OUR MISSION: To enrich the lives of Jewish students so that they may enrich the Jewish people and the world.

OUR VISION:  We envision a world where every student is inspired to make an enduring commitment to Jewish life, learning, and Israel.

As the focal point for Jewish campus life for more than 2,200 Jewish undergraduate students (ages 18-22) in Pittsburgh, Hillel Jewish University Center (Hillel JUC) sponsors a wide variety of opportunities to engage in Jewish campus life that acknowledge that Jewish students have a diversity of identities and interests. Every Jewish student is welcomed and encouraged to participate in the array of programs, communities and immersive experiences that are supported and facilitated by Hillel JUC staff. We are dedicated to creating a pluralistic environment for Jewish college students where they are inspired to grow intellectually, spiritually, and socially. Hillel JUC helps students find a balance in being distinctively Jewish and universally human by encouraging them to pursue tzedek (social justice), Jewish learning, and to support Israel and global Jewish peoplehood. Hillel JUC is committed to excellence, innovation, accountability, and results.

OUR HISTORY

1951 – B’nai B’rith Hillel Foundation was founded. The 1 room office was housed in the Young Men and Women’s Hebrew Association (YM&WHA) on S. Bellefield Avenue.

1958-1970 – Richard Rubenstein was the director of the B’nai B’rith Hillel Foundation and chaplain to the Jewish students at the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, and Duquesne University.

1987 – B’nai B’rith Hillel relocates to new space at 160 N. Craig Street including an administrative suite, kosher kitchen, dining room to accommodate 50 people, a multipurpose lounge/chapel, and a workroom for students.

1994 – B’nai B’rith Hillel relocates to new space at 4551 Forbes Avenue.

1999  – The organization’s first strategic plan called for a new facility to better meet the needs of the university students. A $3 million dollar capital campaign began.

2001 – Following a successful capital campaign, The Mildred and Joseph Stern Building opened a 12,500 square foot building in between two thriving university campuses.

2001 – Jewish University Center of Pittsburgh was renamed the The Edward and Rose Berman Hillel Jewish University Center thanks to a legacy gift from Edward and Rose Berman.

2007 – The organization’s second strategic plan called for the introduction of a new initiative, J’Burgh, which would focus on programming for Pittsburgh’s graduate students and young adults.

2014 – Hillel JUC is chosen as 1 of 3 pilot campuses nationally for a new three year Hillel International strategic initiative called Comprehensive Excellence, funded by The Beacon and Shapira Foundations.

2016 – Hillel JUC receives the award for Excellence in Impact by Hillel International. 

2018 – Hillel JUC receives the Joseph Meyerhoff Award for Jewish Educational Vision from Hillel International, which honors a Hillel that enables students to continue to grow in their knowledge of and connection to Jewish life and be empowered to make life decisions using Jewish values.

2019 – Executive Director and CEO Daniel Marcus receives the Doris and Leonard H. Rudolph Jewish communal professional award, which recognizes the exceptional personal and professional commitment and contribution of a Jewish communal professional (employed by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh or one of its partner agencies) to improving the quality of services offered in the community and to the enhancement of Jewish life.