News

This Tu B’Av, We’re Celebrating a Hillel Love Story

Author

Hillel International

Date

August 19, 2024

Tu B’Av is the Jewish day of love — a holiday that’s both ancient and modern, with its roots as an auspicious day for matchmaking and weddings. Today, we’re celebrating a Hillel International matchmaking success!

Leetal is the Manager of Integrated Marketing at Hillel International, and Michael is the Director of Strategic Projects. Both Israeli-Americans for whom Jewish life was an integral part of their college experiences, they’ve found meaning in helping to enrich the lives of Jewish students through their careers at Hillel International — but both of them were still looking for love.

Enter Chloé, Hillel International’s former Social Media Manager. She knew Michael and Leetal were both looking for a special someone with similar values, from an open home for Shabbat dinners to throwing Chanukah parties and enjoying travel. Playing matchmaker, Chloé connected the two for a long-distance first date, and the rest, as they say, is history.

“I made a list of everything that was important to me in finding my person,” Leetal said. “And he checked off every box — and more.”

With Leetal in Maryland and Michael in California, their relationship started off long-distance. But after a few months of cross-country flights and many FaceTime dates, they took the leap and moved in together in San Diego. They recently relocated to Bethesda, Maryland, with their one-year-old corgi, Shoco. “She’s definitely the star of the house,” joked Michael.

In Judaism, there’s a teaching that love is the work of two souls coming together to complete one another. For Michael and Leetal, this couldn’t be more true. 

“We push each other to grow outside of our comfort zone, and confront challenges head on,” Leetal said “I’ve always been so in awe of Michael’s passion for Israel and his commitment to his Israeli-Jewish identity. One of my favorite things is cooking Shabbat dinners together, and doing Kiddush on Friday nights. I’m grateful for his commitment to building a Jewish home together.”

“What I love most about Leetal is her outlook on life,” Michael said. “She has this incredible ability to find joy in the simplest, most wholesome moments — whether it’s enjoying her morning iced latte or planning our next adventure around the globe. Her joy and happiness is contagious.”

Michael recently proposed to Leetal in Cinque Terre, Italy, at a beautiful outlook overlooking the town of Vernazza at sunset. They’re looking forward to building their lives together on the east coast, and while they’re still working out the logistics of their wedding day, they’re thrilled at the thought of celebrating with their family and friends — and of course, their Hillel community.

“This Tu B’Av, we’re feeling especially grateful for the love we’ve found in each other,” Leetal said. “We can’t wait to see where this journey takes us next — with Hillel and our Jewish identity at the heart of it all.”

Congratulations on your engagement, Michael and Leetal. We’ll keep an eye out for our invitation to the wedding!

Did Hillel play a role in your love story? We’d love to hear about it! Send us an email at info@hillel.org.

The post This Tu B’Av, We’re Celebrating a Hillel Love Story appeared first on Hillel International.

News

Working Towards the Future with Springboard

Author

Hillel International

Date

February 6, 2024

One of the most powerful ways that the Springboard Fellowship makes an impact is by preparing participants for a lifetime of career success and connection to the Jewish community.

For Jacob Brickman, involvement in Hillel as an undergraduate led him to Springboard, which has laid the groundwork for him to flourish in his current role as the Jewish Education Coordinator at Hillel Western in London, Ontario. As a Western University alum, Jacob has been connected to the Hillel community there since he was a student. In 2021,as he finished his fifth year, Jacob wasn’t ready for graduate school quite yet, but was sure he wanted to do something meaningful. 

The Springboard Fellowship turned out to be the perfect next step. Jacob dove right into his new community at Hillel Waterloo & Laurier, where he served more than 1,500 students. Working solo on the ground in Waterloo led Jacob to take on new responsibilities and helped him realize that he was interested in taking a larger leadership role in Hillel. His Springboard cohort helped him learn to be part of a team and to ask for help, and his Hillel mentor supported him in his growth as a professional. 

Jacob credits the training he received through Springboard with helping him grow as a learner and an educator. Attending the Hillel International Global Assembly (HIGA) in 2022 had a huge impact on Jacob: Because of the pandemic, it was the first time his cohort had been able to meet the larger movement in person. He was able to meet with educators across Hillel, reflect on his experiences as a Fellow, and really decide how he wanted to use his last semester.

