When NCSY alum Hana Dolgin (l.) selected Arizona State University as her college of choice in 2021 – largely due to its warm and welcoming Jewish community – she never dreamed that less than two years later, she’d be fighting for her right to be openly Jewish on campus.
Hana, now a 20-year-old sophomore, says since Oct. 7, she and her Jewish friends have been subjected to ongoing, frightening antisemitic incidents.
“A Jewish friend was punched in the stomach… another time we were told to ‘go burn in hell,'” says Hana.
More recently, she and her friends had to be evacuated under police escort from a student government meeting on campus after pro-Palestinian protestors threw rocks at the windows.
How does Hana get through the very real challenge of living under constant antisemitic threats?
“I know that my strength is because of NCSY,” she says.
And that means Hana continues to wear skirts and a Magen David necklace to all her classes, to keep kosher, and to spend Shabbat at the Chabad house on campus.
“My guard is up a bit,” she concedes, “but I [know] I should keep on with my Judaism and not let them derail me. If I were scared, I’d be letting them win.”
Hana’s Jewish journey began in 3rd grade, when she joined Jewish Family Experience (JFE), NCSY’s Hebrew school for unaffiliated Jewish families on the North Shore. She then participated in Junior NCSY and became active in NCSY in high school, participating in numerous programs and serving on local and regional boards. She is also a NCSY Judah Fellow and works to help other Jews on campus connect to Judaism.
“At NCSY, I grew so much not just in Judaism, but also as a person and in my values,” says Hana. “It’s where I found who I was and who I want to be.”
Hana says she was particularly touched that both Midwest Regional Director Shosh Friedman and JFE Director Mashi Polstein have reached out to her to offer support and encouragement.
“Just knowing that they are there for me, and they understand what’s going on, and they still care is so sweet and actually really helped me,” she says.
Because Hana is proudly Jewish, she says she’s also found herself in a leadership role with her friends.
“My Jewish friends are turning to me, wanting to know what to do,” she says, explaining that many of them tuck in their Magen David necklaces and are scared to go to classes.
“I don’t want to put them in harm’s way, but I want them to be proud of being Jewish,” she says.
So Hana continues to lead by example, being proudly and outwardly Jewish wherever she goes. And she’s thankful she had the opportunity to get the foundation she needed in her high school years to face today’s challenges.
“I don’t think I’d be able to face this conflict if it hadn’t been for NCSY,” she says.