An Announcement from our Board President

Elizabeth & Mitch Siegler

I don’t write often, so I’ll keep it brief.

Together with four previous Hillel of San Diego board presidents and their families, my family is prepared to meaningfully increase its gift to Hillel of San Diego this year.

The other presidents and I are offering to match all gifts pledged before year-end up to $100,000 if other members of our community step up to meet our match. We’re calling it the Presidents’ Challenge, and it starts TODAY!

We’re inspired to do our part and dig deeper this year because Jewish college students in our San Diego community need us. They need ALL OF US to care about our collective Jewish future and everything it takes to make it better – fighting antisemitism, cultivating Jewish joy, strengthening Jewish leadership, and fostering a connected Jewish community here in San Diego. Hillel was built for times like these, and the Hillel of San Diego team does all these things exceptionally well!

The concept of Kol Yisrael Aravim ze la zeh – that all Jews are responsible for one another – is deeply rooted in Jewish ethical teachings and tradition.

So, my friends…please join me and the other past presidents (Wayne Harris, Todd Kirschen, David Michan, and Emily Jennewein) and do your part. It’s our shift. It’s up to us.

Am Yisrael Chai!

Mitch

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We’re standing with Bryan, Sheava, and Hillel

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On Monday, you heard from our son Bryan and his wife Sheava about why they support Hillel of San Diego and why they are committed to helping raise $500,000 for Jewish college students by December 31, the first $50,000 of which will be matched, dollar-for-dollar. Their message of why this moment matters and why supporting our young adults is so urgent reminded us of the responsibility we all share to lift up this next generation. That is why we are joining them in this effort.

What Could Go Right?

December 8, 2025

As we help kick off Hillel of San Diego’s year-end fundraiser, I can’t help but reflect on the moment that first made me and Sheava believe in this important work. It was the day the Glickman Hillel Center at UCSD opened its doors after twenty years of persistence. I saw what it means for Jewish young adults to have a place they can count on, and what a community can accomplish together. That is why Sheava and I became supporters, and why we remain committed as Hillel of San Diego has grown into one of the most impactful Hillels in the country.

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