It’s been a hectic year for Bay Area Jewish college students.
San Francisco Hillel, which serves hundreds of students on multiple campuses, has stepped up by offering virtual Shabbat programs and other events for stuck-at-home students yearning for connection during the pandemic.
And in the middle all the pandemic
mishegas, San Francisco State University was caught up in a drama in which Palestinian hijacker and activist Leila Khaled was invited virtually not once but twice to the university. (Both times, tech companies blocked the event from happening.)
“Here we are a year later, and believe me, what a year it’s been,” Rick Lenat, S.F. Hillel’s board president, said last week at the organization’s fundraiser, “Activate 2021,” which raised $20,000, according to S.F. Hillel executive director Rachel Nilson Ralston.