By Mitch Siegler
SAN DIEGO — I wanted to reach out and share some important news. As you may have heard, Hillel of San Diego is the fastest-growing Hillel in the world for the second year in a row. Since 2020, the organization has evolved to meet the growing needs of our Jewish students in ways that demonstrate excellence, compassion, and the strength of Jewish peoplehood.
Success often comes not from following the herd but by thinking and operating differently. Hillel of San Diego provides wrap-around services for Jewish students on all four of our university campuses. From providing basic needs like food assistance and mental-health support services to offering large-scale education and cultural experiences. From developing student leaders to bringing Torah study – our Hillel of San Diego supports every aspect of life for our Jewish students while also serving as a community center, giant Shabbat table, synagogue, and beacon of light for the broader campus community.
With the opening of the Beverly and Joseph Glickman Hillel Center at UCSD, our organization grew the number of students and the types of experiences we could provide; with the onslaught of antisemitism on campus, our scope of work and impact skyrocketed as well. That said, this organization looks quite different than it did just a few years ago.
Hillel of San Diego is a much larger, much stronger, much more impactful community organization that serves as a key bridge for Jewish continuity. Leading this work has been Karen Parry, who has transformed a small organization into a robust service provider, tripling the number of students served.
As we envision the next chapter of impact for our community, it is appropriate that we change the model of our leadership — it is my honor to share with you that Karen is being elevated from Executive Director to Chief Executive Officer. This change symbolizes how Hillel of San Diego has grown and evolved under Karen’s leadership.
As a community, we are so fortunate to have a leader with Karen’s passion and drive invested in building Jewish leaders and strengthening our Jewish community.
I hope you will join me in celebrating Karen’s new role and hear about the achievements of Hillel of San Diego — and our tremendous future — at our upcoming Community Briefing on Wednesday, September 17th.
If you are as inspired as we all are to continue supporting our students, please consider a tribute gift to honor the significant impact Hillel of San Diego has on Jewish students and our San Diego community.
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Mitch Siegler is the board chair of Hillel of San Diego