more support to keep up with the growing need.
To learn more about Jewish life at William & Mary or how to support the Jewish students on campus, contact Rabbi Gershon Litt at rabbilitt@wmhillel.org.
William & Mary Hillel is a recipient agency of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.
