International Student Cabinet Archives - ��ϴ��

How I Own My Star

��ϴ�� — Wed, 13 Dec 2023 18:21:46 +0000

Holidays

International Student Cabinet

Jewish Identity

How I Own My Star

Author

Abi Schcolnik

Date

December 13, 2023

My commitment to my Jewish identity was always strong, but took shape when I decided to leave my home in Uruguay to attend university in the United States. If I was going to go so far away from home, my mother strongly urged me to pick a school��with a big Jewish community that could support and care for me. I chose the University of Miami (UM) for its rich Jewish life and its large, active Hillel.��

From the day I walked onto campus, I signed up for every Hillel event and program available. Nourishing my Jewish self and letting it grow into a powerful part of my identity felt even more important as I adjusted to being in a different country and culture. I knew I could always find a place in the Jewish community. This comfort and joy also inspired me to take on leadership positions, both at UM Hillel and with the ��ϴ�� Student Cabinet.��

Since October 7th and the start of the Hamas-Israel War, I feel pain and grief daily, both on behalf of our global Jewish community, and more personally, in connection with my cousins and friends who live in Israel and are directly impacted by the war. While the President and administration at UM continue to be actively supportive of Jewish students, I have lost friendships over conversations related to Israel and antisemitism. I have also experienced backlash for my identity and opinions, and have had to hide aspects of my Jewish identity and connection to Israel in order to maintain my own safety.��

In response, I for my Judaism and my community. When I see pictures and videos on social media of people sharing their Jewish pride and owning their stars, it reminds me that I’m part of a global family that carries rich values and traditions that inspire my life. #OwnYourStar reminds me that I am a Jewish citizen of the world and that I have a responsibility to share my love of Judaism and the Jewish people with everyone I can.��

With all of the pain and heartache of the past two months, it is a source of joy to light Hanukkah candles every night with my family and watch the small flames brighten the dark night. Those lights bring me hope that the Jewish people will continue to bring light to the world as we go through this moment of darkness.��

#OwnYourStar is a ��ϴ�� call to share visible Jewish pride on social media this Hanukkah. Learn more here!

International Student Cabinet

Jewish Holidays

Jewish Identity

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��ϴ�� Student Cabinet Co-Chairs Statement on Antisemitism

��ϴ�� — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000

News

��ϴ�� Student Cabinet Co-Chairs Statement on Antisemitism

Author

Jordan Robinson and Jessica Yeroshalmi

Date

October 4, 2022

At a time when Jews around the world are gathering with their family, friends, and communities to celebrate the Jewish High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we are outraged to hear and see that a number of antisemitic incidents took place on or around campus on Rosh Hashanah, one of the most sacred Jewish holidays.��

Over the past week, we have heard from our Jewish student peers throughout the country about these incidents, as well as their fears that their campus may be next. As co-chairs of the ��ϴ�� Student Cabinet, we want to say, unequivocally, we hear you and we see you, and we want to help you.

Celebrating the Jewish New Year and observing Yom Kippur should bring joy, reflection, and community without the feeling of anxiety or fear. Jewish students should not have to worry about being targeted while celebrating such important Jewish holidays.��

The global spike in hate speech toward Jews, as well as the proliferation of antisemitic symbols and vandalism threatens the lives and wellbeing of Jewish students on a daily basis. And the hatred marring campuses around the country threatens the values of higher education and the health of the universities themselves. We will not stand by and allow Jewish students to be targets of discrimination.��

To be clear, some college and university presidents, chancellors, and administrations have taken strong and immediate action to support Jewish students when antisemitic incidents have occurred, and we applaud them for taking concrete action to safeguard their campuses. But others have not.��

We urge college and university administrators to take immediate action to hold those accountable for these heinous acts and to reestablish the feeling of safety for Jewish students on campus. We respectfully remind our campus leadership that they have moral, legal, and ethical responsibilities to reestablish the feeling of safety for Jewish students on campus. As we prepare to celebrate Yom Kippur, the holiest of Jewish holidays, we ask that ALL college and university administrators:

