Explore University of Southern California Hillel Foundation
USC Hillel is the center of Jewish life at USC, engaging over 1,500 unique students annually. We are student-centered, empowering a dynamic team of student leaders who curate meaningful Jewish experiences for the USC community. USC Hillel develops leaders and inspires Jewish Trojans to make an enduring commitment to Jewish life. We offer a welcoming, inclusive, and pluralistic environment, a nurturing space to build a strong Jewish community, and an emphasis on peer-to-peer relationship building among an actively engaged student base. USC Hillel strives to create a balanced offering of programming across our core pillars of Leadership Development, Building Community, Ritual and Spiritual Life, Social Justice, Israel Engagement and Education, and Holistic Wellness.
Undergraduate Enrollment
2,000 Jewish Students (9.5%*) 21,163 Students
*Percent of population
Graduate Enrollment
2,000 Jewish Students (7.7%*) 25,936 Students
*Percent of population
Jewish Experience Through Hillel
USC Hillel is the home of the Jewish Trojan Family. We cultivate a thriving, pluralistic Jewish community on campus where every Jewish person can belong, build, and become. Our community is centered on student leadership and their vision leads the way through areas of interest including wellness, Israel, ritual, community service, and social opportunities. Our students are truly the authors of their Jewish experience. Our community gathers weekly for vibrant Shabbat dinners, cohort-based learning experiences, bagel brunches on campus, and countless cups of coffee and conversations. We also offer immersive experiences, including our signature first-year welcome retreat FreshFest, our annual trips to Israel through Birthright and Onward, and international travel over spring break. Our building is open all week long for studying, hanging out, noshing, and just being.
Anti-Israel Student Government or BDS Resolution
None
Kosher Dining
USC offers a limited meal plan for weeknight dinners at no extra charge in the dining hall. Hillel frequently serves dinner at weekday programming (and every week for Shabbat). Nearby grocery stores (within walking distance) stock kosher products.
Options:
University meal plan-no extra cost;Kosher food available nearby
Religious Services
At USC Hillel, we strive to meet the needs of a diverse student body with a pluralistic approach. Our rabbi works hand in hand with students from a variety of religious and cultural backgrounds to create offerings that celebrate the Jewish experience, from weekly Friday evening Kabbalat Shabbat services to Passover seders that draw from many traditions. We host weekly Friday night Shabbat services and dinner, services and experiences throughout the High Holy Days, seders and meals for Passover, and everything in between. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, our services and meals are always free for students.
Frequency:
Friday night only
Wellness, Inclusion, and Activism
USC Hillel is proud to offer a suite of wellness opportunities through the Bradley Sonnenberg Wellness Initiative. Our professional team includes a full-time Wellness Director, who works with our student leaders to implement positive reinforcements and wellness promotion efforts in our community, and a part-time clinician, who offers free therapy to any Jewish student at USC. Any student can engage with our wellness cohort learning and cooking programs.
Mazel tov! Whether you’re beginning your college career or continuing your college journey, there’s something so special about starting another year marked by meaning, personal growth, challenges, unexpected turns, and most importantly, memories that will last a lifetime.
Jewish tradition offers us an option of how to respond to moments when words otherwise fail us, one which signals the most essential message at times filled with confusion, pain, or uncertainty — hineini, I am here.
Hi Friend, I’m Alyssa, a senior at the University of Southern California, and I’ve been through the “How do I tell my professors I need time off for the High Holidays?” process a few times now. Trust me, I know how nerve-wracking it can be, especially if you’re new to campus. As the fall semester […]
Looking to travel sooner? There is a Hillel: Birthright Israel trip with University of Southern California this winter from December […]
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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