2025-2026
Annual
Program
Report
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A Letter From Our Executive Director & Board President
There’s a moment every Jewish parent knows.
You drop your kid off at university. You hug them. You drive away. And somewhere
in the back of your mind, you wonder — will they find their way back?
Not home. Back to themselves. To their people. To the part of who they are that
was shaped around Shabbat tables, at seders, in synagogues, at Jewish summer
camps. Back to their Jewish self.
University is where that connection gets tested like nowhere else. It always has
been. But now, more than ever, the questions come earlier and louder: about Jewish
identity, about Israel, and about Zionism. For many students, this is the moment it all
becomes real. It’s a moment of opportunity, and risk. Handled well, where students
step into their Jewish identity and learn to carry that identity for life. Left alone, it’s
where they can quietly drift away. And for some, the next time they’ll think about
any of it is when they’re standing under a chuppah, or holding their own child,
wondering where to begin.
Hillel BC is the bridge between those two moments.
We are not a club. Not an extracurricular. We are a non-negotiable piece of
Jewish life — the thing that makes sure Jewish students don’t just survive
university, but cross to the other side of it: proud, connected, and ready to
carry Jewish life forward.
This year, thousands of students found that bridge. This is their story.
Ohad Gavrieli
Executive Director
Gordon Brandt
President, Board of Directors
Impact In Numbers
902
STUDENTS AT HIGH HOLIDAYS
455
PROGRAMS AND EVENTS OFFERED
+2,700
SHABBAT MEALS SERVED
1132
UNIQUE STUDENTS ENGAGED
90
STUDENTS IN LEADERSHIP COHORTS
Jewish Identity
The Table Is Always Set
For many students, university is the first time Jewish life stops happening automatically.
No family Shabbat dinner. No familiar routines. Just the question:
Do I still belong to this?
Students gathered around Hillel tables across BC campuses for a total of 32 Shabbat dinners, 37 holiday celebrations, and many moments of connection that made campus feel smaller and warmer.
Sometimes all it takes is one dinner, one conversation, or one familiar face to change a student’s entire experience.
“Before Hillel, I thought being Jewish meant one specific thing. Now I realize there’s so much more, and getting involved has made me want to incorporate Judaism into my everyday life in my own way.”
2ND YEAR UVIC STUDENT
Jewish Education
The Questions Matter
Students arrive on campus carrying important questions about identity, tradition, and belonging.
This year, Hillel BC expanded our Jewish learning opportunities through a breaking record of 6 Jewish Learning Fellowship cohorts, weekly Torah challenges and discussions, Lunch & Learns, and peer-based conversations across campuses.
The goal was never to give students all the answers. It was to create spaces where they felt comfortable asking the questions.
“For the first time, Jewish learning felt personal instead of intimidating.”
3rd YEAR SFU STUDENT
Tikkun Olam
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Israel & Advocacy
Standing Taller
This year, Jewish students found themselves navigating difficult and deeply personal conversations about Israel on campus. Hillel BC created spaces for students to learn, process, ask questions, and build confidence in their own voices through speaker events, peer dialogue, workshops, and conversations with our returning program of the Israel Fellow from the Jewish Agency. Students didn’t need scripts. They needed community, confidence, and connection.
Israeli Shuk
Israeli Folk Dance
Amjad - Druze Israeli fellow
guest speaker
Israeli Cooking Classes
Israeli Shabbat Dinner
October 7th commemoration
Two years after the October 7th massacre, Jewish students across BC campuses didn't grieve alone.
At UBC, UVIC, and SFU, Hillel BC held commemorations that brought students, staff, and community members together to light candles, share stories, sit in silence, and hold space for grief that was still very real.
These were not easy gatherings to show up to. And yet, students did.
In a year that asked so much of Jewish students, pausing to remember together was one of the most quietly powerful things we did.
We Remembered Together
Social Belonging
It Started with a Bagel
Sometimes community begins in very ordinary ways.
A Tuesday lunch. A coffee chat. A familiar face waving someone over to sit down.
Through Bagel Days, game nights, weekly lunches, and communal dinners, studentsbuilt friendships that shaped their university experience and often lasted far beyond it.
4760
Bagels served
1048
Coffee chats brewed
135
Soup delivered withsoups for the soul
1048
JFS Shulchan Patuach Support
“I came for the bagels. I stayed because
it started feeling like home.”
1st YEAR UBC STUDENT
Student Wellness
A Place to Exhale
This year still carried real emotional weight for many Jewish students.
Through wellness initiatives, one-on-one support, Soup for the Soul, and puppy yoga, Hillel BC continues to be a place where students could slow down, feel supported, and know they were not alone.
What stood out most was students showing up for each other.
Puppy Yoga
As part of our wellness programming, we welcomed four-legged guests to campus for puppy yoga sessions that gave students a chance to breathe, laugh, and simply be present for an hour. Sometimes the most meaningful support looks like a golden retriever sitting on your yoga mat.
Pre-Shabbat Happy Hour
The Hour Before the Candles
We added something new to Shabbat: a casual happy hour before dinner began.
No agenda. Just Jewish students arriving early, connecting with students that they might have never met before or reconnecting with old friends, and easing into the evening together.