Condemn antisemitism swiftly and unequivocally whenever it appears, show your support, and provide resources for Jewish students who are impacted by it.
Work with your local campus Hillel to learn more about antisemitism and how your university can best support Jewish students, and how you can provide your campus community with critical education about the nature of contemporary antisemitism.��
Establish and develop relationships with Jewish student leaders to work together on fighting antisemitism and ensure that Jewish voices are heard and Jewish needs are addressed by including them on advisory boards to campus administration. The lived experience of Jewish students at your own colleges and universities are a powerful tool that deserves to be heard and honored.��
Include antisemitism as part of your institution’s broader commitment to the advancing of the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) on campus.��
Strongly consider joining ��ϴ��’s Campus Climate Initiative to help your administration and staff receive training to ensure a safe campus free of antisemitism, harassment, or marginalization of Jewish students.

To all students who have been affected by these acts during the Jewish holidays, we extend our most sincere support. Know that we are working every day so that Jewish communities on campus are safer, and to ensure that Jewish students have a welcoming and inclusive place to call home on campus.��

We urge Hillel to be your first stop when you need support and, if you see or hear about an antisemitic incident on campus, to report it to your campus Hillel as well as to, a website run jointly by ��ϴ��, the ADL, and the Secure Community Network that is staffed 24/7 to ensure a timely and immediate response when an antisemitic incident on campus is reported.��

We wish you all a joyful and healthy holiday season as we look towards better, safer days ahead for our community.��

All Our Best,

Jordan Robinson & Jessica Yeroshalmi
��ϴ�� Student Cabinet Co-Chairs

��ϴ�� the ��ϴ�� Student Cabinet: The Campus Climate Initiative is a group of 18 diverse Jewish student leaders from colleges and universities around the world. The Cabinet generates ideas for how Hillel can better serve Jewish students at colleges and universities worldwide, and then works with the ��ϴ�� team to make them happen. Members of the Student Cabinet sit on ��ϴ��’s board of directors, as well as on ��ϴ�� committees and task forces.

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Antisemitism

High Holidays

International Student Cabinet

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Welcoming New Members of ��ϴ��’s Board of Directors

��ϴ�� — Tue, 05 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0000

News

Welcoming New Members of ��ϴ��’s Board of Directors

Author

��ϴ��

Date

July 5, 2022

��ϴ�� is thrilled to welcome four new members to our Board of Directors. The ��ϴ�� Board of Directors is a diverse cohort of leaders who work collaboratively to fulfill Hillel’s mission. With their creativity, passion, and strategic thinking, this group of Hillel stakeholders, including professionals at local Hillels and exceptional student leaders, works to focus Hillel’s direction and generate financial support.

Joining the Board of Directors are ��ϴ�� Student Cabinet co-chairs, Jordan Robinson and Jessica Yeroshalmi; former Student Cabinet member and member of President Biden’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities, Jordyn Zimmerman; and Executive Director of Metro Chicago Hillel, Charles Cohen.

Jordan Robinson is a 2022 graduate of Michigan State University with a B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies. He was involved ��ϴ�� at Michigan State throughout his four years of college, including serving on the Executive Board for two years, and is now beginning his second year of serving on the ��ϴ�� Student Cabinet. He also participated in fellowships, served in internship roles, and worked with university and student leaders to build relationships with the Jewish community and combat antisemitism on campus. This fall, Jordan will be pursuing his Masters of Business Administration at Wayne State University. Additionally, he is interning for the Delta Dental Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Delta Dental. In his free time, he loves listening to new music, travelling, trying new coffee shops, playing with his apartment dog Koda, and being out on a mountain or lake. He looks forward to advancing Hillel’s student movement and representing the voices of thousands of Jewish students globally.

Jessica Yeroshalmi is a Macaulay Honors student at Baruch College studying Economics and Political Science. Throughout her college experience, she has been an active part of Hillel at Baruch (and at City, John Jay, Pace, SVA, Fordham, FIT, and The New School). At Hillel at Baruch, she is the incoming E-Board President, as well as the President of WINGS (Women Improving Next Generation Society). In her first year on the Student Cabinet, Jessica co-chaired the Mizrahi-Sephardic Cohort with members from around the country. Jessica’s Sephardic-Jewish Persian heritage has driven her passion for connecting with the Jewish community and creating a better campus environment for Jews of all backgrounds and experiences. She is looking forward to serving as co-chair on ��ϴ��’s Student Cabinet to promote the Hillel movement and use her platform to create change for the better.

