A Conversation with Andy Harkavy, Director of Hillel and Jewish Life at Queens University of Charlotte

By Mary Eshet

Andy Harkavy stepped into his role as the new director of Hillel and Jewish Life at Queens University of Charlotte on August 12, 2024, ready to make a difference. With the semester beginning just days after his arrival, he faced a whirlwind of activity, including the start of classes, the observance of Jewish holidays, and the solemn commemoration of the October 7, 2023, attack in Israel. I had a chance to ask Andy to reflect on his first few months and his vision for Jewish life at Queens.

Mary Eshet: What drew you to this role at Queens?

Andy Harkavy: I moved back to Charlotte in 2017 and was excited about the growing Jewish community at Queens University. It was clear in my conversations with the students, faculty, and staff that there is strong support for creating an inviting and safe environment for Jewish students, faculty, and staff at Queens.

ME: What have these first few months been like for you?

AH: Wild and wonderful! I started by learning the systems and meeting students, staff, and faculty through orientation and welcome events. Hillel hosted Paint & Pizza and Welcome Back Shabbat, both well attended and great for building connections. I’ve also had many one-on-one coffee chats to meet people individually.

We hosted many pre-planned events, like an Erev Rosh HaShanah service and dinner, Sukkot: Shabbat Under the Stars, Sukkot Bagel Breakfast: Schmooze & Schmear, and the October 7th - Marking One Year Commemoration event. One of the most important things on a college campus is being flexible and doing things in “real time.” We have hosted a few impromptu events based on current events, such as the programs after we heard the devastating news over Labor Day Weekend of the murder of six innocent hostages who were taken on October 7. We quickly mobilized to support our Jewish community, especially the three Israeli students at Queens. We held an impromptu Here For You (Israel Safe Space) that offered a healing dialogue and circle to provide a safe space to come together followed by a Hostage memorial on the Res Quad to promote awareness and education. We had great support from Queens’ security. Even though it was a holiday and buildings were closed, they opened the buildings and provided security. They are always there to help and we’re so grateful for their support.

ME:How would you describe Jewish Life and Hillel at Queens?

AH:Small, mighty, and growing. At our Chanukah party in December, an upperclassman shared with me how much it means to see how Hillel has grown and to see its presence throughout campus. With awesome partners, we have been able to create a robust Jewish experience for college students. Jewish Life at Queens is student-led and powered, supported, and mentored by adults.

ME:What do you see as your mission in this role?

AH:My goal is for Queens Hillel to offer a dynamic, vibrant, and inclusive community where students, faculty, and staff feel strongly connected to Hillel, one another, the greater Charlotte Jewish community, and the Jewish people. Hillel inspires students to make an enduring commitment to Jewish life by facilitating opportunities where students can gain the confidence, knowledge, and skills to take ownership of their own adult Jewish experiences.

ME: Talk about your approach to leading Jewish Life and Hillel.

AH: I am focused on engagement — creating relationships and deep connections that inspire personal growth and cultivate meaning. I want Jewish Life at Queens to support students’ journeys, no matter the destination, no matter how they are Jewish or how Jewish they are. Our students are empowered to make Jewish connections, take initiative, and find their own place within a diverse, vibrant, and welcoming community of their peers. We come together for meals, to learn more about being Jewish, to celebrate holidays, get engaged in social justice work, do homework, or just to grab a snack from the well-stocked fridge and hang out with friends or Hillel staff. 

ME:Who are your partners in bringing your vision to life?

The Queens leadership and faculty are very supportive. It is amazing to have the Stan Greenspon Center for Holocaust and Social Justice Education (Greenspon Center) structure and support. Judy La Pietra, director; Katie Cunningham, assistant director; and Rabbi Judy Schindler, Jewish scholar-in-residence/social justice lead; are my constant thought partners and collaborators for activities and events. The work the Greenspon Center does behind the scenes to combat hate is so meaningful, and with so much antisemitism and hate in the world, their presence has helped make the campus a safe space for Jewish students.

 Adrian Bird, Queens University chaplain, has created a strong vision for our Spiritual Life Team. He works to ensure all students feel safe and supported at Queens and provides pastoral care. As Campus chaplain, he strives to make pluralism a living reality with our collective interfaith work.

 Darryl White, Queens assistant dean of Diversity, Inclusion & Community Engagement, is a phenomenal partner who works with students and staff across all identities to break down barriers while celebrating differences.

ME: What is next on your calendar in 2025?

AH: I’m very excited to welcome back students for Spring semester. We have a few welcome back events and we are co-hosting Soul Food Shabbat on Feb. 21. This event, which is a partnership between Hillel, the Black Student Union, DICE, and the Greenspon Center, is in its ninth year. Minorities have more in common than not, and this is an opportunity for Black and Jewish students and community members to share culture and tradition, to learn more about each other. I met Adrian and others from Queens at last year’s event, before I knew about the Jewish Life position. I am thrilled that a year later I am part of the team making Soul Food Shabbat happen! 

Soul Food Shabbat Dinner and Program

Feb. 21, 2025, 6 p.m-7:30 p.m., Queens University

This year’s theme is “Black and Jewish Street Art in Charlotte.” Greenspon Center artist-in-residence and Queens professor, Mike Wirth, and a Charlotte street artist, Abel Jackson, will share their artwork and lead us in a discussion: What makes street art Black or Jewish? What do these artists aim to achieve through their art installations? What would a Black and Jewish collaborative art installation look like? What themes might we all want to include?

The event includes a soul food Shabbat dinner with traditional Jewish and African American foods: challah (the traditional Sabbath bread), collard greens, cornbread, fried chicken, and kugel (sweet noodle casserole).

For almost a decade, Queens students have sponsored a Soul Food Shabbat bringing together the Queens Black Student Union and Queens Hillel for a celebration of Shabbat and an exploration of commonalities as we explore our past and present struggles.

“Soul Food Shabbat is an important model for bridge building,” said Rabbi Judy Schindler. “In recent years, we opened the experience up to the broader Charlotte community and it was a sold-out event and resounding success.”

To register for the event, visit the “Events” section at stangreensponcenter.org.

Andy Harkavy and Rabbi Judy Schindler lead the Erev Rosh HaShanah service, joined by student leaders who were called to the Torah for an aliyah.

Andy Harkavy and Rabbi Judy Schindler lead the Erev Rosh HaShanah service, joined by student leaders who were called to the Torah for an aliyah.

Andy Harkavy and Rabbi Judy Schindler lead the Erev Rosh HaShanah service, joined by student leaders who were called to the Torah for an aliyah.

Photo caption: Andy Harkavy and Rabbi Judy Schindler lead the Erev Rosh HaShanah service, joined by student leaders who were called to the Torah for an aliyah.

Charlotte Jewish News, February 2025