Raised in a Persian Jewish community, I was surrounded by people who shared my culture.

“Growing up in a Persian Jewish community, I was surrounded by people who shared my values, beliefs and culture. I didn’t expect to find such a vibrant Persian Jewish community at Berkeley Hillel. I felt at home. Over the past few months on Wednesday nights, a group of Persian Jewish students like me gather at Hillel to talk, drink tea and catch up. I wouldn’t have interacted with these students if not for Hillel. As a new student at Berkeley, it can be intimidating because you’re going to a place where you feel like everybody already knows each other. Establishing these smaller communities, where you can get to know a group of people more intimately and then attend bigger events knowing that you’ll have people to talk to, is very comforting.” — Donna Kharrazi, University of California, Berkeley