You’re going to want to read this!

WhatsApp Image 2024-11-16 at 18.46.51_4d1cf984
Spoiler alert: this month’s spotlight isn’t on students – it’s on YOU.

Your support is what makes Jewish life on campus thrive and ensures a strong Jewish future for all of us. So for the month of November, we want to talk about and celebrate the people who make it all possible and share YOUR impact. Hillel of San Diego thrives because of parents, alumni, San Diegans, and everyone who believes in the power of the next generation.

Because YOU are a fundamental part of Hillel, this month we are going to be celebrating YOU! Each week, you’re going to be connected to a community member, just like you, who is making an impact through Hillel. This is not a fundraising campaign. This is about acknowledging that Hillel only has impact because we are a product of this Jewish community.

We’re calling it the Heart of Hillel Month because at the heart of this work is YOU. It’s going to be a new tradition here and we’re so excited to celebrate! It’s really all about YOU

Because at the end of the day, we are a pipeline to our collective future. Whether students create meaningful Jewish memories, build their own Jewish community, and feel connected to Israel in college matters. It shapes how they show up as Jewish adults. 

The work YOU are a part of through your support of Hillel does just that – prepares students to be active Jewish community members when they graduate. We want them to affiliate with a synagogue, become JCC members, send their kids to Jewish preschool and camps, volunteer with Jewish Family Service, participate in the Federation, and be an active part of our Jewish future. It’s why we focus so much on being student-centered and empowering young people to create and envision their Jewish identity and community. It’s why we teach them how to be leaders so that they feel confident to step up as leaders at their synagogue, JCC, Federation, JFS, day school, etc. 

Hillel is the pipeline of hope for all of us. And where the students are the lifeblood, you are the heart that keeps them going. 

So stay tuned, you’ll be getting an email once a week and I hope it fills you with joy and gratitude for what you get to make possible when you support Hillel.

Warmly, 

Karen Parry
Chief Executive Officer
Hillel of San Diego

P.S. I’m sharing this with you first (and I’ll probably send out another email after some finishing touches)! Check out our NEW website! It has been a labor of love to reshape our digital footprint so it reflects our robust wrap-around services, and we’re finally at the finish line. When you peruse the website, remind yourself that YOU make all of it possible through your support of Hillel. Thank you for helping us do this meaningful and impactful work! Check it out! www.hillelsd.org

Other Stories From Hillel

Incident at Hillel of San Diego Today

January 6, 2026

Hope you are having a great start to your 2026. At Hillel of San Diego, our highest priority is, and will always be, the safety of Jewish students.

Over the past few months, an individual repeatedly harassed Hillel San Diego, prompting us to obtain a restraining order. Today, that individual attempted to break into our Melvin Garb Hillel Center and left an unidentified package.

You Made it Possible. Now We Must Sustain it.

December 21, 2025

Over the past five years, and especially since October 7th, this community has shown up in extraordinary ways. Your leadership made it possible for Hillel of San Diego to respond immediately and decisively in moments of crisis, expanding support, strengthening safety, and meeting students in their most vulnerable moments. Thank G-d you did. Because of you, students know exactly where to turn — and they know they will not be turned away.

Why Hillel of San Diego Matters Right Now

December 19, 2025

As we enter the final days of Hillel of San Diego’s year-end efforts to raise $500,000 by December 31, our family is proud to stand with this community and publicly join this effort to strengthen Jewish life on San Diego’s campuses. We do so while holding two truths at once. We are celebrating the light and resilience of Hanukkah, even as we grieve the tragedies and violence that have shaken Jewish communities in recent days. Joy and heartbreak coexist. For Jewish students, that tension is not abstract but rather something they are navigating every day on campus

Scroll to Top