Berkeley Hillel

Berkeley Hillel · Centennial

100 Years of Jewish Joy

A century of Jewish student life, identity, belonging, and leadership at UC Berkeley. Join us in sustaining the next hundred years.

Since 1927 — Nearing 100

A Century in the Making

In 1923, the first Hillel was founded at the University of Illinois, born from a conviction that Jewish students deserved a home for Jewish learning and belonging on campus. Berkeley was among the first to follow.

By October 1927, Berkeley Hillel was already in print — the first issue of its newsletter reaching students across campus. For nearly a century, it has been the heart of Jewish student life at UC Berkeley.

Jewish students have walked through these doors through depression and war, through the founding of Israel, through social movements and global crises, through decades of campus life that changed everything around them and left this community standing. That continuity is the miracle.

A Century of Moments

Where Jewish History and Berkeley History Meet

From the roaring twenties through the founding of Israel, from the GI Bill to the global Jewish community — and through one hundred years of Berkeley Hillel at the heart of it all.

  1. Berkeley Hillel · 1927

    The First Hillel Happenings

    Berkeley Hillel publishes the inaugural issue of Hillel Happenings — the start of a century of student voices, rabbi columns, and campus chronicles.

    • newsletter
    • inaugural

  2. Berkeley Hillel · 1942

    Jewish Students Mobilize for WWII

    Jewish students leave Berkeley for the front. Hillel keeps the newsletter going, binding the community to its members in uniform.

    • WWII
    • service

  3. Jewish History · 1948

    The State of Israel is Proclaimed

    David Ben-Gurion proclaims the State of Israel. At Berkeley, Jewish students experience the news as both global and intensely personal.

    • Israel
    • milestone

  4. Berkeley Hillel · 1964

    The Berkeley Free Speech Movement

    Jewish students stand prominently at the front of the Free Speech Movement. Hillel becomes a space where activism and identity meet.

    • Free Speech
    • activism

  5. Jewish History · 1991

    Operation Solomon

    In 36 hours, more than 14,300 Ethiopian Jews are flown to Israel — one of the most dramatic rescue operations in Jewish history.

    • Ethiopian Jewry
    • Operation Solomon

  6. Jewish History · 2023

    October 7 and the Jewish Student Response

    Hamas attacks Israel. At Berkeley, Hillel becomes the anchor and refuge for Jewish students navigating grief, fear, and the urgency of belonging.

    • October 7
    • resilience

  7. Berkeley Hillel · 2026

    A Century of Jewish Joy

    Berkeley Hillel marks 100 years at the heart of Jewish life at UC Berkeley. The centennial is not a conclusion — it is a recommitment.

    • centennial
Walk the full century →

A century in pictures

One Hundred Years of Jewish Life at Berkeley

The Berkeley Hillel building on Bancroft Way before its renovation

The Bancroft Way building, before the renovation

Make Your Mark

The Next 100 Years Begin With You

Your gift sustains a place where Jewish students find identity, belonging, and leadership formation. It has for nearly a century. It can for the next.

“Consider a three-year pledge as Berkeley Hillel enters its next century.”

Give NowQuestions about giving? Contact our development team.

Every Generation Added Its Own Light

Your Story Is Part of This Story

Shabbat dinners. Late-night conversations. The moment you found your community. The trip that changed everything. Tell us what Berkeley Hillel meant to you.

  • Berkeley Hillel taught me the true meaning of community.
    D

    Danielle Natelson

    Class of '11

  • We met at Hillel 50 years ago. It shaped everything that came after.
    R

    Robin & Steve Fried

    Alumni 1975 & 1977

“Alumni across nearly ten decades have walked through these doors. Their stories are the living archive of this century. Add yours.”

Share Your Memory