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Updated Sept. 12.

At a time of rising antisemitism on college campuses, the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund is upping funding significantly to eight Hillels in Northern California.

Community leaders are anticipating a difficult year ahead for Jewish college students after raucous protests last school year that impacted daily life. At the height of demonstrations, protesters at Bay Area universities blocked parts of campus, erected tent encampments, occupied buildings, and in one case shut down a talk by an Israeli reservist and sent attendees fleeing. Protesters have already shown an interest in keeping up the battle this semester, as Israel’s war against Hamas nears its year mark.

The S.F.-based Federation, a multibillion-dollar organization, is increasing its support for the Hillels that serve college students in San Francisco, Berkeley, Stanford, Davis, Sacramento, Silicon Valley, Santa Cruz, Chico and Sonoma. All have seen their share of protests and tensions over the past year.

“They’ve always been a big supporter of Hillel,” Roger Feigelson, executive director of San Francisco Hillel, said of the Federation. “But in the past year, since Oct. 7, things have really heated up on college campuses, making it a really difficult environment for Jewish students around the city, and they’ve seen the need to step up a bit and help even more.”

Earlier this year, pro-Palestinian protesters at UC Santa Cruz demanded their universities cut ties with, or “terminate” the presence of, the schools’ Hillel chapters. Hillels across the country have been targeted; on Aug. 29, demonstrators at Temple University in Philadelphia marched on the campus Hillel and used megaphones to “chant directly at the occupants within the building,” according to a statement from the school.

“Following the rise in antisemitism in our communities and on college campuses, the Federation made sure local Hillels had the resources they needed to help students explore their Jewish identity and feel safe on campus,” CEO Joy Sisisky said. “Hillels are places on campus where our young people can be regular college students and be their full Jewish selves.”

The Federation is distributing a total of $860,000, a 40% increase over the $615,000 it gave Hillels last year. It is doubling support for the Hillel serving UC Davis and Sacramento State. Funding is tripling for San Francisco Hillel, which serves multiple schools, including San Francisco State University and University of San Francisco. 

The organization said 90% of the funds are unrestricted, meaning they can be spent in any way each Hillel sees fit.

Feigelson said S.F. Hillel would use the funding for existing and new programs, including leadership development, which teaches students skills on everything from how to organize a Shabbat dinner to how to approach difficult conversations about Israel on campus. 

Students are also grappling with big feelings around Israel, Feigelson said.  

“Part of what we’re doing here is getting students to be comfortable with the idea that, yes, you can love the country and be frustrated with it at the same time, just like in the United States,” he said.

Rabbi Adam Naftalin-Kelman is executive director of Berkeley Hillel, on a campus that has seen its share of altercations and even violence surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since Oct. 7.

“This support allows us to continue doing what we do in a thoughtful way, and knowing that we have a partner in the Federation makes it even more powerful,” he said.

Naftalin-Kelman said having an unrestricted grant from the Federation gives Hillel the flexibility to create new programming to meet the needs of UC Berkeley students. 

“The generous support that we’re getting from the Federation allows us to think about what the new programs can be on the fly,” he said.

Feigelson said Hillels are a haven of safety for students who feel beleaguered, and also a place to bolster Jewish pride.

“We also want them to feel proud of their Jewish identity, and to show that they’re Jewish and get them to take those Magen Davids back out and wear them,” Feigelson said. “Some of them are hiding them, and I don’t blame them. It’s scary out there.”