This one is worth opening – I promise!

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I know you’ve likely gotten a ton of emails today, but I had to send one on behalf of Hillel of San Diego! This is Noa (SDSU, Class of ‘28), and we’re down to the wire on Giving Tuesday. The $25,000 donor match is about to disappear, and we hope donors like you are racing to grab the final funds! We’re SO close to hitting our goal.
Help us get our match!

YOUR support helps students just like ME. I’ve always been rooted in my Jewish and Israeli identity. Moving from Israel to San Diego at 12 was challenging, but my connection to Jewish life never faded. I was very involved in the Jewish community throughout high school and I knew I wanted to be a leader, but I wasn’t sure what that path would look like in college. That all changed when I came to Hillel.

At my very first Hillel of San Diego Welcome BBQ, I instantly felt something I’d been searching for: belonging. Older students didn’t just greet me, they guided me. And because of the generosity from supporters like you, I found community. Most importantly, I found purpose.

Empower students just like me!

As a first-year student, through Hillel, I joined the Students Supporting Israel (SSI) board, helped lead October 7th programming, and began co-leading Shabbat dinners—bringing both Jewish and non-Jewish friends. Hillel saw my ambition to lead in a Jewish space and gave me the support to take it even further. This year, I co-founded the Hillel Business Initiative (HBI), connecting students with local professionals and the wider San Diego Jewish community. Through Hillel, I’m also a StandWithUs Emerson Fellow, a Hillel Leadership Institute participant, and this winter, I’ll travel to Israel on a Hillel of San Diego Fact Finders trip to work with non-Jewish student leaders on understanding the conflict and serving as allies.

I’ve always had the drive. I’ve always had the passion. But Hillel of San Diego gave me a platform and the resources to make a difference. Your support changes the trajectory of our lives. Because of HilleI – because of you – I feel empowered, and I’m just getting started!

Don’t forget: your gift today will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $25,000 by an anonymous donor! The clock is ticking, and this 2X match disappears at midnight. Can you make one final gift and help us cross the finish line before the deadline?

Thanks so much for creating community for San Diego’s Jewish students!

Noa, SDSU ‘28

Yes! Take me to donate now

Other Stories From Hillel

Not Our Grandparents’ Hillel

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When we were children, our grandparents posed a simple but enduring question: If the Jewish people don’t take care of the Jewish people, who will? That question inspired our parents to lead and to give, and today, as third-generation Hillel supporters, it sits squarely before us.

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.

We’re standing with Bryan, Sheava, and Hillel

December 10, 2025

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.

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