| search
The Foundation for
Jewish Campus Life

Hillel International Student Cabinet

Ready to join the 2019-20 Cabinet?

Apply now!

2018-19 Hillel International Student Cabinet at the 2018 Hillel Leadership Summit in Austin, TX

Hillel's mission:

Enriching the lives of Jewish students so that they may enrich the Jewish people and the world

Hillel's vision:

Inspiring every Jewish student to make an enduring commitment to Jewish life, learning and Israel

About the Student Cabinet:

Hillel International’s Student Cabinet was founded by students Hannah Schlachter (Illini Hillel) and Evan Traylor (Kansas Hillel). The Cabinet embodies diverse facets of the modern Jewish college student voice, drives collaboration between students, and serves as the student stakeholder group representing 600 campuses to Hillel International. The Hillel International Student Cabinet values diversity and inclusion in its commitment to serving Hillel's vision.
The student cabinet meets twice a year for in-person summits and monthly on video conference calls. In between meetings, they move work forward in four ways:
Document Icon

Formal Recommendations to Senior Leadership

When issues happen in the world that impact students, or when Hillel International is in the news, it’s critical that Hillel International’s senior leadership hear from students immediately – and come away with formal recommendations on how to proceed. Cabinet members raise issues they believe require a rapid response and Hillel International staff reach out to the Cabinet.

Committee Icon

Student Cabinet Initiated Committees

When the Student Cabinet notices something missing in their local Hillel or Hillels around the globe, they can form a committee to address the issue. Current committees include Student Leadership to determine the role for student leadership convenings on a national level, Wellness to address mental health and wellness among students on campus, Israel to discuss ways to bring more nuanced Israel education to campus, and Recruitment to address ways to recruit diverse students to the cabinet.

Consultation Icon

Consulting to Hillel International professionals

When Hillel International forms a new department, creates a new strategic plan, or in general launches new initiatives or ideas, it’s important to have access to students to consult with. The Cabinet participates in these consulting sessions ranging from one-time meetings to ongoing partnerships with professionals.


Board Task Force Icon

Students on Board Task Forces

When Hillel International’s Board of Directors creates a task force to address an issue, one to two students from the cabinet join board members and a Hillel professional to serve on it. Examples of task forces that student cabinet members have served on include:

Governance: Focused on affiliation and how Hillel operates throughout the movement
Hillels Outside North America: Focused on examining the role of global Hillels
Safety Respect Equity: Focused on gender equity throughout Hillel

The 2018-19 Hillel International Student Cabinet

Co-chairs: Reut Cohen (University of Toronto, '19) and Jordyn Zimmmerman (Ohio University, '20)

Members:

  • Ruthie Charendoff, Northwestern University, ‘19
  • Alice Chudnovsky, University of Illinois, Urbana–Champaign, ‘20
  • Mathew Ghan, Chapman University, ‘20
  • Natalie Grande, Bradley University, ‘19
  • Tatiana Haimenis, Brazil, ‘19
  • Sarah Holtz, Penn State University, ‘19
  • Isaac Johnston, University of Chicago, ‘19
  • Sam Kaminsky, University of Minnesota, ‘19
  • David Kulp, Emory University, ‘20
  • Jonah Levitt, McGill University, ‘21
  • Aliza Lifshitz, Barnard College, ‘20
  • Sophie Nadler, California State University–San Marcos, ‘19
  • Dmitrii Pasternak, Russia, ‘18
  • Naomi Pitkoff, Temple University, ‘20
  • Nathan Schachter, University of Connecticut, ‘19
  • Daria Tass, Tel Aviv University, ‘20
  • Alexander Weingart, University of Vermont, ‘19
Apply now!

Please note that you must have a Google account in order to submit an application. These can be created for free here.

Each student is expected to:

    • Be available for a 30-minute Skype interview April 8 — April 11

    • Participate in an in-person Student Cabinet meeting held each semester; all expenses covered (with a potential third meeting). All international students are required to secure their own visa, if required for traveling to the United States.

    • Commit to a minimum of five hours of work per month, including monthly conference calls

    • Commit to a one-year term (Summer 2019 to Spring 2020)

    • Be a full-time student in good academic standing during the Fall 2019 to Spring 2020 academic school year  

    • Understand Hillel’s mission and vision are as follows:

      • Mission: Enriching the lives of Jewish students so that they may enrich the Jewish people and the world

      • Vision: We envision a world where every student is inspired to make an enduring commitment to Jewish life, learning and Israel

    • Seek to make decisions based on the interests of the larger diverse Jewish student population

    • Make a contribution to Hillel International: Student members are expected to give a minimum gift of $100 to go towards offsetting the costs of Student Cabinet activities. This can be done through a personal gift or fundraising. We do not discriminate based on socioeconomic status. We look forward to helping anyone throughout the fundraising process to meet this goal. If you have questions or concerns please contact studentcabinetrecruitment@hillel.org

    • Sponsor their own visa (if necessary)
A competitive applicant is great at:

    • Listening to everyone’s opinions and asking questions to keep the conversation going

    • Uncovering commonalities even when the situation or group seems divergent or fragmented

    • Extracting tangible action items and learnings from broader conversations

    • Cultivating relationships and connections with a large, diverse group of friends

    • Dreaming big and turning their passion into action

A completed application includes submission of the following materials:

    • Online application form 

    • Resume (uploads into form above)

    • The name and contact information for one professional reference. Our preference is a Hillel professional, but anyone who has seen the applicant in a leadership role and can speak to their abilities qualifies. (This info is submitted in the main application form.)

Apply now!

Frequently Asked Questions

Expand all