On March 29, at noon on Banbury Dr. in San Francisco, attendees climbed the steps of the building that houses SF Hillel. The groundbreaking celebration of the soon to be renovated building was celebrated in the backyard of the home, where donors and community members gathered under the hot sun in a tight patio space.
The house has sheltered SF Hillel for decades, but the small family-sized home has struggled to fulfill the needs of the community. Dr. Lynn Mahoney, president of San Francisco State University (SFSU), spoke to attendees about attending Shabbat dinners at the house, “It was joyful but crowded, hot, cold and it was clear the building was failing.”
A campus hillel is a community center and campus extension for Jewish college students, intended to create a space for Shabbat dinners, meetings with religious leaders and student connection. SF Hillel serves SFSU, USF and other colleges in the bay area who may not have a local hillel.
Accessibility concerns and practicalities are not the only reasons cited for pursuing the near $9 million renovation project. On Dec. 5, 2025, SF Hillel was targeted by an arson attack which rendered the building unsafe for use, and the chapter was forced to relocate and operate from the SFSU campus library. Roger Feigelson, executive director of SF Hillel, spoke in the opening remarks as he thanked donors for their generous contributions and stressed the importance of safety in the new building: “Not only are we able to build the building we dreamed of, we also have a fund to maintain it.”
Talia Elfezouaty is an Ezra Springboard Fellow at SF Hillel. She works as a student resource for USF specifically. “I lead a lot of the learning cohorts, help plan events and support students on campus,” she said. “Having a space for dialogue and connection is so crucial,” Elfezouaty said as she explained her outreach efforts to various Bay Area campuses. Some of which include visiting the USF undercaf every two weeks with snacks and lending an ear to any interested students: “Jewish and non-Jewish… whether they’re struggling or just want to talk.”
Art Gitman, a senior at SFSU also spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony. “This space has given me a wonderful place to meet other Jewish students and non-Jewish students as well,” he said. “This is about far more than just a building, it’s about a new phase in Jewish life in San Francisco.”
The renovation planning and process was cited as a long one, and was made possible partly with the help of the state of California. State Senator Scott Weiner was in attendance as a representative of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus, who said, “We’ve heard from Jewish students about the challenges they’re facing and we have to do more. That’s why we were able to provide $1 million from the state for this campaign.” Weiner thanked those involved in the project: “We must make sure our community is not only supported, but safe.”
As key players in the renovation process donned commemorative construction hats and shovels to formally break ground for the new building, the backyard was humming while community members thanked the speakers. The atmosphere was bright and joyful, full of excitement for the coming months of the project.
Nancy Grand, a key donor of the project, and thus the namesake of the new building stressed this excitement. “It’s about values; connectivity, community, generosity and taking care of the next generation,” she said. “It’s a place for identity-building, future leaders and belonging. A place like Hillel is much more than a building, it’s a home.”
