This past weekend in Toronto, something rare — and long overdue — took place.

More than 300 Jewish student leaders, joined by 30 campus professionals and representing over 25 campuses from across Canada, gathered for a national Shabbaton, the first of its kind in nearly 20 years. Powered by Hillel Ontario, the Hillels of Canada came together for a weekend of Jewish joy, prayer, learning, honest conversation and community — grounded in a simple but powerful idea: What begins on campus does not end there.

Courtesy/Hillel Ontario

Participants at a January 2026 national Shabbaton for university students in Canada, held in Toronto.

For both of us, this moment was deeply personal.

Nearly a year ago, we began talking about whether it was time to bring back a national Jewish student shabbaton in Canada. Those conversations were shaped by both memory and urgency — by what campus life gave us as students two decades ago, and by what today’s students are facing now.

Twenty years ago, both of us, then student leaders, were involved in planning the last national Shabbaton for Jewish university students in Canada. To stand together this weekend, now as professional leaders, watching hundreds of students step confidently into ownership of their Jewish and Zionist identities — it was a true full-circle moment.

It was also a powerful reminder of why this work matters.

Jewish engagement on campus is too often framed as temporary — a stage to be managed before “real” Jewish life begins elsewhere. But campus is where Jewish identity often crystallizes. It is where values shift from inheritance to ownership and empowerment, and where students decide whether Judaism and Zionism will remain central in their lives long after graduation.

The friendships formed over Shabbat dinner, the confidence gained by standing publicly as a Zionist, the experience of being seen and supported as a Jew — these are not fleeting moments. They are foundations.

This Shabbaton reinforced a truth we both know well: Investing in Jewish campus life is not about four years. It is about the next 40.

One of the most meaningful moments of the weekend came when several of the student leaders who helped plan the national Shabbaton 20 years ago joined us in Toronto. They spoke to today’s students about the paths their lives have taken since graduating.

They shared stories of careers in law, education, business, public service and Jewish communal leadership. More importantly, they spoke about how their campus experiences shaped their confidence, their values and their sense of responsibility as Jews and Zionists, whether as Jewish professionals or as community leaders.

Their presence made something tangible.

What starts on campus — the sparking of Jewish pride, leadership and Zionist identity — becomes a lifelong endeavour. The seeds planted in those years continue to bear fruit decades later.

This is not hypothetical. It is lived experience.

The campus environment today is more complex and more challenging than it was 20 years ago. Antisemitism is more organized. Anti-Zionism is more normalized. Social media accelerates pressure, scrutiny and isolation. And, universities are often slower to respond when Jewish students need support most.

And yet, the core need remains unchanged.

Jewish students still seek belonging, meaning and community. What has changed is the level of support and depth of identity required to ensure that leadership is not merely encouraged, but sustained and protected.

That is why this Shabbaton mattered — and why it required intention, partnership and nearly a year of planning. Drawing on our shared experiences as former student leaders, we set out to create a national space that combined inspiration with care, confidence with responsibility and leadership with community.

Local campus communities are essential. But national moments of convergence are incomparable.

When students from more than two dozen campuses gather in one place, they quickly discover that their challenges are shared — and that their strength is collective. They see themselves as part of something larger than any one campus climate or moment.

Over one Shabbat in Toronto, students prayed together, debated together, built friendships and forged networks that will long outlast the weekend. They left knowing they are not alone — and that they, as co-authors, belong to a national Jewish story still being written.

That it has been 20 years since Canada last hosted a national Jewish student Shabbaton should give us pause. Not out of nostalgia, but out of responsibility.

Jewish campus life is not a detour from communal leadership. It is its on-ramp.

Twenty years ago, we were students helping to build this community. This weekend, we saw the future standing where we once stood — stronger, more supported and ready.

When we invest seriously in Jewish campus life, we are not investing in a moment. We are investing in a lifetime.

Jay Solomon is the chief advancement officer and Bev Shimansky is the chief campus and culture officer of Hillel Ontario.