By Jennifer K. Morita

September 16, 2025

Sacramento State and Hillel at Davis and Sacramento have signed an agreement to staff the Jewish Life and Resource Center (JLRC) on the Sac State campus three days a week, providing a home away from home for Jewish students, faculty, and staff.

"We could not be more proud than to partner with Hillel, an amazing organization that is creating positive educational experiences for members of our Jewish community," President Luke Wood said.

In May 2024, Wood and other campus leaders officially opened the JLRC — the first space on campus dedicated to supporting Jewish students — with a celebration that included elected officials and Jewish community representatives.

Located in Modoc Hall, the JLRC is a collaboration between the University and Hillel, an international Jewish campus organization.

“This shows students that there is a Jewish presence on campus and that there is a community for them, a space for them,” Hillel’s Sacramento State Engagement Associate Dasha Pozdnikov said.

But while there was a physical space for the center, there has been no one to regularly staff it.

Until now.

The MOU signed earlier this month outlines an agreement between Sac State and Hillel, which is based in Davis, that will ensure the JLRC is  open three days a week, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday.

Vice President of Inclusive Excellence Michael V. Nguyen calls it a model partnership that other colleges and universities across the country are studying.

"Partnerships like this are rare at public universities. I’m proud that Sac State is leading the way. Our work with Hillel is a powerful model that sets the standard for building strong, respectful collaborations with every community we serve," he said.

"This is more than a milestone, it’s a historic partnership."

Pozdnikov has already hosted an open house at the JLRC and spent the first two weeks of the Fall semester tabling in the quad.

“Our work with Hillel is a powerful model that sets the standard for building strong, respectful collaborations with every community we serve. This is more than a milestone, it’s a historic partnership." -- Vice President of Inclusive Excellence Michael V. Nguyen

She also held the JLRC’s first Not Shabbat Shabbat. Known as the Jewish day of rest, shabbat is traditionally observed on Friday evenings with prayers and a kosher meal.

Instead, Pozdnikov plans to hold Not Shabbat Shabbat every second Thursday of the month to better accommodate college students.

“Of course there are synagogues in the area, but students were really looking for a place on campus,” she said. “A lot of students are coming from Southern California or even out of state, and so they are really looking for community and a home away from home.”

Eventually, Pozdnikov hopes to collaborate with other cultural and religious groups on campus.

“I want to combine forces and have a joint dinner one day where we can share recipes or have some sort of program where we just bring people together,” she said.

Nguyen said the University is in the process of hiring two more staff members to support the center.

Matthew Kurtz, who serves as chair of Sac State’s Jewish Faculty and Staff Association, said the opening of the JLRC created a momentum for Jewish life on campus, including the launch of the Jewish Alumni Network, and plans to host a Freedom Seder in March.

“The seder is one of these very universal holidays that’s very much about hospitality and the human experience. We’re really trying to promote not just academic excellence, but becoming better people, and that’s what the Passover Seder is about,” Kurtz said.

“This is such a cool time to be at Sac State as a Jewish person, and as a Jewish parent, and a Jewish student.”