How this Plague Made us Stronger
Yael Brenner is Assistant Director; Leanne Sinsky is Director of Engagement; and Ilya Bratman is Executive Director at Hillel at Baruch, City, John Jay, SVA, Pace, FIT, New School and Fordham University.
At 2:30pm on March 11, 2020, just as our sephardic Jewish learning programs were finishing, Governor Cuomo shut down the CUNY schools for the rest of the semester. We were worried. Not because many of our secular students would lose their only Jewish outlet, or our traditional and orthodox students would lose their only secular environment, and not only because our students would lose their communal space for programs and personal growth, but because so many of our students relied on Hillel for some of their most basic needs. Many students ate 1-2 free meals every day at Hillel. They depended on Hillel staff and students for emotional support. They took advantage of career opportunities. And Hillel even employed over 60 students in various paid roles.
Before the pandemic, 52% of our students faced low to moderate food insecurity, 63% were looking for work in the past year, and 31% suffered from major and severe depression. We can only imagine what these numbers look like today. To make matters worse, CUNY lacks the proper resources to support students adequately. Our first-generation students often can’t turn to their parents for financial or career support, and face intense stigmas towards mental health issues…