The Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties is launching the Campus Initiative on Israel Engagement, in partnership with Hillel International, the Jewish Federation of the East Bay and the Jewish Community Foundation, the Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley, all eight Hillels within Northern California, and the Jewish Community Relations Council. The goal is to create meaningful attachment to Israel among students in the face of the de-legitimization movement, and to foster positive Jewish engagement and identity. The cost will be an estimated $1.6 million for three years. $820,000 has been committed since fundraising began in December.

The initiative, part of a larger goal of increasing and deepening engagement among Jews in the Bay Area, aims to provide a counterweight to the increasingly anti-Israel climate on area college campuses.

Participating Hillels are: San Francisco Hillel, Hillel at Stanford, Hillel of Silicon Valley, Hillel of Sonoma County, Berkeley Hillel, Santa Cruz Hillel, Hillel at Davis and Sacramento, and Chico Hillel.