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Penn Hillel is one the best parts of being at Penn. Each year, Hillel reaches over 80% of the 1,300 Jewish undergraduate students on campus, with a dizzying array of different Jewish opportunities ranging from social justice to Israel, and from Jewish culture offerings to Jewish religious expression. No matter what your interest or Jewish background, Penn Hillel is there to get know each and every Jewish student by name and by story so we can help connect them to the next set of experiences, communities, and relationships that will provoke them to grow into Jewish adulthood. Penn Hillel has dozens of different student communities and initiatives who create many initiative and events open to the entire community. This includes a weekly soup kitchen, a wide variety of opportunities to engage with and learn about Israel, world famous speakers and public intellectuals, and trips to the American South, Poland, UAE, Israel and beyond. All of this is in addition to the nearly 300 students who experience Shabbat each week. Steinhardt Hall, our home base, is a state of the art facility that includes Falk Dining, a kosher Penn dining hall that provides the best food on campus with the warmest and most welcoming community. Penn Hillel`s mission is to create the relationships, experiences, and communities that provoke students to engage in a process of Jewish Self Authorship. Hillel embraces this mission by encouraging students to: Pursue tzedek (social justice) and tikkun olam (repairing the world), deepen their engagement with Israel and other Jews all over the world, inspire new levels of spiritual exploration, delve into expansive intellectual inquiry and Jewish learning, and celebrate and sweeten key moments of the year through Jewish holidays and ritual.
Undergraduate Enrollment
1,600 Jewish Students (16.0%*) 9,995 Students
*Percent of population
Graduate Enrollment
1 Jewish Student (0.0%*) 13,795 Students
*Percent of population
Anti-Israel Student Government or BDS Resolution
None
Anti-Israel Encampment, Spring 2024
Yes
Kosher Dining
Dining is located on the first floor of Steinhardt Hall and provides kosher lunch and dinner each weekday as well as Shabbat dinner and lunch. Wonderful food is served in the state of the art dining room. All students with a Penn Card can simply swipe their card to eat at Steinhardt Hall. There is a $2 surcharge for all meals at Steinhardt Hall, including Shabbat and Holidays, which can be paid with Dining Dollars as well as charged to the bursar bill. Cash is also accepted for meals.
Options:
University meal plan-extra cost
Religious Services
Shabbat at Penn Hillel is one of the places to be on Friday night at Penn. Services are warm and welcoming, with a special kind of pluralism rarely found in other Jewish communities. Hillel hosts a wide variety of student-led services that fit the needs of Jewish student from all backgrounds. After services, students from across campus and all the different options join together for a delicious Shabbat dinner. On Saturday mornings, Hillel hosts Orthodox services. Late in the afternoon, student gather again for additional services, a third meal and havdalah.
Many Hillels spent this Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, in conversation with survivors who stressed the importance of remembering the past, living with joy, and addressing injustices in the world.
The Hillel College Guide aims to provide you with a snapshot of each local Hillel’s makeup and offerings. We recognize that there may be more information you need in order to better understand the campus reality, particularly around issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. If you would like additional information about a given campus’ offerings or action steps in those areas, please reach out to us at [email protected].
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