Dear Hillel: Building a Home and a Community
“Dear Hillel” showcases letters from graduating seniors reflecting on their experiences of joy and belonging with their campus Hillels. Anna Krassowizki, a graduating senior at San Diego State University, shares how she found a home at Hillel when she most needed one. Read Anna’s letter to Hillel:
Dear Hillel,
I moved from Israel to California in 2016, and when it came time to apply to college, I knew I wanted to be somewhere with a strong and proud Jewish community. At the time, I didn’t even know what that would look like; I had never heard of Hillel. But during my first week at San Diego State University, I walked into Hillel for the first time, and something just clicked. I knew right away this would be my home for the next four years.
From day one, the Hillel staff believed in me and supported me in ways I didn’t know I needed. When I shared I wanted to start a pro-Israel club on campus, they didn’t hesitate, they encouraged me and gave me the confidence to make it happen. Today, the Students Supporting Israel chapter at SDSU has grown to over 200 students, something I could have never imagined on my own.
Hillel also helped me discover a passion I didn’t expect: planning events to help people build relationships and connections. Over the past four years, I’ve had the chance to plan hundreds of events, each one bringing people together in meaningful ways. That’s what drives me, the joy, the friendships, and the memories.
Through Hillel, college became so much more than just earning a degree; it became about building a Jewish community. Since moving to the United States, I had been searching for that sense of belonging. At SDSU Hillel I didn’t just find it, I had the opportunity to help grow it, strengthen it, and share it with others. And that’s what kept bringing me back, again and again.
My favorite event I’ve had the opportunity to plan is our Israeli Shabbat, which has grown into a once-a-semester tradition. It’s usually our biggest Shabbat dinner of the term, with over 100 students coming together each time. It was incredibly meaningful to bring a piece of my homeland, culture, and traditions to my new home at Hillel.
Shabbat has always been centered around family time for me. It’s a moment to slow down, to be together with the people I love. Being able to recreate that feeling on campus has meant everything. Over time, Hillel didn’t just become a place I went to; it became my family. And having the opportunity to pay that experience forward, to create a space where others can feel that same warmth, connection, and sense of belonging, is something I’m truly grateful for.
Hillel opened so many doors for me and allowed me to explore my passions, including content creation, diplomacy, and connecting with Israeli startups. But more than anything, what I’m most grateful for is the people Hillel brought into my life.
At the end of the day, it’s the people who make a place meaningful. The staff, the students, and this community truly shaped my college experience. They transformed Hillel from a space on campus into something so much more meaningful: a home filled with support, connection, and lifelong relationships.