OU-JLIC in Ariel is the newest addition to a growing network that spans eleven Israeli universities. Courtesy of Josef Katz
On any given Friday night, in a spacious home tucked into a quiet neighborhood just beyond the campus of Ariel University, twenty or more students gather around a long, crowded table. Some are from the United States; others hail from South America, South Africa or Europe. Many are new olim, far from their families.
They come together for a single purpose: to share in the warmth of Shabbat.
At the head of the table sit Asaf and Shlomit Olshitzki, the energetic couple who lead OU-JLIC—the OU’s Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus—in Ariel. Since opening their doors, and their lives, to students in the fall of 2024, the Olshitzkies have cultivated a sense of belonging that keeps young people coming back. Here, far from home, students find community over good food, thoughtful divrei Torah and the comfort of conversation.
OU-JLIC in Ariel is the newest addition to a growing network that spans eleven Israeli universities and serves all campuses in the country with a significant population of international students. Its mission is to support a rising demographic: Jewish students from abroad who choose to pursue their college education in Israel.
“Nowadays, 12 or 13 percent of yeshivah and day school graduates opt to stay in Israel for college,” says Rabbi Jonathan Shulman, director of OU-JLIC Israel. “Some seminaries are reporting that as much as 50 percent of their alumni choose to stay. Students from abroad making the choice to come to college in Israel are overwhelmingly looking for a Jewish experience, and we want to provide that experience.”
“We want to let our students feel a part of the Israeli melody.”
Creating a religious and communal infrastructure on campus is no small task. Minyanim, shiurim, pre–yamim tovim events—the programming is constant. The Olshitzkies routinely open their home for Shabbat and holiday meals, and organize social events: cholent nights, barbecues, challah bakes. These events draw participants from a range of backgrounds and levels of observance. “They enjoy the warmth of being part of a group of friends,” says Asaf Olshitzki.
OU-JLIC in Israel has steadily expanded, thanks to the visionary leadership of David Magerman and the generous support of the Tzemach David Foundation, which he leads. Yet each campus tells its own story. Ariel, with its English-language pre- med program, attracts a notably diverse group of international students—many without close family in the country.
Despite being affectionately referred to as “Rav” by students, Olshitzki is not an ordained rabbi. His background is in education and counseling, and he is also a trained actor who performs educational plays. His wife, Shlomit, is a nurse. Together, they aim to meet not only the religious needs of their students but their social and emotional ones as well. “We want to let our students feel a part of the Israeli melody,” he says.
That melody, however, is often complex. Many students here juggle academic demands with the obligations of IDF reserve service, moving between classrooms and army bases.
“They miss a great deal of their studies,” Olshitzki notes. “It’s not easy. They are voluntarily sacrificing their education for the Jewish people.”
Olshitzki encourages them. While there’s a great deal of talk about IDF soldiers who suffer from PTSD, Olshitzki hasn’t seen this firsthand.
“The students are protecting the Jewish people. It’s exhausting, but they are happy to go fight and to continue going.”
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