Celebrating Together in Light and Community

UC San Diego held the Jewish American Heritage Month Shabbat dinner with a vibrant celebration of the Jewish diaspora’s diversity and spirit.

The event was coordinated by the Jewish Faculty and Staff Tritons Association (JSAFTA), led by co-chairs Alison Black, a UC San Diego Department of Education faculty member, and Allan Havis, UC San Diego Jewish Studies Faculty Director and Theatre and Dance Department professor. Black co-moderated the celebration with Ella Damty, a second-year Revelle College mathematics major. Guests enjoyed a meal prepared by Spice Kitchen, UC San Diego’s kosher and halal dining option.

The program opened with remarks from Lindsay Winters, Behavioral Health Counselor for the Faculty and Staff Assistance Program, who facilitates the university's Jewish Wellness Forum for employees. She was followed by Havis, who reflected on the month’s significance: “Let this month be an opportunity—not just to reflect on Jewish contributions to science, art and activism — but to engage with the restless, questioning spirit that defines Jewish intellectual life. Let it be a time to listen, to wrestle and to deepen solidarity across communities.”

Black then shared firsthand experience encountering violence and Antisemitism when her home synagogue was firebombed: “Let us create light and joy here tonight,” she shared. “I know personally and painfully what happens when we stay silent. And I know, just as powerfully, what is possible when we stand together in light and community.”

The event was organized in coordination with Hillel of San Diego, which ensured that student voices were central to the monthlong Jewish American Heritage Month Celebration on campus. “Students were empowered and took the lead in shaping their Jewish experience on this campus,” said Hillel of San Diego Executive Director Karen Parry. “Unity isn’t just about agreement; it’s about showing up for one another, especially in times of need.”

Parry also presented the Hillel of San Diego Student Leadership Award to Elanit Leiter, a third-year Sixth College student majoring in bioengineering.

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria offered brief remarks before the event concluded with the Kabbalat Shabbat rituals. This included blessings by a rabbi, Damty and two Seventh College students – fourth-year student and environmental systems/environmental policy major Air Kaplan and second-year student Shayna Javaherian, who is double majoring in theatre and cognitive science.

For more information on UC San Diego Heritage Months, visit this webpage.