How Federation Funding Supports Students at Hillel of Western Washington University
Written by Ben Berman, July 15, 2025
When Western Washington University (WWU) graduate Lyric Crane returned to her alma mater in 2023 to take on a part-time role at the campus Hillel, she didn’t expect her position to change so quickly. But everything shifted after October 7.
“Very quickly, after October 7, my job turned into responding to antisemitism on campus,” Lyric said.
As antisemitic incidents rose dramatically on campus and across the country, Hillel had to respond to increased needs of students. Lyric’s role quickly expanded, and by the end of the year, she was working nearly full-time.
She documented over 500 pages of incidents between the days following October 7 and June of this year—police reports, photos, and first-hand accounts. A spring encampment on campus raised tensions further. Hillel organized decompression spaces for students, arranged for volunteers to walk students from class to class, and offered community wherever they could.
“Whenever there were days that were particularly intense, we would organize these events and provide students with a reserved room somewhere on campus where you could relax and have this safe space,” said Corbie Brantner, a rising senior and Hillel Student Board member. “With all the rising antisemitism, it was really meaningful to have that community.”
Andrea Shupack leading a Jewish learning session. (Photo courtesy of Hillel of WWU)
Despite Lyric’s dedication and tireless efforts, the demand for student support kept growing. To meet this challenge, Hillel applied for and received a $12,000 Ignition Grant from the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, which allowed the organization to bring on Andrea Shupack, a rabbinical student and longtime Jewish educator. Andrea offers pastoral care and leads religious and educational programming to give students a sense of belonging on campus.
The Federation’s Ignition Grant is designed to spark creativity and address evolving needs in Jewish life across Puget Sound. Each year, up to $12,000 is awarded to innovative pilot initiatives or one-time projects. In 2025, special consideration was given to programs that combat antisemitism and engage unaffiliated Jews. Western’s Hillel expansion checked those boxes and did so at a moment of urgent need.
After October 7, Andrea came to campus as a volunteer, simply to sit with students and offer comfort.
“I had just joined the Community Board, and I came to campus to be one of those people who can just sit with students in those decompression spaces,” Andrea said. “And I realized I really wanted to do more and be there for the students more.”
That desire became a job: 10 hours a week as a student rabbi and senior Jewish educator, funded by the Ignition Grant. Her impact was immediate.
“The pastoral care was really just about being a presence: listening, hearing what they were going through, and knowing that they could talk to me anytime,” she said.
Andrea also met with administrators alongside students and Lyric to advocate for more support, and she made herself available with a calendar sign-up so students could reach her for conversations, check-ins, or guidance whenever they needed.
The number of Jewish students in need has increased tenfold. Student engagement at WWU’s Hillel grew from just 24 in the 2022-2023 academic year to 251 in from September 30, 2024 through June 2025. Hillel now runs three to five programs a week, with a calendar shaped by student leadership and supported by staff.
“To keep Lyric full-time and to fundraise, and also to add Andrea… that’s kind of the other aspect of growth,” said Emily Weiner, fundraising chair for the Hillel of WWU Community Board. “The more students come in, the better—and we need more programming and more staff to support those students.”
Offerings now include Shabbat dinners, Israel education, social events, wellness activities, arts workshops, and weekly Jewish learning sessions like “Sips of Torah,” where students can ask Andrea questions in an informal café-style setting.
“Thanks to Andrea working with us, we were able to do more (religious) programming,” said Corbie. “I, and a lot of my peers at Hillel, felt that we wanted a lot more religious experience as a way to interact with and help explore our Jewish identity and journey.”
For Corbie, that support has also been personal.
“I’m in my conversion process, and Andrea has been really helpful… to get connected with the rabbi, and to understand my Jewish journey,” he said. “They’ve meant the absolute world to me. I just don’t think there’s any way to talk about the community of Western’s Hillel without talking about how important these two people are.”
The increase in student support has made space for moments of joy during a hard year and a half. During Jewish American Heritage Month, each Shabbat dinner featured a different Jewish diaspora community, with themed food, music, and discussion. Looking forward, students hope to host an Israel Fest, collaborate with other Hillels in the region from Seattle to British Columbia, and possibly run a Birthright trip.
Students showcasing their creations from a Hillel mezuzah making workshop. (Photo courtesy of Hillel of WWU)
In addition to building out these programs in time, the Hillel Community Board is focused on maintaining Lyric’s position and extending Andrea’s 10-hour role through the upcoming academic year. Andrea is hopeful that her role might grow further in the future, with time and support. But even at its current scale, her work is making an impact.
“There’s always a need, due to antisemitism, to have joyful practice of Judaism on campus,” she said. “I really have tried to bring this notion to students that there are many ways to be Jewish. That’s a huge message that I’m trying to bring in to help us bridge the divides that we’re feeling during these tumultuous times.”
You can learn more about Hillel of WWU here.
Want to learn more about the impact of Federation’s Ignition Grants?
Read more about our 2025 Special Initiative Fund (SIF) Grant Recipients and how you can apply for 2026 below.
