Hillel: Inspiring the Jewish Future

INSPIRING THE JEWISH FUTURE

Santa Barbara Hillel, led by Executive Director Rabbi Evan Goodman, enables students at UCSB and other colleges to connect with one another in a Jewish environment at their “Jewish Home Away From Home.” We offer a safe, welcoming, and pluralistic presence as a vibrant center of student life in Isla Vista. Santa Barbara Hillel is proactive in standing up for our students, building bridges, and fostering a positive campus climate. We are uniquely positioned to reach students at this formative time in their lives by providing them the tools they need as Jewish Home they create the Jewish future. There’s always something Away From Home happening in the Santa Barbara Hillel community to inspire the next generation of Jewish leaders. Highlights of Hillel’s student engagement and programming include festive weekly Shabbat services and dinners, and challah bakes; extensive opportunities for students to travel to and engage with Israel; “Jewish Learning Fellowship”, a seminar-style exploration of Jewish identity and thought; High Holiday services, Passover Seders, Chanukah celebrations, hamentashen baking, and other Jewish holiday programs; and social, artistic, philanthropic, outdoor, and interest-group programming, including First Year Students of Hillel, graduate student events, Jews in Greek Life, tikkun olam programs, and more.

We are able to serve the largest undergraduate Jewish student population in the UC system at UCSB through the generosity of many local supporters. Because of them, every one of our college-aged students has a place in our Santa Barbara Hillel community. Together, we inspire the Jewish future.

Hillel’s flourishing student engagement programs.

Talented student board members lead Hillel’s weekly Shabbat services — face-to-face and later, via Zoom.

Screenshots of Zoom gatherings: schmoozing, a meeting of the Hillel Book Club who read and discussed “We Were the Lucky Ones," and a Shabbat service together. As soon as UC Santa Barbara canceled in-person instruction the second week in March, Santa Barbara Hillel pivoted and retooled how we support students.

Although physically separated, we continue to enrich student lives, enabling our students to connect with one another by offering creative and engaging virtual programs. Hillel staff members serve as a vital mental health resource to our undergrads and graduate students during this challenging time. A highlight of our week at Hillel is Shabbat, which has been transformed into an online Shabbat experience. Each week one of our student board members studies with a staff member, and then shares an inspiring message of Torah as we gather as a community on Zoom for uplifting student-led services. Hillel educational and community programming has thrived. Our annual “Israel Week” celebration went virtual, including engaging speakers and laugh-filled trivia games. Programs like Jewish Cooking Tuesdays and Wednesday Wellness Yoga bring students together as a fun and active alternative. Each week, we are able to study together through two cohorts of the Jewish Learning Fellowship. We are proud that our students have continued their philanthropic work as well, sending over 100 handwritten birthday cards to Holocaust Survivors. By shifting community building and program delivery online, we remain a vibrant hub of Jewish life for college students. Our staff continues to play an important role in their lives, meeting for virtual coffee dates and serving as the link between campus and home life. We are proud that we remain a Jewish home away from home, even while our students are back with their families. We’re happy to connect with our students virtually for now, and look forward to the day we can welcome them back to Santa Barbara Hillel in person!