Students

Jewish First-Year Advisory Mentorship (JFAM) welcomes new students into the JLD family by pairing them with individual upperclassmen - their “JFAMilies” - who provide insider insights about campus life and Jewish life, along with guidance, friendship, and support. Through various JFAM social gatherings - our traditional Welcome Back BBQ, JFAM Shabbat, and an Ice Cream Social, to name just a few - new students connect with each other and begin to develop their own niche on campus.

If you would like to be a part of a “JFAMily” either as a new student, or an upperclassmen, please email Jewish Life at Duke.

JFAM is made possible through the generosity of the Freeman Family Program Fund. 

Once a month while classes are in session, we host this casual get together at the Freeman Center. Sunday Bagel Brunch is an opportunity for students to have a free breakfast of delicious, locally-made bagels, while connecting with fellow students and making new friends. Check DukeGroups for the current schedule.

Our B'nai Mitzvah program was the brainchild of a group of Jewish Student Union (JSU) members back in 2012, when the then 13-year-old Freeman Center was celebrating its own B'nai Mitzvah.  What better way to mark the milestone than by offering the same opportunity to students who missed out on this meaningful rite of passage?

Under the guidance of Rabbi Elana Friedman, B'nai Mitzvah students spend several months learning their Torah portion and completing a mitzvah project.  Parents, grandparents, and siblings come from all over to witness the ceremony at the Freeman Center, where they are joined by a friends from across campus. That evening, after the ceremony, the JSU throws a themed party at the Freeman Center.

The B'nai Mitzvah Program is made possible through the generosity of the Freeman Family Program Fund.

Jewish Baccalaureate ceremony at the Freeman Center the Friday of graduation weekend. The Jewish Baccalaureate ceremony provides an opportunity to honor each student's journey at Duke, and to celebrate this growth and passage to the next chapter in their lives. 

Jewish Baccalaureate includes keynote, staff and student speakers, festive refreshments, a special gift from your JLD family, blessings, and laughter. Mazel tov to our graduates! To learn more, email Jewish Life at Duke. Enjoy photos from our 2022 celebration on Facebook.

Learn more about the history of the Jewish Baccalaureate at Duke. 

Duke University provides students with opportunities to increase their Jewish knowledge. Duke students interested in academic coursework with The Center for Jewish Studies and/or Hebrew Language have the opportunity to pursue these disciplines with internationally renowned faculty members. Rabbi Elana also facilitates educational programs that help students explore Jewish identities, integrate Jewish values, and broaden their overall understanding of Judaism.

Jewish Learning Fellowship (JLF): 

An 8- to 10-week experiential, conversational seminar for students looking to deepen their understanding of Judaism on their own terms. The program was developed at the Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life at NYU in 2007 and has been made available to additional campuses through Hillel International with partial financial support.

Participation in JLF includes weekly meetings over dinner at the Freeman Center for Jewish Life, connecting with staff facilitators and JLF interns through meetings and one-on-one coffee conversations, and building community with other Duke students seeking to ask these questions through shared meals, shared Shabbat experiences, and meaningful dialogue throughout our time together. JLF applicants are thirsty to learn but require no previous Jewish background. We are also a pluralistic, non-denominational organization. We do not believe there is “one right way to be Jewish.”  

• JLF: Life's Big Questions, also known as JLF 1.0 – The focus of our seminar is “Life’s Big Questions.” We may not have the answers, but we’ll create space to ask the big questions of our lives through a Jewish lens – from "who am I?" and "which communities am I a part of?", to topics of friendship, love vs. lust, and more.
• JLF: Israel – This seminar is for students looking to deepen their understanding of Israel, its people, complexities, and our personal relationship to and with it. Our aim is to create a space to discuss the various topics and themes freely and openly, exploring questions regarding Israel: What is Israel? What is Zionism? How did things get to where they are today? and most importantly - "what is Israel for me?"  

Torah Lunch Club (TLC) – A weekly Torah study of the parshat hashuva (the weekly Torah portion) over lunch on West Campus.  Each session ends with our weekly Mincha minyan (the afternoon prayer service). Join us weekly to talk a little Torah over lunch with Rabbi Elana!

Senior Seminar – A 5-session conversational seminar for graduating seniors. Seniors reflect on their time at Duke and think about their Jewish future and the role they will play in society. Topics include relationships, time, home and life stages.

If you would like more information about any of our current programs, please email Rabbi Elana.

Career Services
We partner with the Duke Career Center to collect resources that incorporate our students’ Jewish and/or Israeli interests. Our goal is to provide useful and interesting information to support Duke students’ self-awareness, growth, and accomplishments as they move forward in their careers.