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While walking in Jerusalem earlier today I met a mother of a medical student. Last week I sat next to someone on the NYC subway who’s son is in law school, two weeks ago I was waiting for coffee in Los Angeles and met the father of a daughter getting an MBA. And they all ask the same questions: Our kids need Jewish community while in grad school, can you help them? 

The answer is usually an emphatic yes, but I thought  ahead of the 2026 New Year that I would tackle the great myths of working with Jewish grad students, so here we go:

Myth #1: “Grad school only takes 1-2 years.”

Fact: Some programs are one year. Others are six. A few take so long that even Moses would’ve asked, “Are we there yet?”

Myth #2: “Grad students are all in their early 20’s.”

Fact: Nope! JGO works with 22-year-olds, 32-year-olds, and some alumni in their 40’s who stick around because we are still their Jewish community post grad school and we are proud of it!

Myth #3: Students can just find each other online these days.

Fact: “Jewish Geography” remains the greatest networking tool in Jewish history. Within minutes of joining JGO, you’ll meet someone who knows your cousin’s roommate’s plumber who once fixed the sink of your rabbi’s sister-in-law. LinkedIn could never!

Myth #4: “Grad students are too busy to get involved Jewishly.”

Fact: Last year over 11,000 unique Jewish grad students participated in JGO programs, proving that grad students somehow find time for community, good food, and discussing imposter syndrome between classes.

Myth #5: “There aren’t many Jewish grad students outside the tri-state area.”

Fact: Oh contraire! Some of our biggest and most vibrant Jewish grad communities are far from the Empire State. Did you know we host Jewish clubs in Michigan and Indiana?  Ann Arbor alone had almost 100 students at our last Shabbat event, and Indiana University had 152 individual students come to one of their 14 events in the last year  — which means it’s basically the new Upper West Side (just with more parkas).

Myth #6: “Grad students can just join undergrad or young-professional groups to find connection.”

Fact: Grad students occupy a unique life stage, not undergrads and not full-time professionals. They’re juggling advanced coursework, family life, jobs, and “Why did I decide to write this dissertation anyway?” energy. They don’t need another folding chair at the undergrad Shabbat dinner, they need Jewish programming built specifically for them.

Myth #7: “Hillel and Chabad already cover programming for grad students.”

Fact: While some Hillel and Chabad’s attempt to include grad students, their primary focus and demographic remains undergraduate students, both in programming and outreach. And most importantly, they are simply not present at the majority of grad campuses where JGO operates, a lot of which are stand-alone institutions, or too far from the undergraduate campus. Our work fills the massive gap for Jewish grad students who would otherwise have no Jewish community at all during one of the most defining stages of their Jewish adult lives.

So yes, Jewish grad students do exist, they do seek Jewish connection, and they definitely don’t fit into anyone else’s programming box. That’s exactly why JGO exists!