Viral creator Chloe Hechter to encourage Jewish pride at Hillel JUC event

An influencer known for parodying sorority sister spats and summer camp memories is coming to Hillel JUC in an effort to promote Jewish pride. Chloe Hechter, a New York City-based content creator with 182,000 followers on TikTok will speak to college students on March 23.

The program, she told the Chronicle by phone, will enable students to learn more about her past, posts and aspirations.

A self-described “major theater kid,” Hechter, 24, grew up in New York City. She worked as a professional child actor and spent summers at theater camp before attending LaGuardia High School for acting. During her teenage years, Hechter recognized her preference for creating material versus following someone else’s.

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“I’m somebody who always wanted to write my own scripts and be my own boss,” she said.

Hechter began working toward that goal at Syracuse University, where along with majoring in writing and communications she served as editor-in-chief of University Girl Magazine, a student-run fashion and lifestyle magazine.

The rush of overseeing 100 college students proved an early model for future activities.

“I always loved being that, quote, unquote, influencer, I guess, for the younger girls on campus,” she said. “I loved trend forecasting. I loved writing about dating.”

In college, Hechter’s pieces covered feminism, fashion and pop culture. She envisioned working at Vogue and accepted internships with Modern Luxury and other publications.

Despite several magazine bylines, breaking into the industry proved challenging.

“I kind of felt like I had to take matters into my own hands and create my own destiny,” she said.

Hechter started sharing recorded sketches of herself in character. The content hit. With personas varying from Gen Z Bat Mitzvah planner to the mean girl at camp who “gives you a makeover,” Hechter portrayed roles familiar to thousands of people online.

As her popularity grew, Hechter refused to shy from her identity.

“I grew up Jewish, very Reform, but my father was born in Tel Aviv. He came to the States when he was 10,” she said. “My mom grew up in Queens. Her dad is a Holocaust survivor. He’s still alive. Love him to death.”

Hechter said she grew up learning from her father “a lot about Israel, and from my mom’s side of the family a lot about the Holocaust.”

“While I was never super religious — not kosher, not going to a Jewish day school — I was always very culturally and spiritually Jewish,” she continued. “I always understood our values and found that I always felt a sense of peace when I was with other people in our community.”

Hechter, an increasingly familiar Jewish voice on campus — she recently spoke to a conglomerate of Hillels in Ontario and to another in Atlanta — said she hopes to bring a message of positivity.

“I don’t want students to feel scared to be openly Jewish. I don’t want them to be afraid of antisemitism. I don’t want them to feel like they have to hide their Jewish star,” she said. “It’s obviously scary, but I always try to portray a message of hope.”

Dan Marcus, Hillel JUC’s executive director, said Hechter’s visit is the perfect program prior to Passover: “I hope that Jewish students feel an increased sense of Jewish pride and community.”

Held in partnership with the University of Pittsburgh’s Jewish sororities and fraternities, the event is a critical reminder that “being Jewish something to celebrate at Hillel,” Samantha Shell, Ezra Springboard Fellow at Hillel JUC said.

“Our goal is to create spaces where students can feel proud, connected and supported in their Jewish identity,” Shell continued. “Chloe’s work encourages people to lean into that pride. And we’re excited for students to hear her story.” PJC

Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.