Since completing the Springboard Fellowship in 2023, Jacob has returned to his alma mater, where he infuses Judaism and learning into everything he does. Jacob focuses on learning fellowships and informal, experiential learning, bringing learning into all of his programming. Since October 7, Jacob has taken on more diverse responsibilities, including working with more than 40 student leaders, and programming during this difficult time for so many Jewish students. 

Jacob’s time as a Springboard Fellow gave him a strong foundation that prepared him for the challenges of working in Jewish higher education. He’s still not sure what’s next for his career, but he knows that whatever he does, Hillel will always be his professional home.

The post Working Towards the Future with Springboard appeared first on Hillel International.

Alumni

Hillel Community

Finding My Path Through Hillel: Mallika’s Story

Author

Mallika Viswanath

Date

June 5, 2023

There’s no one playbook for growing up, establishing your independence, and finding confidence in yourself. While each person takes their own path, mine led directly through Hillel.

I grew up in a traditional Modern Orthodox home that looked a little different from others in my community. My father is from India and my mom’s first language is Yiddish so our house was always filled with different languages—we spoke Tamil, a South Indian language, with my dad, and Yiddish with my mom. 

Growing up with multiple cultures and languages inspired me to look for a smaller Jewish campus community where there would be more incentive to seek out friends outside my immediate circles.

In 2013, Princeton’s Jewish community was small and close knit, and after a few visits, I decided that’s where I wanted to enroll. I was also interested in a biology major and Princeton’s unique program meant that I could pursue my academic interests while also growing socially and personally. 

The community at Princeton’s Center for Jewish Life (CJL) introduced me to new friends and new experiences. The smaller size of the community meant that all kinds of Jewish students studied, ate, and spent time together. That diversity and warmth contributed to the overwhelming feeling that the CJL was my home at Princeton. It was this environment that led me to Sam, who later became my husband. Meeting Sam was the best example of what I loved about Princeton – we came from different backgrounds and different social circles, but we connected at the CJL and built our relationship through the shared experiences and community we found there. 

While my studies were challenging and engaging, my involvement with the CJL was where I found the independence and leadership opportunities I was seeking. I led Shabbat services, ran Princeton’s Jewish a cappella group, Koleinu, and got involved with the CJL play (where I met Sam!). These experiences gave me confidence in my ability to build a meaningful Jewish community for myself and my family wherever we live. 

The post Finding My Path Through Hillel: Mallika’s Story appeared first on Hillel International.

Alumni

Jewish Identity

Finding a Home for My Jewish and Korean Identities: Jake’s Story

Author

Jake Niefeld

Date

May 5, 2023

My story really begins at camp. I went to Herzl Camp for the first time when I was eight years old and cried every day for a week until I went home. A few years later, the camp director, who had never given up on me, convinced my parents and me that it was time to try again. For the last ten years, every summer, I go to camp to learn more about myself, my Korean and Jewish identities, and what I need to grow as a person and a leader.

Camp showed me how important it is to have a strong community in my life, so that was my first priority when selecting a college. I fell in love with the University of Kansas (KU) and was so excited to be a Jayhawk and to find my people at KU. 

Building my community wasn’t as easy as I expected, and I felt lost at first. But one day, I took a walk through campus wearing my Star of David necklace and ended up in front of a table with a Hillel sign. The rabbi standing at the table called me over and started chatting with me about how things were going in my first semester. I got so caught up in our conversation that I was late for class for the first time. He invited me to stop by Hillel later that afternoon for snacks and a space to study. I had never heard of Hillel before and had to call my mom to find out where exactly I had been invited. 

Suzy Sostrin, KU Hillel’s Executive Director, was making coffee when I walked into KU Hillel for the first time. She immediately came over to meet me and then introduced me to the other students who were hanging out at Hillel. From that first interaction with a Hillel professional, I felt like I was enough. The feeling of not being Jewish enough or not Korean enough dissipated and I felt like I could be the fullest, most authentic version of myself, with both my Jewish and Korean identities. Hillel gave me opportunities to bring my Korean culture into my Jewish identity and vice versa. 

Going on Birthright, learning to lead services, deepening my connection to Herzl Camp, and building my community at Hillel led me to my decision to apply to Hillel International’s Springboard Fellowship. I never imagined working in the Jewish community, but these four years with Hillel as my Jewish home gave me the foundation and the passion to help students find meaning and community in their own Jewish identities. 

The post Finding a Home for My Jewish and Korean Identities: Jake’s Story appeared first on Hillel International.