An Important Message from David Michan

David-&-Rashel-Michan

Hillel has been an integral part of my life for the past 30 years, beginning with my time as an undergraduate at UCLA. I was honored to serve on the Hillel of San Diego Board for 12 years, including as Board Chair, during which I contributed to the development of our two beautiful facilities at SDSU and UCSD.

The presence of Hillel at our four major college campuses in San Diego is invaluable. It provides a “Jewish Home Away from Home” for students and helps many discover and strengthen their Jewish identity and connection to Israel. Since October 2023, Hillel has become even more vital as the leader in tackling antisemitism on campus and serving as a place of Jewish joy for both Jewish and non-Jewish students in contrast to some of the vile hate experienced at our universities. Without Hillel of San Diego’s physical presence, advocacy efforts, programs—and even the safety—many students’ experience in college would look very different.

This year, I’m proud to continue deeply supporting Hillel. Investing in Hillel of San Diego is an easy one for me, even though I am no longer on the Board of Directors. I am joining with other past and current board presidents—Mitch Siegler, Wayne Harris, Todd Kirschen, Joel Smith, Emily Jennewein, Hollie Bierman, Michael Breslauer, Bob Lapidus, Herb Solomon, Jane Scher, Steve Solomon, and Judy Gumbiner—in challenging our community to dig deeper. Together, we’ve increased our own annual contributions and are aiming to raise $175,000 by midnight on December 31st.

Thank you for standing with Hillel.

Shabbat Shalom and Happy Chanukah!

David C. Michan

Other Stories From Hillel

Why Hillel of San Diego Matters Right Now

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A Proud Night for Hillel of San Diego

December 16, 2025

Hillel of San Diego and its CEO, Karen Parry, were honored with multiple excellence awards at Hillel International’s 2025 Global Assembly (HIGA) in Boston this week, earning recognition among a global network of 850 Hillels. The awards were presented by Hillel International, the largest Jewish campus organization in the world, during its annual conference which brought together more than 1,200 campus leaders, supporters, and sponsors from around the world to celebrate leadership, innovation, and commitment to Jewish life.

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