Purim starts tomorrow, but tonight is THE biggest Jewish holiday celebration at Hillel- Purim Palooza! To support this effort and the many Purim festivities taking place at Hillel this week, YOUR gift will go a long way to connect Jewish students to their Judaism!

After October 7th, Julia regularly attended SDSU’s student government meetings to speak on behalf of Jewish students. She observed that there were two groups in the room, those using violent, antisemitic rhetoric, and Jewish students, organized through Hillel, calm and unified in voice. This was Julia’s pivotal moment. She realized that Hillel was her most important Jewish resource on campus.

“Hillel continues to be unwavering in its support of students, keeping us informed, aware, and safe. Hillel advocates for us on campus with the school administration, guides us through the process of reporting antisemitic incidents, and provides comfort and the mental health and wellness supports to get us through any challenges.

Because this was my experience, I’m passionate about growing our Jewish campus community. I want students of all backgrounds and all levels of Jewish engagement to feel welcomed.”

Julia’s Hillel journey took a new turn when she was offered the chance to join the student-led Purim Celebration Committee. She looked forward to their weekly meetings and loved generating creative ideas that made promoting Purim Palooza a blast. (Check out their posts on instagram)

Student leaders like Julia understand what inspires other students to engage with Hillel and YOUR support powers their ideas and new approaches to growing Jewish student engagement and building allies.

Julia’s leadership tale doesn’t end with Purim. She’s just announced that she is running for a seat on the Associated Students (A.S.) board! Hillel is providing her with an election campaign mentor and the supplies she will need to run her campaign. Her entire Hillel community of staff and friends is excited to help her succeed. With your gift today, Hillel can continue to support the community-building ideas and civic-minded ambitions of students like Julia.

“Hillel has grounded me in community and Jewish values and strengthened my commitment to engage politically. Like Queen Esther, I value transparency. I am ready to speak out on behalf of Jewish students for the benefit of all students on campus.”

P.S. Give or pledge NOW for Purim! By pledging now, you can send your gift later by check, through your DAF, IRA account, or by gifting stock. Hillel of San Diego’s Tax ID# is 33-0519225, and our office address is 5717 Lindo Paseo, San Diego, CA 92115. Please contact me at lkalal@hillelsd.org or 619-764-5992 with any questions.