Hannah Benveniste learned to style their hair by braiding challah dough.
As a kid, they’d roll out strands on a floured surface, gently tugging each lock — left to the center, right to the center — until the amorphous blend of ingredients before them resembled a perfect braid. Eventually, they could weave together eight doughy strands into a complex centerpiece for the seder plate.
It’s been years since Benveniste, now a writer for the Leviathan Jewish Journal, last led challah braiding at their mother’s synagogue. But on Thursday, May 15, they got to tap into their skill set at the Leviathan’s Challah Bake. This time, instead of a braid, Hannah set out to make a doughy replica of Sammy the Slug.
The event, held at UC Santa Cruz’s Women’s Center, celebrated the publication’s 52nd year on campus and 50th journal release. Attendees were a mix of first-timers and experienced challah braiders. Many let their creativity wander by molding iterations of Sammy the Slug, a menorah, a mini pizza, hearts and more.
Before the braiding began, one of Leviathan’s Editors-in-Chief Mia Gold spoke to the crowd.
“‘Jewish’ is a term that means something different for everyone,” Gold said. “If someone publishes something that is Jewish to them, it doesn’t have to be Jewish to me.”
The sentiment reflected the mission of the Leviathan Jewish Journal, which was formed in the early 1970s in the wake of the 1973 war between Israel and surrounding Arab states as a way for students to express their opinions freely, no matter their political stance. Its format has changed over the years, but it remains a Jewish space with no particular religious or political affiliation.
“There are no prerequisites to joining our magazine. It’s a Jewish-centered space for everyone as an opportunity for people to connect with their Judaism in a way that feels right for them,” said Gold in an interview with City on a Hill Press. “We have members from all kinds of different identities and backgrounds: Ashkenazi Jews, Sephardic Jews, Mizrahi Jews, Los Angeles Jews and New York Jews, secular individuals, non-Jews and Christians. We are open to all.”
Current and former members stressed that not being politically affiliated didn’t mean members themselves weren’t political. Each piece published in Leviathan represents the opinions of the author themself rather than the publication. The lack of prerequisites to join encourages students from all different backgrounds to show up as they are.
“[Joining Leviathan] was my first experience feeling completely accepted. It didn’t matter that I wasn’t Bat Mitzvah’d or that I didn’t come from a traditional Jewish home,” said Cate Devon, a Leviathan alum from 2009-11. “It was non-judgmental and it enriched the [Jewish] community by broadening who could be a part of it. Starting at Leviathan was the first step towards me saying, ‘Yes, I am part Jewish and I wanna explore that and see where it goes.’”
The quarterly publication has changed over the years with its students; some editions feature family recipes, poems and essays, while others feature more traditional forms of journalism.
“It’s gone through many iterations, but it’s always been open to any different kind of writing or art,” said Bruce Thompson, the faculty advisor of Leviathan for more than 20 years, and lecturer in the Jewish Studies program. “It’s a way for students to express their creativity in whatever way they choose.”
Leviathan’s 52nd year on campus makes it one of the longest-running, Jewish-centered publications on a college campus in the United States. In the 2022-23 academic year, it stopped producing quarterly journals, but was revitalized in the winter of 2024. New student leaders saw an increased demand for a Jewish-oriented space on campus that brought together students from all different backgrounds to engage openly with one another.
“Things are very polarizing,” Devon said. “It’s very easy to dehumanize people that you don’t understand or you don’t have exposure to, but sitting down across from a person and actually listening to what they say without having an immediate counterpoint or script in your head of how you’ll prove them wrong requires you to be vulnerable. To sit with people from different spectrums whether it’s political or religious and still be able to respect each other and work together is what makes us human.” 
The 50th publication of the Leviathan Jewish Journal will be available for students in the coming weeks and can be found across campus.
For those interested in joining the Leviathan community, whether as an editor, graphic designer, contributing writer, or artist, email leviathanvoice@gmail.com.
“The most important part of a community is being surrounded by people who are different from you, people who can teach you about their experience, people who you can talk freely to and ask questions to without being stigmatized,” Benveniste said. “I might disagree with you, but I know you are a human, I know you are a part of my community, and I know we can work together.”
