UCSB Hillel

UCSB Hillel is a branch of Hillel ministering to Jewish students at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB).
History of UCSB Hillel
No one knows for certain when exactly the Jewish community started at UC Santa Barbara. What is known for sure is that Hillel and Santa Barbara Jews contributed to the building and use of the University Religious Center (URC) in Isla Vista during the late sixties. In the early seventies a Rabbi from Los Angeles, known as the "Zen Rabbi" make trips in his VW Bus to conduct services at the URC. In the mid seventies the URC hired a full time staffer for the Jewish community. In 1985 Rabbi Steve Cohen became the director of Hillel. At the time 12 to 15 students attended services in 1985.
Search for a new home
By the early 1990s the Jewish community in Santa Barbara started to come out in force. What was once a service of 10 to fifteen people became a group over over 100. In 1993 the University began talks of selling the URC. At the time Hillel was one of the few organizations utilizing the building. Rabbi Steve Cohen and the Hillel board began looking at buying the building for four hundred thousand dollars. However the board decided that maybe they should look at another building that could better serve the Jewish community. They entertained buying the lot where Embarcadero Hall now stands (and previously the spot of the infamous Bank of America fire during the Vietnam protests). St. Michael's, a local church, offered to sell the land adjacent to their church. Rabbi Steve Cohen first turned the offer down. The building in that lot was run down, and was not what the Hillel Board was looking for. St. Michael's persisted, and approached a member of the Hillel Board, convincing them to buy the land and build a new building from scratch.
In 1996 Hillel purchased the land where the current student center exists. In 1997 Hillel began to form a "Building Fund" and began looking at building designs, receiving six figure donations in 1998. in 1999 the design was complete. On September 14, 1999, the Commissioners of Planning of the County of Santa Barbara agreed to allow construction of the building to start. in 2000 construction began on the building, and in May 2001, after 7 years of searching and 3.5 million dollars later, the Milton Roisman Jewish Student Center was complete.
The building of the UCSB Hillel would not have been possible without the great help of community donors, university professors and students alike. Dignitaries from the community and across the country attended events during the three-day opening weekend. University Chancellor Henry Yang, benefactor Milton Roisman, faculty, clergy and students were all on hand at the ribbon cutting to offer their support. Hillel's International Board of Governors Chairman Edgar Bronfman and his son Adam attended the gala dinner along with 200 major donors and guests. In addition to Milton Roisman, community supporters included Julie Friedman, Harold Richards, Seymour and Shirley Lehrer, Adam and Cindy Bronfman, Sara Miller McCune and Robin and Roger Nimovitz.
Milton Roisman
Milton Roisman contributed 800,000 dollars to the construction of the building. He was a simple man and a member of the Isla Vista Minion. Thanks to him and many other donors the building much of the Jewish community at UCSB now calls home exists.
Architect
Dennis Thompson of Thompson-Naylor Architects designed the building. It was built mostly of recycled materials and is the greenest building in Isla Vista, keeping to Jewish tradition of Tikun Olam. The building's most recognizable feature would be the blue dome on top, signifying its connection to Jerusalem.
Jewish Activism at UCSB
Shabbat Services
Hillel of Santa Barbara holds Shabbat Services every Friday night. Currently there are three services, a liberal (reform service) that student run, a conservative service that is student run, and a Orthodox service ran by Chabad Rabbi Mendel Lochack. The Liberal service is held under the dome, while the others are held in conference rooms. Originally at the University Center prior to the construction of the URC there were both Conservative and Liberal Services. . This is one of the unique aspects of the UCSB Hillel building, it allows for a space of collective use. The building was created to house the Jewish Community of UCSB and Isla vista in its entirety, and that is what it has achieved. Students from all walks of life make their second home the Hillel building, and find a comfortable niche while attending university.
Alternative Spring Break
Hillel provides opportunities for students to contribute to their surroundings. Since 2006 Santa Barbara Hillel has sent students to New Orleans to help rebuild after Hurricane Katrina. It has also sent students to Mississippi for reconstruction, Tennessee and will be sending students to Galveston, Texas this year.
Kosher Cookout
Typically Hillel holds a Kosher cookout once a week for students to enjoy kosher food other than on Friday nights. Due to the fact that Santa Barbara lacks any Kosher butcher, this once a week event creates a space for all students of UCSB too come social, feel comfortable and most importantly get a Kosher home cooked meal. This is a completely free event, and is very unique among Hillels across the country.
Love Luau has been held once a year at Hillel as a opportunity to raise money for charity and as an opportunity for Jewish singles to meet each other. This has been a tradition at Hillel since 2001.
Holocaust Remembrance
On Yom Hashoah Hillel of Santa Barbara recognizes the Holocaust by reading off a list of those who died in the Holocaust in front of the University center and holding a candle vigil. This vigil is an exemplary act of historical remembrance and an outright demonstration of history by college students.
Birthright
Every Jew between the ages of 18 and 25 is awarded a "birthright" trip to Israel. Santa Barbara Hillel sends students to Hillel with no expenses paid every summer and winter. Santa Barbara Hillel, carries out their own Birthright trip, and allows a great dichotomy of Jewish university students to go to Israel for Free.
Salsa Dancing
Since 2003 Hillel has held a weekly Salsa dancing night open to all to learn how to salsa dance
Greater UCSB Jewish Community
While the buildings main focus is on Hillel, the Jewish center is open to many others in Santa Barbara.
The UCSB Hillel has programing for:
* Interfaith youth
* Israeli-Palestinian film festival:
UCSB's Israel Palestine Film Festival (IPFF) is the world's first and currently only student-planned and student-run festival for Israel and Palestine. Positioning itself to be a safe-space for education (beyond the news) and acceptance (not just tolerance), the festival showcases the latest in cinema from the region.
Chabad
The hillel building also provides a space for other popular Jewish organizations to do programing.
Chabad provides a weekly Cafe Kosher, where students come to eat a warm Kosher meal and listen to words of Torah from Rabbi Mendel Loscak
Chabad which started at UCSB only 7 years ago, attributed much of its knowledge about the SB Jewish community to the ever growing turnout at Hillel. While Chabad has its own goals and programing, it works in tandem with UCSB Hillel to make a cohesive Jewish space possible.
American Students for Israel
Hillel is also the home to such student run organizations as ASI. This political and cultural group meets weekly at the hillel building, to promote a dialogue and an awareness of Israel on Campus. The meetings are open to all UCSB students.
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