About Hillel at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (Illini Hillel)
Illini Hillel is the first Hillel in the world. Established in 1923 by Rabbi Benjamin Frankel, Illini Hillel strengthens the Jewish identity of 3,500 Jewish students at the University of Illinois. With one of the largest fraternity and sorority populations and over 1,000 student organizations on campus, the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign is one of the most soical campuses in the country. That alongside the tier 1 research work on our campus makes our University attractive to Jewish students of all background. At Illini Hillel, we embrace the work-hard-play-hard culture of our campus by creating the perfect mix of fun social and deep meaningful Jewish programming and engagement.
Outside of campus life, our Jewish professionals enjoy the vibrant social life of the cities of Champaign and Urbana and the surrounding towns. University staff and Champaign’s High Tech hub create a young vibrant community that meets and celebrates life in many ways. The Champaign Urbana Jewish Federation and Sinai Temple are our close partners in building a strong and welcoming Jewish community that serve over 2,000 Jewish community members beyond campus life. Additionally, Champaign-Urbana mark the perfect halfway point between some of the major cities in the Midwest - Chicago, Indianapolis and St. Louis.
About Hillel International
In 1923, Rabbi Benjamin Frankel started Hillel with humble means, a noble mission and a breathtaking vision: to convey Jewish civilization to a new generation. Today, Hillel International continues to enrich the lives of Jewish students and is the largest Jewish campus organization in the world at nearly 1,000 colleges and universities across North America and around the world. As Hillel evolves as an organization, the mission remains steadfast: to create lasting connections with every Jewish student that foster an enduring commitment to Jewish life, learning, and Israel and train them to become the next Jewish leaders.