Jordyn Zimmerman, M.Ed., obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Education Policy from Ohio University and her Masters of Education at Boston College. As a nonspeaking autistic student who was denied access to effective augmentative communication until she was 18, Jordyn has personal experience challenging the educational status quo, which is featured in the 2021 documentary This Is Not ��ϴ�� Me. Technology helped open Jordyn’s world and she began advocating for others through a series of engagements. Since then, she has delivered keynote addresses and presented at conferences around the world and is currently on the board of CommunicationFIRST. She also works as Director of Professional Development at the Nora Project, where she helps educators teach students about disability as a natural and expected part of human diversity. Most recently, Jordyn was appointed to serve on President Biden’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities.

Charles Cohen is the Executive Director of Metro Chicago Hillel. A native Milwaukeean, Charles grew up with all of the Jewish formative experiences: Jewish day school, day and overnight camp, youth group, and trips to Israel. In 1996, Charles received his B.S. in finance, with honors, from Yeshiva University Sy Syms School of Business, and then got his J.D. at Boston University School of Law. After many unhappy years as an attorney, Charles became the Planning Manager for Jewish Continuity at the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, where he developed community building and strategic planning skills and oversaw the creation of the Volunteer Center. He then returned to Boston to become the Manager of the Jewish Day School Affordability Knowledge Center, where he worked with day schools across North America to analyze and experiment with strategies to make Jewish education more accessible to all families. From there he went to Palm Beach to serve as the Executive Director of the Lorraine & Jack N. Friedman Commission for Jewish Education, and then as the Executive Director of the Arthur I. Meyer Jewish Academy.

Board of Directors

Boston College

CUNY Baruch College

International Student Cabinet

Metro Chicago Hillel

Michigan State University

Ohio University

Wayne State University

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��ϴ�� Announces 2022-2023 Student Cabinet

��ϴ�� — Fri, 20 May 2022 00:00:00 +0000

News

��ϴ�� Announces 2022-2023 Student Cabinet

Author

��ϴ��

Date

May 20, 2022

Washington D.C. — ��ϴ��, the largest and most inclusive Jewish campus organization in the world, announced today the 17 members of the 2022-2023 ��ϴ�� Student Cabinet. The cabinet serves as a vehicle to connect the global Jewish student community, and also serves as an advisory council to ��ϴ��’s leadership in its efforts to engage Jewish college students worldwide.

The members were selected through a highly competitive process. They represent a cross-section of campus experiences, Jewish backgrounds, geography and academic interests. Hillel serves students at more than 850 colleges and universities, and in 17 countries worldwide.��

“Hillel is proud to welcome the new Student Cabinet, an inspiring group of ambassadors for our movement, which prides itself above all on ensuring th��ϴ�� is a home for every Jewish student,” said ��ϴ�� President and CEO Adam Lehman. “The leadership of these exceptional students will support and elevate our movement during times of challenge and joy throughout the year.”

Student cabinet co-chairs Jordan Robinson and Jessica Yeroshalmi’s appointment was announced in March.��

“I’m excited to work with an incredible group of students who are motivated to better the Hillel movement and add value to our community,” said Yeroshalmi, a member of the class of 2023 at Baruch College in New York City. “I’m looking forward to seeing all that we will accomplish together. I’m grateful for this opportunity and can’t wait to get started.”

“The cabinet this year is dynamic,” said Robinson, a member of the class of 2022 at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich. ��“It’s a spectrum of schools, backgrounds, stories, and visions which will only advance the movement in anticipation of our centennial celebration. I can’t wait to see the energy of our cabinet next year and the potential it holds!”

Below is a full list of the 2022-23 Cabinet members:

Co-Chairs:

Jordan Robinson, MBA candidate,��Wayne State University, ’24

Jessica Yeroshalmi, Baruch College, ’23

Cabinet Members:

Avery Adelman, Emory University, ’24

Linoy Barokas, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, ’24

Abram Berry, The University of Utah, ’24

Samantha Brody, Brandeis University, ’24

Elijah Cohen-Gordon, Clark University, ’23

Samuel Cross, Rhodes College, ’24

Dani Duek, Tel Aviv University, ’22