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Hillel International

Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life
Hillel logo.png
Founded 1923; 94 years ago (1923)
Founded at University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Illinois, United States
Type 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
52-1844823
Headquarters United States Washington, D.C.
Coordinates 38°54′00″N 77°01′24″W / 38.900053°N 77.023199°W / 38.900053; -77.023199Coordinates: 38°54′00″N 77°01′24″W / 38.900053°N 77.023199°W / 38.900053; -77.023199
Area served
Worldwide
Tina Price
David Shapira
Eric D. Fingerhut
Revenue (2015)
$30,189,331
Expenses (2015) $30,695,517
Endowment $8,493,134
Employees (2014)
1,505
Volunteers (2014)
50
Mission To enable Jewish students of all backgrounds to explore and celebrate their Jewish identity through its global network of over 500 regional centers, campus Foundations, and Jewish student organizations.
Website www.hillel.org

Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life (simply known as Hillel International or Hillel) is the largest Jewish campus organization in the world, working with thousands of college students globally. Hillel's stated mission is "to enrich the lives of Jewish undergraduate and graduate students so that they may enrich the Jewish people and the world". In practical terms, campus Hillel foundations engage Jewish students in religious, cultural, artistic, and community-service activities. Hillel is represented at more than 550 colleges and communities throughout North America and globally, including 30 communities in the former Soviet Union, nine in Israel, and five in South America. The organization is named for Hillel the Elder, a Jewish sage who moved from Babylonia to Judea in the 1st century and is known for his formulation of the Golden Rule.

In 1923, Dr. Edward Chauncey Baldwin, Christian professor of Biblical literature at University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign was distressed by his Jewish students' lack of knowledge of the Old Testament, and he discussed his concerns with Rabbi Benjamin Frankel.

Later the same year, members of the local Jewish and university communities met in a rented loft over a dry cleaner in Champaign, Illinois, to found The Hillel Foundation.

In 1925, B'nai Brith pledged to sponsor Hillel's activities with a budget of approximately $12,000 that year. By then, it encompassed 120 Hillel foundations and affiliates at an additional 400 campuses. The campus foundations seek to create a welcoming environment for Jewish students on their respective campuses.

Beginning in 1988, under Director Richard M. Joel, Hillel underwent an organizational shift in mission and structure. An integral part of this shift was the institution of a Board of Governors, chaired by Edgar M. Bronfman until 2009 when he was succeeded by Randall Kaplan.


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