For this summer intern, Hillel is a place to learn persistence — and pride
Every year, students from all over the United States join Hillel International to form an incredible cohort of interns and learn about different aspects of the organization. Each student brings their own unique approach and perspective to Hillel International’s work, making the organization stronger while building their resumes, making connections, and meeting mentors and supporters who will help them for the rest of their college experience — and beyond.
Ella Elimelech, one of Hillel International’s 2024 summer interns, is excited to take the project management, communication, and organizational skills she’s learning this summer back with her to campus at the University of Maryland this fall. Ella, a rising sophomore, is majoring in information science and interning as part of the Campaign Services team at Hillel International.
“I’m learning so much every day,” she said. “And because my major is all about data and information, everything I’m learning in my internship can be applied back to my classes. It’s been such an amazing experience.”
For Ella, interning with Hillel International made perfect sense after finding a home with UMD Hillel her freshman year. She got involved right away, joining Hillel for FreshFest and regularly attending events and activities.
“I went to a ton of events, I started having coffee chats with people — it was just a great way to meet people and form relationships,” she said.
Like many other first-year students, Ella’s experience on campus was dramatically shaped by October 7 and its aftermath.
“It was a shock to walk to class the day after October 7 and see people just carrying on as normal, when, to me, it felt like everything was different,” she said.
Her campus Hillel community made all the difference.
“It was a place to vent,” she recalled. “And there were so many events planned to help us feel like we were making a difference — making bracelets for evacuated children, or writing letters to soldiers. It made us feel like we were helping, even from so far away.”
Ella grew up in the Washington, D.C. area, but was born in Israel. After October 7, she felt immediately that getting involved in Israel advocacy on campus was important. She joined the board of Terps for Israel, one of the largest pro-Israel campus groups, as its vice president. She also credits the staff at UMD Hillel for helping her and other student leaders make the most impact on campus.
“They’re amazing,” she said. “Everyone said Hillel is student-led and staff-supported, but it’s really true. Anytime we have an idea, we share it with the staff, and they help us make it possible.”
In her role with Terps for Israel, Ella helped plan educational and cultural events, from bringing in educational speakers to “Master Chef”-style programs with Israeli food. She is excited to start planning Israel Fest, a huge on-campus event each May with food, music, and activities, this upcoming year.
As much as she enjoyed campus advocacy this year, Ella admits there were challenging moments.
“We have a massive Jewish population on campus and it’s really active, so I definitely felt more support than any kind of backlash, but it was still there, politically,” she said. “It was really exhausting and draining, especially during some of the [Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions] conversations that were happening on campus. I don’t think I would have gotten through it as easily as I did without the Hillel staff.”
Now, Ella is looking ahead to ways she can apply lessons from her experiences this past year and at her internship this summer as a student leader this fall, when she’ll be stepping into the role of Terps for Israel president.
“I’ve learned so much about what it means to advocate for Judaism and Zionism,” she said. “I’m learning what it means to be persistent, and to be proud of who I am and of our community. I can’t wait to make new connections and meet new people, and see what the next class of student leaders brings to the table.”
Read more about Hillel International’s summer 2024 interns here.