Despite a spate of high-profile anti-Israel activity in recent years at U.C. Berkeley, Hillel remains a safe haven for Jewish students, according to the new executive director of the campus community center.
Gordon Gladstone, the recently appointed director, is no stranger to the Cal campus. He was initially recruited for Israel programming and advocacy work before becoming assistant director under Adam Weisberg, the group’s former executive director.
Of the campus climate toward Israel, Gladstone says the perceived level of personal safety varies between students. While admitting that there are those with anti-Zionist views on campus, including some faculty members, he asserts that Jewish students have a good home at Hillel.
“Many students report a high degree of comfort — Jewish life here is great. It’s thriving,” he says. “I want to help students to be well-informed and effective in being to articulate their point of view around Israel.”
While Weisberg was on sabbatical for a semester last year, Gladstone filled in as acting executive director. After Weisberg left Hillel to become the executive director at Camp Tawonga, Gladstone was the natural go-to replacement.
“We’re thrilled that he comes with such a strong background and knowledge of advocacy for Israel, and that he knows the Hillel community and the Berkeley community so well,” says U.C. Berkeley Hillel Rabbi Dorothy Richman.
Students’ attitudes toward Israel, however, need not affect their acceptance at Hillel. Gladstone welcomes all approaches to Judaism and Jewish life, desiring only that Jews “approach their Judaism not as something that sits on a shelf.” He recognizes that when people explore Judaism their findings may or may not be religious.
Hillel’s active role in campus life is a product of its transformation over the past 10 years from a synagogue to a community center for Cal’s Jewish population. With an estimated 3,000 Jewish students on campus, a place to call one’s own is crucial.
“Our mission is to create a home and Jewish community for students at Cal,” Gladstone says.
To this end, Gladstone has filled two new positions at Hillel. Chaya Gilboa will work as a senior Jewish educator, and Rabbi David Kasher comes in as an Israeli fellow. Both Gilboa and Kasher will work to attract more students to the center. Gilboa’s position is part of a nationwide program intended to enhance students’ meaningful Jewish engagement on campus.
“The Israel Fellows program brings recent college graduates from Israel to work to enhance people’s knowledge of Israel, and students’ ability to advocate a pro-Israel position,” Gladstone says.
A $10.7 million grant to Hillel International from the Jim Joseph Foundation provides the funding for the senior Jewish educator position. Hillel International will distribute the money to six campuses over the next five years.
Additionally, Hillel is a beneficiary of the Jewish Community Federations, both in the East Bay and in San Francisco.
Hillel depends on these contributions to keep it in the black, and stretches its $350,000 yearly budget to its limit. But the campus group is not immune to economic downturns.
“The economy will continue to impact the level at which people will continue to support charitable institutions, and that includes Hillel,” Gladstone says.
But he focuses on more than just financial issues, and does not seem to spend much time sitting at home: He joined Hillel’s Alternative Spring Break on a trip to New Orleans to rebuild homes, and went to Israel with Birthright.
“I’ve gone skiing with him for a couple years now,” says Dan Rosen, who is president of the Jewish Student Union at Berkeley. “He treats you as an equal and he’s very knowledgeable.”
For someone whose elementary school dream was to be a doctor, Gladstone has come a long way “down a different road.” His main focus now is keeping students coming back to Hillel.
“A program that draws somebody through our doors and gives them a sense of connection, that is an effective program.”