Building the Jewish Future A N N UA L R E P O R T 2 0 1 9 – 2 0 • FA L L 2 0 2 0 R E C A P
Near or far. Closer than ever. A MESSAGE FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The theme of the last year has certainly been... Pivot! Like many of you, when we started staying home in March and brought all of our offerings online, we had no idea what to expect. This piece celebrates ASU Hillel before and during our pandemic, and truly pushes us to remember life pre-COVID. It was filled with Jewish learning over a shared meal, loud Shabbat singing, and Hillel tables throughout campus where we met new students all the time. And, we can’t forget the countless one-on-one conversations with students over coffee, chatting about Judaism, life, relationships, and so much more. The 2019–20 school year brought us our first rabbinic intern and led us to having a fulltime rabbi in fall 2020, something we had been pining for since our beloved Rabbi Lee retired in 2014. We also enjoyed eating bagels, attending community events, and celebrating holidays in person. Missing for us this fall was our special annual gathering in person to raise funds for Hillel and celebrate our successes together.
Guess what? Even a pandemic couldn’t stop us from doing what we do best—supporting students while they make the transition to adult life. The article on the next page highlights some of the ways we have been doing that and some of the things we have learned along the way. We are deeply grateful for our community of supporters. You have stood by us, coming out in full force during Hillel Global Giving Week in May 2020 and making ASU Hillel one of the top Hillels nationally for the number of gifts raised during that week. With friends like you, the Jewish future is bright. All my best,
Debbie Yunker Kail
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