SF Hillel in the news

To reach students, S.F. Hillel fundraiser pours a coffee analogy - JWeekly

It’s been a hectic year for Bay Area Jewish college students.
San Francisco Hillel, which serves hundreds of students on multiple campuses, has stepped up by offering virtual Shabbat programs and other events for stuck-at-home students yearning for connection during the pandemic.

And in the middle all the pandemic mishegas, San Francisco State University was caught up in a drama in which Palestinian hijacker and activist Leila Khaled was invited virtually not once but twice to the university. (Both times, tech companies blocked the event from happening.)
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“Here we are a year later, and believe me, what a year it’s been,” Rick Lenat, S.F. Hillel’s board president, said last week at the organization’s fundraiser, “Activate 2021,” which raised $20,000, according to S.F. Hillel executive director Rachel Nilson Ralston. Click here to read more.

Click here to watch a recording of the event.

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S.F. Hillel hosts vigil to counter Khaled event - JWeekly

Hours after Zoom, Facebook and YouTube deplatformed a San Francisco State University virtual event on Sept. 23 featuring Palestinian hijacker Leila Khaled, the local Hillel chapter hosted a 45-minute vigil for victims of terrorism around the world.

Speakers at the evening vigil included state Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco, S.F. State president Lynn Mahoney and several Jewish students, some of whom had lit candles behind them. It also featured a prerecorded video of Uri Bar-Lev, the El Al pilot of the 1970 flight that Khaled and an accomplice attempted to hijack as members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
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The purpose of the vigil, in the words of S.F. State student president and S.F. Hillel member Ocean Noah, was to “protest the use of violence against victims of any background.” It served as a contrasting message to a video shown at the Khaled event, where the former hijacker defended the use of “weapons” to confront Israel. Click here to read more.

Click here to watch a recording of the event.

Other great reads about Hillel's impact

The case for more Hillel graduate networks and professionals - EJP

Data shows that graduate students have high rates of depression and anxiety. Poor mental health is widely accepted as a fact of life in graduate education. Graduate networks can, and do, work to change that by providing robust Jewish life opportunities, community, networking, and so much added value at a level where there is no institutional hand-holding. Unlike undergraduates, who have hundreds of student clubs from which to choose and myriad ways to get involved on campus, graduate students have limited opportunities and resources. A campus graduate network and professional can provide a nurturing outlet to assuage the sense of loneliness and sadness many experience. Moreover, through the pandemic when schooling is primarily online, opportunities for socialization and connection are even further limited. This circumstance only increases the likelihood of graduate students experiencing depression, anxiety, and loneliness. Hillel graduate networks in Philadelphia, New York, Seattle, Boston, and others are adapting to provide desperately needed community by hosting virtual gatherings, sending care packages, and even conducting Zoom coffee dates. Click here to read more.