Hillel International Student Cabinet
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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.
Student Cabinet statement:
Hillel International's Student Cabinet represents over 550 local Hillels and nearly 150,000 students globally as the student voice and voluntary leadership body for the greater Hillel movement. We generate ideas for how Hillel can better serve students and then work with the Hillel International team to make them happen.
Have a question about Hillel International’s Student Cabinet? Want to be in touch with students? We’d love to chat!
History of 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 550 campuses to Hillel International. Each year, the Cabinet is comprised of a diverse group of students representing diverse Jewish backgrounds, including students of color, students from interfaith backgrounds, students with disabilities, students who identify as LGBTQ, and students from an array of schools and areas of study.
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:
Student Cabinet Project Groups
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 enact a new international student conference for 200+ student leaders, LGBTQ+ to expand resources and opportunities for LGBTQ+ Jewish students, Israel to discuss ways to bring more nuanced Israel education to campus, and Digital Resources to provide access to programs, ideas, and networking opportunities to students and students leaders throughout the Hillel movement.
Work with Hillel International professionals
When Hillel International forms a new department, creates a new strategic plan, or launches new initiatives or ideas, it’s important to have access to students to consult with. The Cabinet participates in these design sessions ranging from one-time meetings to ongoing work with professionals.
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
Safety and Security
Finance
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.
The 2020-21 Hillel International Student Cabinet
Co-chairs: Zach Epstein (University of Texas at Austin, ‘21) and CJ Wechsler, (University of San Francisco, ‘21)
Members:
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Daria Asieieva, Kyiv National University, ‘21
- Allison Bloomberg, University of Michigan, ‘21
- Brianah Caplan, San Diego State University, ‘21
- Ethan Chaiet, University of Florida, ‘23
- Sofia Freudenstein, University of Toronto, ‘21
- Jade Gordon, Stephen F. Austin University, ‘23
- Karin Hellman, Tel-Hai College, '22
- Alan Imar, Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary, ‘22
- Rhodondo Jeraman, City University of New York at Hunter College, ‘21
- Chloe Laverson, University of Utah, ‘21
- Ben Lefkowitz, Emory University, ‘22
- Jonah Levitt, McGill University, ‘21
- Deanna Schwartz, Northeastern University, ‘22
- Flávio Valle, Getulio Vargas Foundation Rio de Janeiro
- Federico Zalcberg, Stanford University, ‘22