Just like 9/11, I will forever remember where I was and what I was doing on 10/7. I think that is how it will be for a lot of us.

And while we all watched in collective horror at the atrocities in Israel, it tapped into a longstanding trauma of our Jewish people. Throughout every generation, hate is alive and thriving, and this was just another example of that.

Then, the very next day, it became a nightmare for Jewish students right here on campus. At Hillel of San Diego, we stopped all other programming and prioritized student well-being and Israel education and connection. We mourned together. We rallied together. We experienced hate again and again – from classmates, former friends, professors, staff – and it really felt at times like we were alone.

We could have broken (and on some days it really felt like that was the only option). But instead, we were forged.

We fought back. We opened our doors even wider to our students, ensuring Hillel was not just a safe space but a place of refuge, joy, and community. We added armed guards on 10/8 and have never looked back, developing a strong partnership with Defend48, our community’s premier security team (fun fact: we were their first client!). We developed resilience skill-building programs and resources so that our students moved through this nightmare stronger and filled with courage. We empowered students to use their voices against all odds and in rooms where they were surrounded by masked people screaming hate in their faces.

And we danced and sang louder than before – at Shabbat, at Peace in Israel Week, at rallies, at any opportunity we had. For the victims at Nova who didn’t get the chance to. For the families who were torn apart. For the communities destroyed. We danced.

Through fear, through pain, through heartbreak – we didn’t just survive. We grew our Jewish community. We doubled the number of students who participated in Jewish life and expanded the scope of our work to meet the moment. To meet the need.

That was our commitment then, and it continues to be our commitment today. Being Jewish is a source of strength, of joy, of community. It is the biggest gift we are given, and at Hillel of San Diego, we continue to ensure the future of our Jewish community is not just surviving, but THRIVING.

It’s been three years. It feels like a lifetime ago, and it feels like yesterday. We will never forget, and we will continue to honor the memories of those lives who were stolen on 10/7 by fostering a thriving Jewish community right here, with our next generation.

Thank you for being a part of it.

With gratitude,
Karen Parry, CEO