Who is behind Fig and Vine?

Get to know creator and editor Lily Karofsky!

Throughout the course of the ‘24-’25 school year, Jewish students have had the privilege of being informed, entertained and connected to each other by a magazine catered to our vibrant UCSB Jewish community. As we close out this school year, it seems a perfect time to get to know the mind behind the magazine. Lily Karofsky, resident journalist and Hillel VP of Jewish Life is the heart and soul behind Fig and Vine, making our community more fruitful. She is from a town just outside of Boston called Framingham, which doesn’t sound so Kosher, but here she grew up doing “all the good Jew stuff” – beginning with the influential crafts and songs of Jewish preschool, to joyful family holiday celebrations. A Karofsky sibling viewing of the Rugrats Passover special each year is a “non-negotiable” holiday tradition. Lily came to be here in Santa Barbara with us after visiting family here during her gap year and falling in love with our sprawling green hills and shimmering ocean waves. She traded her plans of deferral to University in Washington D.C. for a move over to the better coast. 

Journalism

In grade school, creative writing brought Lily peace through storytelling. She wasn’t exactly passionate about Math and Science, but English and the humanities were where she thrived. Journalistic writing came to her through an internship senior year of high school at the local paper, during which she “loved getting to hear other people’s stories.” At Santa Barbara City College, her professor really sold her on being a journalist when he described it as “one of the only professions where you get paid to be nosy.” A perfect occupation for someone whose definition of TMI is “tell me immediately.” Lily has a beautiful natural curiosity that drives her storytelling. 

Finding Home in Santa Barbara’s Jewish Community

Being an out of state student, Lily is far from home and family. This was especially difficult through turmoil in personal and social life, and the pain of October 7th. Lily’s brother, a Santa Barbara resident, encouraged her to attend a Hillel event to hear survivors of the Nova Festival speak. Often when we are in pain, we fear bringing others down or wonder how it will help us to be around others who are in pain. As Lily held back her own tears at Hillel, she took a moment to look around, finding that those around her all had tears quietly rolling down their faces, including her brother seated next to her. “It's not about getting rid of the pain, it's about finding people to sit in it with.”  From this point on, the Jewish community in Santa Barbara became a home away from home, and a place for Lily to find comfort in sharing pain, joy and everything in between. 

Fig and Vine Sprouts

As an aspiring journalist, Lily was following lots of media throughout unrest and antisemitism on college campuses. Media outlets spent a lot of time talking about Jews and Jewish students, but we weren’t often speaking for ourselves. “We deserve our own space- even if it's just for us.” Fig and Vine has been established as a magazine, rather than a newspaper to allow for a “place to talk about the emotions we’re experiencing”. How we feel often gets washed over by the news, and this magazine opens up space for Jewish students to share their experiences, from the silliest of Jewish humor to meaningful stories of our people. “I just want people to love what they are doing,” Lily says of her delightful group of writers, all of whom are fellow students. One thing she loves about how the magazine has grown is when friends or peers come to her excited with their own ideas for articles and columns. After a very successful year of sharing Jewish perspectives, a bigger goal of Lily’s is to expand Fig and Vine to other UC Jewish communities. “So much happened just on our campus,” and Jewish students across campuses deserve a space to connect through their stories. 

Sitting in Community

When Lily is not writing or editing for Fig and Vine (or having to reformat Allen’s script articles), she is likely lounging with her cats, Poppy and one-eyed Otis. While they are cozy cuddle buddies, Poppy and Otis are not exactly the best study buddies. They’ve got their own important issues to write about after stalking from the window sill all day, and they’ll need your laptop keyboard to do it!  You may also find Lily snacking on some challah with cream cheese and grape jelly, a classic combo from her childhood (try it out)! Ahead of Lily for the summer is an exciting journalistic fellowship with CAMERA (Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis), to help combat antisemitism in the media, which she will continue throughout next school year. She is off to a wonderful start with her initiative in creating Fig and Vine, and her involvement in Santa Barbara Jewish life. Lily has created a beautiful space for us to sit in the pains, the joys, and everything in between together as a community.