Hillel in the News
Camp Fire Updates
Thank you for everyone's concern and for reaching out. At this time, here is our story with what happened, the current location of students and what we plan to do as a community of ACTION.
Chico Hillel Community Plan
CSU Chico has officially reopened and classes are in session. As of Monday, students returned to Chico with blue skies, fall colors and energy to get back to work. Most were feeling a disconnect from the local trauma here. They had the energy of a fresh semester with almost 2.5 weeks off. Their energy quickly down shifted as faculty, professors and locals shared their status; some lost everything, others volunteered and most everyone was effected here in Chico. Faculty broke down in tears, the counseling center is overwhelmed and coursework can be frustrating with regularly scheduled exams although most professors seem to be trimming students' workloads.
Our students are being cared for by our Hillel. We have several events to address questions, wellness and destress activities to guide them through this unforeseen tragedy. Please view our calendar for updated events. Calendar of Events
Our students are brainstorming different ways we can help.
Some ideas are
Chico Hillel Community Plan
CSU Chico has officially reopened and classes are in session. As of Monday, students returned to Chico with blue skies, fall colors and energy to get back to work. Most were feeling a disconnect from the local trauma here. They had the energy of a fresh semester with almost 2.5 weeks off. Their energy quickly down shifted as faculty, professors and locals shared their status; some lost everything, others volunteered and most everyone was effected here in Chico. Faculty broke down in tears, the counseling center is overwhelmed and coursework can be frustrating with regularly scheduled exams although most professors seem to be trimming students' workloads.
Our students are being cared for by our Hillel. We have several events to address questions, wellness and destress activities to guide them through this unforeseen tragedy. Please view our calendar for updated events. Calendar of Events
Our students are brainstorming different ways we can help.
Some ideas are
- to adopt a family in need and focus 100% of our efforts to help them with any special requests and specifically with holiday celebrations and gifts.
- foster animals from shelters as they come with a timeline and stipend for expenses.
- contact local agencies like the Boys and Girls club to volunteer and connect with kids while they are still out of school until December 3rd.
- help create a master Google spreadsheet of resources for the community to share and access for long-term resources like contact numbers, shelters, volunteer agencies, crisis etc.
What happened? |
On Thursday, November 8th-9th at Chico Hillel...
Yes, we’re all physically safe. 99% of students are home with parents and friends. Chico is not directly threatened by the fire. On the morning of Thursday, November 8th, students gathered at the Hillel office per usual between classes, additionally many came in to receive support. Initially students in the office were discussing the shooting from the previous night in Thousand Oaks. Students shared pictures, stories and were in a state of shock. Near this time, the town of Paradise was in flames. We quickly ordered pizza for comfort and turned on the local news. Chico State was still in session and students did not know if they should be studying for afternoon exams or start to pack bags for the holiday weekend. Little did we know how horrific things were about to become. Most students had plans to already depart Chico for the three-day weekend. So those students here who did not have an evacuation plan felt stuck. As the director, I quickly assured students they would be under my wing with my family. Chico Hillel turned into a media center of sending text messages to our members and we created a plan for the rest of the day to meet at my private home. It was important to keep Hillel open until campus made an announcement regarding class suspension. In my opinion, it is important to understand that Chico State did not close campus completely because of the roughly 2,000 residents in the dorms and available dining. By 10 PM that night, most students were either home or on the road out of Chico. My family absorbed one student as we evacuated by choice to the Roseville area.
Campus Closed (November 9-25, 2018)
"Most students are with friends and family utilizing this time to recuperate. Some students were forced to evacuate during the Woolsey Fire. As the director, I have been privately calling students to check in and see how they are. Overall, everyone is just heartbroken. Professors and department chairs are meeting online during this time to discuss how to revise coursework and upcoming due dates."
Yes, we’re all physically safe. 99% of students are home with parents and friends. Chico is not directly threatened by the fire. On the morning of Thursday, November 8th, students gathered at the Hillel office per usual between classes, additionally many came in to receive support. Initially students in the office were discussing the shooting from the previous night in Thousand Oaks. Students shared pictures, stories and were in a state of shock. Near this time, the town of Paradise was in flames. We quickly ordered pizza for comfort and turned on the local news. Chico State was still in session and students did not know if they should be studying for afternoon exams or start to pack bags for the holiday weekend. Little did we know how horrific things were about to become. Most students had plans to already depart Chico for the three-day weekend. So those students here who did not have an evacuation plan felt stuck. As the director, I quickly assured students they would be under my wing with my family. Chico Hillel turned into a media center of sending text messages to our members and we created a plan for the rest of the day to meet at my private home. It was important to keep Hillel open until campus made an announcement regarding class suspension. In my opinion, it is important to understand that Chico State did not close campus completely because of the roughly 2,000 residents in the dorms and available dining. By 10 PM that night, most students were either home or on the road out of Chico. My family absorbed one student as we evacuated by choice to the Roseville area.
