WASHINGTON, DC (July 19, 2007) -- The Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund of San Francisco will provide Hillel's Charles and Lynn Schusterman International Center with a three-year, $1,665,000 grant for nine Hillels in Northern California. These funds will be used by Hillels for general program support at more than a dozen public and private universities throughout the region.

The Hillels in Northern California are Berkeley Hillel, Chico Hillel, Hillel at Stanford, Hillel at UC Davis and Sacramento State University, Hillel of Silicon Valley, San Francisco Hillel, San Luis Obispo Hillel, Santa Cruz Hillel and Sonoma Hillel. Many of these Hillels serve multiple campuses.

Hillel President Wayne Firestone praised the new Goldman Fund grant: "This generous grant deepens our relationship with the Goldman Fund and raises it to a new level. We are grateful to the Goldman fund for this gift. The grant is recognition of the work of Hillel students, staff and volunteer leadership in Northern California in building adult Jewish identity and providing innovative and enriching Jewish programming on all of our campuses."

"One of our priorities is to help strengthen the Jewish community in the Bay Area for Jews of all ages. Hillel serves an important role in fostering a sense of Jewish community on university campuses, where young people come together to further explore their Jewish identity. We are pleased to support this work ," said Goldman Fund founder Richard N. Goldman.

"This gift reflects the deep and abiding support that Mr. Goldman and his family have provided to our Bay Area campuses," explained Ken Kramarz, Hillel's newly-appointed executive campus liaison for Northern California.

Since its establishment in 1951, the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund has contributed more than $550 million to a variety of charitable causes. The Fund supports programs that focus on improving the quality of life in the San Francisco Bay Area, the environment and Jewish affairs both domestically and in Israel.

The largest Jewish campus organization in the world, Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life seeks to inspire every Jewish student to make an enduring commitment to Jewish life through its network of more than 500 campus foundations, program centers and affiliates. Hillel enriches the lives of Jewish undergraduate and graduate students of all backgrounds so they may enrich the Jewish people and the world.