About Us
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General Information
Hillel at the Claremont Colleges is a vibrant 5-C Jewish community organization where students socialize over delicious kosher food, volunteer in meaningful community service projects, and celebrate Shabbat and holidays in a warm, and nurturing environment. Through such programs as Candy Apple Making for Rosh Hashanah, our tzedek speakers, and our festive weekly Shabbat services and home cooked dinners, Hillel aims to build and nurture a pluralistic Jewish community, to provide opportunities for Jews on campus to meet one another and to explore the various meanings of Jewish identity. Our First Year Students at Hillel (FYSH) program is a fun and welcoming social environment for freshmen to meet other freshmen on campus, through such programs as the Welcome Back BBQ and Lazer Tag. We welcome all students and hope you will join us!
Cultural Programs
Culturally, Hillel provides both social and educational opportunities. Guest artists and musicians range from David Broza and Matisyahu to The Hebrew Mamita, the LA Israeli Consul General, and Ami Yares. We host study breaks for students in the local coffee house, go on road trips to JEWLICIOUS, and learn Israeli dancing. Additionally, we plans events such as Iron Chef Sushi, Warm Cookies and Lactaid, the Purim masquerade party, and Hookah in the Sukkah.
First Year Students of Hillel
Our First Year Students of Hillel provides a social atmosphere for first year students to meet other first year students, in the Jewish framework of Hillel. We host a variety of events, ranging from the Welcome Back BBQ to the Jewish Community Retreat and more!
Social Action
Last but not least, Hillel offers social action programming for both Jewish and non-Jewish students alike. We do smaller projects like writing letters to soldiers and visitng local retirement communities and we participate in larger events such as Just For A Day, a one-day social action program in LA where over 1,000 students from the Los Angeles area came together to give back to their community. We have planned Mitzvah of the Month, which is a social action project in the spirit of ‘tikkun olam’ or repairing the world. Additionally, students have participated in Hillel’s Alternative Spring Break trip to rebuild the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina and AJWS’s social action trip to rebuild in rural El Salvador after a devastating earthquake.
We encourage all students to get involved with the staff and our student board to plan and implement activities that interest them. So if we don't already have something that captures your imagination, come help us to create it!
Religious Life
Hillel offers weekly Friday night services, once-a-month Saturday services, services/celebrations for every Jewish holiday during the school year, and frequent opportunities for text study. Religiously, Hillel strives to embrace the pluralistic community it has been blessed with by inviting students from all denominations and backgrounds to participate in and lead religious events. Hillel also attempts to make Jews from all educational backgrounds comfortable with creating a community together.