Pride in Hillel’s Past, Hope for Hillel’s Future: Randall Kaplan on Three Decades of Support for Hillel International
Randall Kaplan’s Hillel story began when he was a college student at Tufts University. After growing up in Greensboro, North Carolina, where there was a very small but active Jewish community, Randall jumped into Jewish life at Tufts in the 1970s.
In response to an anti-Israel resolution on the floor of the United Nations in his early years at Tufts, Randall started a group called “Concerned Students for Israel,” organizing a march in Boston with similar groups at Harvard, MIT, and Boston University. He worked out of the Hillel building at Tufts, where he used their meeting spaces to hold gatherings and educational programs to help the Jewish and non-Jewish community learn more about what was happening in Israel.
“Hillel really allowed me to become part of the fabric of the Jewish community,” he said.
Randall later transferred to Brown University and then attended law school at the University of Michigan, where he met his wife, Kathy Manning, who now represents North Carolina’s Sixth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. After he graduated and practiced law for a few years in Washington, D.C., he went to work with his father at the family business in Greensboro, where he and Kathy became active members in the local Jewish community. Randall also became a leader within a number of national Jewish organizations, including serving on the UJA National Young Leadership Cabinet and the National Board of AIPAC.
“Then one day, I got a call from my dad at the office,” he said. “He said, Randall, it’s your dad, and I’m at a board of governors meeting for Hillel with Edgar Bronfman, Lynn and Charles Schusterman, and Michael Steinhardt, and we were talking about how we really need the younger generation involved in the Hillel board of governors. I want you to join.”
Randall ended up joining the board of governors and then asked Richard Joel, then the president of Hillel, if he could also join the board of directors, which is responsible for the strategic direction of the organization. As a member of the board of directors, Randall jumped right into chairing committees and later became the board chair. At the end of his term as chairman of the board of directors, Edgar Bronfman asked Randall to take over as the chair of the board of governors, a position he held until 2016. He continues to sit on the board of governors today.
“Being part of Hillel is my passion, because I strongly believe that Hillel meets students at a unique moment in time when they are going off on their own to determine the careers they want to pursue and how they want to live their lives,” he said. “It’s a perfect time for us to offer them opportunities to be involved with the Jewish community and engaged in Jewish life. I’ve been involved with Hillel International for more than 30 years now, and I’ve really seen it blossom.”
One unfortunate area where Randall has seen a shift in Hillel’s work has been around antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment on college campuses.
“Until about ten years ago, we really viewed Hillel as primarily a place to engage Jewish students so that they could strengthen their commitment to Jewish life and their relationships with Israel,” he said. “Today, fighting antisemitism and being a safe place for Jewish students is at the forefront of Hillel’s work on campus.”
After 30 years, Randall also has many fond memories of meeting with Jewish students on campuses across the United States, South America, Eastern Europe, and Israel. In particular, the opening of new Hillels in South America, as well as the impact of Hillel Israel stand out to him. He always enjoys going to HIGA, Hillel International’s annual professional conference, and marvels at the dedication and passion of Hillel’s professional team.
One of his proudest achievements was receiving Hillel International’s Renaissance Award, the organization’s highest honor, which is bestowed each year on an individual whose bold vision and transformative initiatives enrich campuses, the Jewish community, and the world.
“It was really extraordinary,” he said. “My children were there, my parents were there, and I received the award along with my wife Kathy, who was the first woman to chair the Jewish Federations of North America board. It was a very meaningful moment.”
When asked about his hopes for Hillel’s future, Randall said, “My hope is that Hillel continues to enrich the lives of Jewish students so that they will make a commitment to the future of the Jewish community, while at the same time continue serving its important role in confronting the forces making it more challenging to be Jewish on campus and in the world at large. I pray that our professionals, and everyone at Hillel, continue to go from strength to strength.”
Supporters like Randall make it possible for Hillel to grow from strength to strength, from generation to generation.
Read more about Hillel supporters and their generosity here.