What started as a small addition quickly became a requested part of the night. Students who might have felt unsure about walking into a full dinner found the happy hour a gentler entry point. Conversations started over snacks. New faces became familiar ones. By the time candles were lit, the room already felt warm.
Sometimes the most important part of any gathering is what happens right before it officially starts.
Comedy Show
Welcome Back Shabbat We Started the Year with Laughter
Our second semester opened with something a little different: a live comedy show.
Students packed the room to kick off the new academic semester with jokes, shared laughter, and the kind of easy joy that reminds you why community matters.
It set the tone for everything that followed. A year that carried real weight still had room for lightness, and Hillel BC made sure students felt that from the very first Friday night back.
“I finally felt like I could speak honestly and still feel supported”
2nd YEAR UBC STUDENT
Community and Leadership
Students Showing Up for Students
Some of the students who first came to Hillel looking for connection became the people creating it for others.
Through internships, mentorship, retreats, and student-led programming, students stepped into leadership roles that shaped Jewish life on campus in meaningful ways.
Leadership often looked simple: welcoming someone new, checking in after a difficult week, or making sure nobody sat alone.
" I wanted to give other students the same feeling of belonging I found here."
UBC ENGAGEMENT INTERN
Together
This year’s Night of Resilience brought together students, faculty, and community members from across BC.
It was an evening of reflection, celebration, and recognition for a year that challenged students in very real ways.
More than anything, it reminded students that they are part of something larger than themselves.
Donors & Student Reception
Student Awards Ceremony
Student Celebration
“Being in that room reminded me we’re not alone.”
3RD YEAR EMILY CARR STUDENT
The Year Ahead
80 Years Forward
For 80 years, Hillel BC has helped Jewish students build lasting connection during one of the most formative periods of their lives.
The students gathering around Hillel tables today will become the future leaders, parents, volunteers, and builders of Jewish community tomorrow.
As we enter our 80th year, we remain committed to showing up for Jewish students wherever they are in their journey.
There are still more bridges to build. And we’re just getting started.
Our Mission
Board of
Directors
Our Staff Team
2025-2026
Enriching the lives of Jewish students so that they may enrich the Jewish people and the world.
Vision
We envision a world where every student is inspired to make an enduring commitment to Jewish life, learning and Israel.
Hillel BC promotes Jewish life on campus and beyond, providing a warm, welcoming environment where students in BC are able to grow religiously, culturally, socially and ethically. We enable Jewish young adults to explore their Jewish identity and relationship with Israel in a safe, pluralistic and inclusive community.
Gordon Brandt,
President
Rebecca Recant,
Vice President
Jessica Lithwick,
Secretary to Feb 2026
Jocelyn Brown,
Secretary from Feb 2026
Eric Andrew,
Treasurer to Feb 2026
Lianna Philipp,
Treasurer from Feb 2026
Frank Cohn
Aaron Devor
Shannon Gorski
Talia Magder
Alex Shiff
Ania Switzer
April Nowell
Perry Schneiderman
Hedy Rubin
Ohad Gavrieli,
Executive Director
Einat Livni,
Operations Director
Ellie Sherman,
Director of Student Life
Rabbi Kylynn Cohen,
Senior Jewish Educator
Eva Shortt,
Student Advocacy Advisor
Almog Bar,
Lead Campus Professional, UBC
Adi Polak,
Jewish Agency Israel Fellow
Talia Chivo,
Lead Campus Professional, UVic
Josh Switzer,
Springboard Ezra Fellow, UVic
Charlie Cleugh,
Lead Campus Professional, Emerging Campuses
Dana Yanko,
Marketing Lead
Doron Ron,
Administrative Assistant
Our programs and events on multiple campuses across BC reflect the diverse interests and needs of our members, build valuable leadership skills, and help to create a long-term impact in the Jewish community and beyond.
MAJOR IMPACT- Toda Raba
Donations above $25,000
Herb and Barbara Silber
Judy and Isaac Thau
Bill and Risa Levine
Mordehai and Hana Wosk
Daniel and Michelle Dodek
The Edwina and Paul Heller Memorial Fund
Donations $5,000-$25,000
Jonathan and Heather Berkowitz
Cristall Family Fund
Harvey and Jody Dales Family Philanthropic Foundation
Aaron Devor & Rabbi Lynn Greenhough
Dr Arthur and Judy Dodek
Rose-Marie Glassman
Sima Godfrey
Lorne Greenberg
Jewish Federation of Victoria and Vancouver Island
The Kahn Family
Jonathan and Shannon Kallner
Sharon Kates
Shay (Shy) and Mickey Keil
Horatio Kemeny
Korbin (Judi) Philanthropic Fund
Robert and Marilyn Krell
Lutsky Families
Sandra and Norman Miller Family
Michael and Carol Millman
Sandy and Ian Penn
Bernard Pinsky & Daniella Givon
Doug and Lana Pulver Family Foundation
Shafran Family, Devonshire Properties
R & J Stern Family Foundation
Zalkow Foundation
Anonymous (3)
“These past four years, Hillel has been a safe space, a study spot, and a family, and I don’t know how I would have gotten through university without them.”
CLASS OF 2026 UBC STUDENT