Welcome to Hillel of San Diego
We are your Jewish campus connection! Regardless of which San Diego campus you attend, whether you are an undergraduate or a grad student, or what your background and interests are, Hillel of San Diego is your portal for warm community, leadership opportunities, retreats, international travel, holiday celebrations and more! We even have resources for parents and alumni.
Find your campus and get involved!
Hillel of North County
Thanks to the generosity of the Leichtag Family Foundation, we are excited to announce Hillel of North County's new home:
156 E Barham Dr
San Marcos, CA 92078
Jewish students from California State University, San Marcos; Palomar and Mira Costa colleges now have a place to be a vibrant Jewish campus presence.
For more information, please contact Uzi Bar-Pinchas, North County Program Director, at or Glenda Jaffe, Program Associate, at
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SDSU - Diversity Award
The Jewish Student Union at SDSU received a wonderful honor; the 2010 Student Organization Diversity Award!
JSU demonstrated an exemplary commitment to SDSU’s “Shared Vision” goals and strived to create a community proud of its diversity and commitment to social justice.
The award was designed and crafted on campus from sustainable materials in keeping with the university’s green goals.
The Hillel of San Diego Board of Directors has hired Michael Rabkin as the new Executive Director, effective January 18, 2012
Currently, Michael is the Director of Hillel at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia where he helped build and is responsible for managing one of the most impressive Hillel facilities in the United States. Michael has brought innovative programming to the campus with a focus on Israel /Middle East issues and has significantly increased the participation of Jewish students. Michael started his Hillel career in San Diego over 14 years ago as a fellow. For more information about Michael and his family, please check out his bio which can be found at http://www.michaelrabkin.com/about.
We look forward to welcoming Michael and his family to San Diego and know that the entire Jewish community will join us in these efforts.
Hillel of San Diego Endowment
Jewish tradition teaches that one of our key responsibilities is to make the world a better place for future generations. Your legacy can reflect everything that is most important and meaningful to you.
An endowment fund is a permanent fund in your name, in the name of someone you wish to honor, or a name that's meaningful to you. Endowment funds can generate 4%-5% of the principal per year for Hillel of San Diego. You can fund an endowment for Hillel during your lifetime or after your lifetime through a planned gift in a variety of ways that include a bequest in your will, a charitable gift annuity, a charitable remainder trust or a life insurance policy. The amount remains private.
We would be happy to meet with you to discuss this meaningful opportunity. Please contact Lori Bolotin at 858 550-1798 or
Featured Students of the Month
Jennifer
Hi everyone! I just finished my third year at SDSU and it has really been a fantastic journey so far. With one more year in school I feel ready to tackle the rest of what college life has to offer. This is in huge thanks to Hillel of San Diego and the structure it provided for my time in school. In the fall of my freshman year I was extremely out of my element because I moved from the East Coast. Growing up in Rockville, Maryland my community dynamic was familiar and routine and my first experiences in my new home of San Diego were a bit intimidating. After hesitantly making my way over to Hillel's welcome back BBQ I connected with staff and students alike and began to effortlessly identify with those around me. This comfortable feeling is exactly what encouraged me to begin giving back to the Jewish Community of San Diego.
Since the first BBQ 3 years ago I have served in a variety positions including, Jewish Campus Representative where I focused on engaging uninvolved students, VP of Social Programming where I facilitated the weekly events for students and most recently I served as President of the student board. Being president was a terrific way to bring together all the leadership experience I gained through Hillel. In addition to being involved locally with Hillel I have also had the opportunity to serve as a student member of the International Board of Directors. In this role I focus on voicing the needs and abilities of the students I am connected with.
The San Diego State Hillel facility has become like a second home and the staff and student community my second family. In my last year as an undergraduate I am looking forward to continue my support of the Jewish community of San Diego and represent us well on the Board of Directors.
Samantha
Hillel has allowed me to reconnect with my Jewish identity and find other young Jewish college students who have similar view points as I do or at the very least willing to have a conversation about how we see life and religion. Hillel has offered me a place to make friends as well as the opportunity to travel to surrounding areas I would otherwise not visit. I was part of the Peer Network Engagement Internship and trained in Atlanta, Georgia with a group of the most motivated and passionate young Jewish leaders in the United States.
As a freshman I did not actively participate in Hillel events, but after I moved out of the dorms I was desperate for the feeling of camaraderie and family that I had in the dorms. Therefore, it made sense to seek out Hillel for comfort, support, and fun, and what better way to repay the community I found at Hillel then by reaching out to other students on campus looking for that sense of family. If I had gone to college without Hillel, I don't think I would have as many Jewish friends nor would I have had the opportunity to go to Israel on my birthright trip. When I had originally applied for birthright I had not been admitted to my original first choice of a program due to them reaching capacity. I immediately emailed Jackie Tolley, the director at Hillel of San Diego and asked if by some miracle there was any space left on the SDSU trip to Israel. It was just my luck that the day before someone had to back out due to personal reasons; I jumped at the opportunity and signed up for the trip that ultimately changed my life. Currently I am in the process of moving to Israel for several months after graduation, and encouraged my parents to take a family trip to Israel earlier this year. Hillel has helped shape my Jewish identity, in the aspects of faith, service, and personal responsibility. I spend more time observing holidays, attending services, and doing community service. I also am more passionately dedicated to the longevity of Israel, of the Jewish people, and of the well-being of my community.
Nicole
Nicole is a senior at SDSU. She was raised in a town with few Jews. When she went away to college, she was determined to learn more about what it meant to be Jewish. During her freshman year, she came to Hillel for Shabbat. She was nervous and felt like a fish out of water. Not only was she far from home but amongst a large group of practicing Jews; a very novel situation.
There were new words and language; NFTY, haftorah, dvar, mitzvah and more.
She felt like she should belong, but didn’t.
She was welcomed by Jackie Tolley, the Director of Hillel, and the rest of the staff.
After this first Shabbat, she became involved. Nicole went on an Alternative Spring Break to Mexico to do community service work, became a Bat Mitzvah, learned how to build a sukkah and went to Israel for the first time!
Nicole came to Hillel to find herself as a Jew. She left knowing that she belongs to a Jewish community.