Hillel: The Foundation For Jewish Campus Life - Services

Services

Hillel is not a membership organization. Any interested student may participate in their activities, usually free of charge. Most activities are free of charge and other fees may be waived because of need. Hillel's strategy, as redefined in 2006, explicitly set a goal to "inspire every Jewish student to make an enduring commitment to Jewish life." To be effective, Hillel activities vary from campus to campus, with an emphasis on responding to the needs of participating students. To reach a larger audience, campus Hillel foundations struggle to create a pluralistic, inclusive environment that still remains distinctively Jewish. To do so, the national foundation organizes trips to Israel, places service fellows at the campus foundations, creates a guide to Jewish student life, and leads advocacy work on Jewish and Israeli issues, as well as providing some financial support to its campus foundations.

Hillel is also dedicated to social activism, fundraising and philanthropy for charitable causes. These activities are usually led on the local campus level, but many campuses participate in alternative spring break trips dedicated to service, a Yom Kippur Fast Action Campaign, and the Oxfam Fair Trade Coffee Campaign, as well as more traditional local service projects at soup kitchens, homeless shelters, and Jewish community organizations.