San Francisco Hillel Set Aflame, Building Destroyed, Shabbat and Chanukah Events Canceled

Hillel is the world’s largest Jewish campus organization, providing a welcoming community, cultural events, and spiritual support for Jewish college students worldwide, aiming to enrich their lives.

Last night, the San Francisco chapter was set on fire.

During the final Shabbat of the semester—while students and staff were inside preparing for services—an attempted antisemitic mass-casualty attack was carried out at a Jewish building in San Francisco. Police have confirmed it was arson: a suspect arrested, significant damage done, the building shut down, and Shabbat and Chanukah events canceled. This is the inevitable consequence the moment campus quads were allowed to morph into open-air terror rallies, from the moment chants for intifada were tolerated and even encouraged, and from the moment administrators decided calls for Jewish death qualified as protected speech. Last year, this same Hillel was vandalized with “Khaybar” (an annihilationist chant evoking Muhammad’s mass slaughter of Jews), threats against the West, and extremist symbols—clear warning shots that were ignored. Now this.

This is how ideological violence escalates when it is nurtured, excused, and sanitized by institutions aligned with the jihad force. “Globalize the intifada” doesn’t end in a seminar—it ends in smoke, flames, and Jewish holidays canceled behind police tape. It ends on Bondi beach.

THIS IS WHAT YOU BUILT. OWN IT.

SF Hillel was FIREBOMBED.

During the final Shabbat of the semester.
With students and staff INSIDE the building preparing for Shabbat.

Attempted antisemitic mass murder. In San Francisco.

Anyone pretending to be shocked is lying through… pic.twitter.com/zf5yYOouMR

— Jews Fight Back (@JewsFightBack) December 17, 2025

Bay Area
Suspect arrested in arson that caused ‘significant damage’ at SF Hillel

By Lea Loeb, JWeekly, December 16, 2025

San Francisco police have arrested a suspect in an arson investigation of a Dec. 5 fire at SF Hillel, the campus group announced Tuesday.

The fire, which caused “significant damage” to the building and forced its closure, started in outdoor garbage bins located along the side of the building, according to SF Hillel. The fire started while Hillel’s student life team was inside the building and preparing for the final Shabbat of the semester.

“The San Francisco Fire Department arrived quickly and extinguished the fire,” SF Hillel said in a Dec. 6 message to students and supporters. “The staff and students are safe and there are no injuries.”

Roger Feigelson, SF Hillel’s executive director, said in an email Tuesday that a suspect had been taken into custody.

“I can say that it was ruled arson, and the SFPD has arrested the suspect,” he said in the email addressed to the “SF Hillel community.”

As a result of the fire, a planned Hanukkah-themed Shabbat was canceled. The building remains closed until further notice. San Francisco State University is providing Hillel staff with a temporary work space. Feigelson described the response of SFSU administrators as “amazingly supportive.”

The Dec. 5 fire at SF Hillel started outside the building in garbage bins. (Courtesy)
The San Francisco Police Department told J. on Dec. 12 that it was actively investigating the incident but did not provide any details at the time due to the ongoing investigation. SFPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

According to Feigelson, security cameras recorded a man trespassing on the property before the fire began. An image of a person of interest was shared in a “community safety bulletin” with Jewish community organizations on Dec. 12.

The Hillel building, which is located a block from San Francisco State University, is a two-story former home built in 1949 and has served as a Hillel house for all colleges and universities in the city since 1982.

Much is still unknown about the incident, and a motive is not apparent, Feigelson told J.

“We’ve given all the evidence from our security cameras and footage to the police department,” he said.

Hillel reported extensive damage to the basement and a second-floor bathroom, as well as the loss of most student programming materials, which were stored near the area of the fire. Smoke damage is pervasive throughout the building, and the plumbing system was also affected. SF Hillel confirmed that its Torah scrolls are safe and that an assessment is underway to determine whether they sustained smoke damage.

According to Hillel’s Dec. 6 message, the San Francisco State University Police Department increased surveillance of the building following the incident.

Feigelson said the fire has created a “substantial and unexpected burden,” particularly as the organization is preparing for an upcoming multimillion dollar renovation.

Fire damage, smoke remediation and the presence of asbestos now require extensive cleanup and repairs before staff can safely re-enter the building to pack and relocate materials. While the renovation timeline itself is not expected to change, replacing damaged programming materials and completing necessary abatement work will require significant effort, Feigelson said.

The building previously has been targeted by criminal vandalism. Last December, the house was tagged with antisemitic messages. The word “Khaybar”