Campus Closed (November 9-25, 2018)
"Most students are with friends and family utilizing this time to recuperate. Some students were forced to evacuate during the Woolsey Fire. As the director, I have been privately calling students to check in and see how they are. Overall, everyone is just heartbroken. Professors and department chairs are meeting online during this time to discuss how to revise coursework and upcoming due dates."
Chico Hillel Newsletter Spring 2018
| hillel_spring_newsletter_final_2018.pdf |
Chico Hillel Newsletter Fall 2017
| Chico Hillel Newsletter Fall 2017 |
The Voice June 2015
Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region
The Voice December 2014
Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region
Building Bridges Fall 2014
CSU, Chico Office of Diversity and Inclusion
5 Lessons from the Dreaded College Search
Rabbi Felipe Goodman
Times of Israel
JUNE 9, 2014
4. Don’t underestimate the impact of a good Hillel! Another one of those interesting aspects of going to college in America is what to do about who you are! By that I mean, what does it mean to be Jewish in a University where there are about twenty or thirty thousand students and the majority are definitely not Jewish? For me that was never a problem… I went to school miles away from the congregation I grew up in, miles away from the largest Jewish Community Center in the world. What do you do when you have been to Israel countless times as a child, when you spent a semester of your junior year in High School studying in Tichon Ramah Yerushalayim (Camp Ramah’s High School program in Jerusalem)? You can’t just pretend that you can exist without a Jewish Community.
I really never fully understood just how important Hillel is! I knew it was important but only after we visited the Hillel facilities at the colleges we visited, only after I met really wonderful and engaging directors did I understand what Hillel was going to do for my son. There is no substitute for the smile, the encouraging advice, the warmth and sense of home that we felt when we walked together through the doors of The Hillel at Purdue (Hillel Director Philip Schlossberg), at University of Illinois (Hillel Director Erez Cohen) and at Cal State Chico (Hillel Director Kristy Bergson, which was one of the first places we visited.) To a certain extent these visits have made me realize how important it is that we make the Hillel in our own community thrive. I never understood the tremendous amount of effort our Federation Director placed in making our Hillel happen and I now really get it! Hillel can make all the difference in the world.
I also very much appreciated how very in tune these directors were with the gap year program our son is going on. Did I mention how attentive they were to his needs as an individual, assuring him that there would be a space for him as a Conservative Jew, that he needed not to “become” Orthodox or Reform to be able to pray or to see the Jewish world as he is accustomed to seeing it. I never realized how much work, how much emotional investment the Hillel professionals put into helping our children not feel alone! The enormity and overwhelming spaces that some of these campuses occupy is enough to make you feel like a stranger and feeling at home in the midst of your people can go a long way!
Times of Israel
JUNE 9, 2014
4. Don’t underestimate the impact of a good Hillel! Another one of those interesting aspects of going to college in America is what to do about who you are! By that I mean, what does it mean to be Jewish in a University where there are about twenty or thirty thousand students and the majority are definitely not Jewish? For me that was never a problem… I went to school miles away from the congregation I grew up in, miles away from the largest Jewish Community Center in the world. What do you do when you have been to Israel countless times as a child, when you spent a semester of your junior year in High School studying in Tichon Ramah Yerushalayim (Camp Ramah’s High School program in Jerusalem)? You can’t just pretend that you can exist without a Jewish Community.
I really never fully understood just how important Hillel is! I knew it was important but only after we visited the Hillel facilities at the colleges we visited, only after I met really wonderful and engaging directors did I understand what Hillel was going to do for my son. There is no substitute for the smile, the encouraging advice, the warmth and sense of home that we felt when we walked together through the doors of The Hillel at Purdue (Hillel Director Philip Schlossberg), at University of Illinois (Hillel Director Erez Cohen) and at Cal State Chico (Hillel Director Kristy Bergson, which was one of the first places we visited.) To a certain extent these visits have made me realize how important it is that we make the Hillel in our own community thrive. I never understood the tremendous amount of effort our Federation Director placed in making our Hillel happen and I now really get it! Hillel can make all the difference in the world.
I also very much appreciated how very in tune these directors were with the gap year program our son is going on. Did I mention how attentive they were to his needs as an individual, assuring him that there would be a space for him as a Conservative Jew, that he needed not to “become” Orthodox or Reform to be able to pray or to see the Jewish world as he is accustomed to seeing it. I never realized how much work, how much emotional investment the Hillel professionals put into helping our children not feel alone! The enormity and overwhelming spaces that some of these campuses occupy is enough to make you feel like a stranger and feeling at home in the midst of your people can go a long way!
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