Hillel at Stanford started in the 1950’s as the “Brandeis Club,” and since 1959 has been a fully operating Hillel Foundation with a full time director. During its first years, Hillel was located off campus in downtown Palo Alto. In the early 1970’s, the Hillel office moved from its location over a garage on Alma Street to a space in the Old Union Clubhouse located in the center of Stanford’s campus. In the Fall of 2004, having grown out of its 700 square feet of basement space in Old Union, Hillel at Stanford finally moved into the renovated historic home located at 565 Mayfield Avenue, now known as the Taube Hillel House at the Harold and Libby Ziff Center for Jewish Life.

The mission of Hillel at Stanford is to create Jewish experiences of distinctively positive quality and impact that enrich the lives of students and local young adults, and that prepare emerging leaders to shape the future and lead with Jewish values.

Hillel is:

• A home for experiencing Jewish tradition, practice, values, culture and community
• A place for learning, both formally and informally, about Jewish topics
• A community for developing relationships and having fun
• A nurturing sanctuary for countering the stresses of student life and for discussing key concerns of students using a Jewish lens
• A critical contributor in enhancing campus life and in bettering the world through social action and social justice

We value: a welcoming environment •meaningful Jewish experiences • well-being of self and others •a vibrant Israel •thriving Jewish peoplehood • collaboration • excellence