Today is Day 4 of Hillel Global Giving Week!
Jewish pride. Student leadership. Resilience. That’s what your gift to Hillel of San Diego makes possible — and right now, your support WILL BE DOUBLED! Thanks to a combined $55,000 in Hillel Global Giving Week challenge grants, you can help students strengthen their Jewish identity and lead the way in making campus more welcoming and more inclusive for Jewish students.
Just ask Ellia, a student at UC San Diego.
When October 7th, 2023, happened. And everything changed.
“The campus climate turned hostile overnight. I knew I couldn’t stay silent. Hillel gave me a platform through Tritons for Israel. I joined and became super active. I spoke at student government meetings and wrote three articles—two were published in our campus paper and one in The San Diego Union-Tribune. Hillel made that possible.”
Because of donors like you, Ellia didn’t just find her voice- she amplified it. In February, she and her co-presidents of Tritons for Israel joined Hillel student leaders across San Diego for a leadership retreat. Together, they dreamed BIG and are making it real.
That dream became this year’s Peace in Israel Week at UCSD: a campus-wide initiative with world-renowned speakers like Yohay Sponder and Yossi Klein Halevi, a vibrant Jewish night market, and daily programs to educate, connect, and inspire their UCSD student community.
“We’re doing so much more this year—more education, a commemorative mural for Nova, a DJ, and outreach to other student clubs who may have missed the opportunity to join us last year. We’re building something joyful, inclusive, and proud.
I think this is going to be the best Peace in Israel Week yet!”
Ellia’s story doesn’t stop there.
At Hillel’s February Leadership Retreat, Ellia learned about herself as a leader. That experience inspired her to take the initiative and launch a new Persian Jewish club on campus—a space she wished she had found earlier.
“There was always this divide—spaces where I was Persian but experienced antisemitism, and Jewish spaces that felt too Ashkenazi. I wanted a home for both identities. Now we have 40 members and just celebrated a Persian holiday with a picnic in the park!”
For Ellia, Hillel isn’t just about programs; it’s where she goes for that Jewish home away from home experience.
“I’ve studied for class at the Glickman Hillel Center—and recently for the MCAT. During that stressful process, the staff cheered me on, fed me, and celebrated with me afterward.”
P.S. Your pledge will count during Hillel Global Giving Week! Pledge now and send your gift later via your donor-advised fund, IRA account, or gift of stock. To learn more, reply to this email or contact me at lkalal@hillelsd.org or 619-764-5992.
