Hillel of Sonoma County

Hillel of Sonoma County is the center of Jewish life for college students in Sonoma County. It’s a space to hang out with friends, meet new people, and connect with your Jewish Community. Often, at this point in life, students are exploring their Jewish identity and what that means to them. Hillel's goal is to create an environment in which people of all back grounds can come together with the purpose of celebrating Judaism and by joining our Shabbat dinners, spending quality time with each other, and cultivating a strong sense of community that uphold Jewish values. 

In 1999, Hillel of Sonoma County was founded to give students from Sonoma State University and Santa Rosa Junior College a place to engage in Jewish life each semester. We began as a small subsidiary of the local Jewish Community Alliance (JCA), holding occasional Shabbat dinners for a few students in their dorm rooms. Today, our programming and student involvement is growing and flourishing as we have transformed into a vibrant, independent organization that serves handfuls of students each year. Hillel of Sonoma County does not take a specific stand or have an agenda; we exist to provide and maintain a safe and welcoming space for Jewish students regardless of differences of beliefs. 

Today, our mission is simple: to reach out to and connect students to a diverse and vibrant Jewish campus community filled with celebration, learning, and creativity.

Hillel of Sonoma County empowers students to take step into to their growing Jewish identity, whether they wish to participate in a community service project, express themselves artistically, engage in informal Jewish learning or lead a religious service. 

In addition, we:

• Promote Jewish life in Sonoma County and beyond, through broad programming and a commitment to building a diverse Jewish community.
• Provide a strong community that enriches the lives of our Jewish students and the campuses we serve as a whole and that enables members of these communities to come together in an atmosphere welcoming to all.
• Prepare Jewish students to be active and responsible members of the larger community and prepare them to be engaged and participatory members of the Jewish community after they graduate.
• Provide a nurturing environment for Jewish students to grow, with respect for other faiths and a broad understanding of what it means to be Jewish.