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Hillel News
Alumni Spotlight: Leah Aldin
One aspect that has remained a constant in Leah’s life from before college through now is her sense of belonging to the Jewish community. “I grew up being very involved in my Jewish community… When I got to CSUN I wanted to keep some of that Jewish value in my life and to find Jewish classmates.”
Hillel 818’s March in Photos
March was joyful and meaningful month. For Purim we put on our best costumed and partied but also made Mishloach Manot for PATH with our community partners Repair the World and Hillside Memorial. We held our second successful Blood Drive and Gift of Life swabbing day of the year at CSUN. We closed out the month with our annual Pride Week to celebrate our LGTBQIA+ community. Keep on reading to see all we've been up to for the last month!
Holocaust Art & History Exhibit Coming to Hillel 818
Holocaust Art & History Exhibit at Hillel 818 at Cal State University of Northridge Campus, March 26- April 28, 2023
Executive Musings: “Work hard, Nap hard.”
“When you have a lot to do, go to sleep.” – Yiddish proverb
Alumni Spotlight: Rachel Katz
CSUN alum Rachel Katz knew she was going to get involved with Hillel 818 when she started college and picked her major. “As a Jewish Studies major it’s just kind of what you did. My sister was a part of Hillel at her college, so I had known about the idea of Hillel. Then I came to a Hillel 818 event with a friend and I just stayed.I even lived at Hillel for a couple of years!”
Intern Spotlight: Lorraine Barnes
For CSUN senior Lorraine Barnes, Hillel 818 has been a place of self-discovery. She always knew she wanted to find a Jewish community filled with people more similar to herself, saying, “The thing that made me want to be part of Hillel was a desire to be part of a Jewish community with people my age. I had heard about Hillel from a woman back home. She told me, ‘Oh, you’re going to CSUN, right? You should join Hillel 818, they’re really great, they’re really fun. I was part of them, I’m an alumni of there.’ I had a coffee chat with Max and then I went to an event."
Alumni Spotlight: Samantha Harouni
For CSUN class of 2021 alum Samantha Harouni, Hillel wasn’t something she was necessarily looking for, but rather something that she bumped into along the way. “I remember when I was first at CSUN a couple groups, including Hillel, were trying to get me on Birthright at the same time. I didn’t know where Hillel was or anything about it but, one day, I was at Freudian Sip with my Hebrew textbook out and Rabs and Sondra were right behind me, she noticed my Hebrew book, and the conversation just started going from there. They connected me with the Israel fellow at the time and we just talked about Birthright and convinced me to go.”
A Look Inside Hillel 818's Grand Opening Shabbat
November 4, 2022 was a momentous day for Hillel 818. After three years of construction, delays, and a global pandemic that shut down the world, Hillel 818 was finally able to host our first event at our newly renovated building. Current students, alumni, the Hillel 818 Board of Directors, and Hillel 818 staff all gathered for the very first Shabbat and dinner at the renovated building on Plummer Street.
Intern Spotlight: Devereux Eulloqui
Senior Devereux “Dev” Eulloqui has been involved with Hillel 818 since he was a freshman at CSUN, having searched for a Jewish community he could join. Dev told us that, “When I was a freshman here [at CSUN], I had no sense of Jewish community back at home. I heard the San Fernando Valley has a pretty well-established Jewish community, so I did some research and searched around the school and I found Hillel 818. I started to come to events like Shabbat and Hillel made me feel well-connected and right at home.”
Alumni Spotlight: Avraham Wolf
Avraham Wolf knew from the beginning that he wanted to get involved with Hillel 818 while in college. “It was up the street from me and I wanted some Jewish engagement with people my age.” At Hillel 818, Avraham found exactly that – creating deep connections with other Jewish students that impacted his college experience.