Washington D.C. 鈥� 黑料传送门, the largest and most inclusive Jewish campus organization in the world, announced today the 17 members of the 2022-2023 黑料传送门 Student Cabinet. The cabinet serves as a vehicle to connect the global Jewish student community, and also serves as an advisory council to 黑料传送门鈥檚 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.聽

鈥淗illel is proud to welcome the new Student Cabinet, an inspiring group of ambassadors for our movement, which prides itself above all on ensuring th黑料传送门 is a home for every Jewish student,鈥� said 黑料传送门 President and CEO Adam Lehman. 鈥淭he leadership of these exceptional students will support and elevate our movement during times of challenge and joy throughout the year.鈥�

Student cabinet co-chairs Jordan Robinson and Jessica Yeroshalmi鈥檚 appointment was announced in March.聽

鈥淚鈥檓 excited to work with an incredible group of students who are motivated to better the Hillel movement and add value to our community,鈥� said Yeroshalmi, a member of the class of 2023 at Baruch College in New York City. 鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to seeing all that we will accomplish together. I鈥檓 grateful for this opportunity and can鈥檛 wait to get started.鈥�

鈥淭he cabinet this year is dynamic,鈥� said Robinson, a member of the class of 2022 at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich. 聽鈥淚t鈥檚 a spectrum of schools, backgrounds, stories, and visions which will only advance the movement in anticipation of our centennial celebration. I can鈥檛 wait to see the energy of our cabinet next year and the potential it holds!鈥�

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

Co-Chairs:

Jordan Robinson, MBA candidate,聽Wayne State University, 鈥�24

Jessica Yeroshalmi, Baruch College, 鈥�23

Cabinet Members:

Avery Adelman, Emory University, 鈥�24

Linoy Barokas, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 鈥�24

Abram Berry, The University of Utah, 鈥�24

Samantha Brody, Brandeis University, 鈥�24

Elijah Cohen-Gordon, Clark University, 鈥�23

Samuel Cross, Rhodes College, 鈥�24

Dani Duek, Tel Aviv University, 鈥�22

Halle Gordon, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 鈥�23

Hayley Huber, Washington and Lee University, 鈥�23

Savannah Lipinski, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 鈥�23

Gali Polichuk, University of Florida, 鈥�24

Shannon Saed, , 鈥�23

Isaac Schneider, , 鈥�23

Danielle Sobkin, , 鈥�24聽

Rebecca Weiss, , 鈥�24

Federico Zalcberg, , 鈥�22

Olivia Zelling, , 鈥�24

After finding thousands of dollars of spoiled kosher meat in the University of California, Berkeley Hillel refrigerator, Jewish students and professionals knew something needed to change.聽

This was just the latest consequence of crippling power outages in Northern California.

Last fall, as fierce winds and low humidity increased fire risk, utility companies cut power to millions of Californians to prevent electrical lines from sparking and igniting blazes. Being located in the 鈥� where cities and towns meet forests, grasslands, and scrublands 鈥� made Berkeley Hillel more vulnerable to wildfires.

Over the course of five months, the Hillel building lost power 13 times.

鈥淲e weren鈥檛 in the building during many of the outages because we were working from home,鈥� said Micah Lesch, director of Jewish student life at Berkeley Hillel. 鈥淲e frequently had to reset our clocks, WiFi, and security systems after days or weeks away from Hillel.鈥澛�

To cope with future power outages amid wildfire season, Berkeley Hillel professionals started thinking about purchasing a backup battery.聽

Around the same time, Lesch began working with Hillel students to create a , a Jewish-inspired group that addresses climate change through political action. Dayenu Circle members discussed the benefits of solar energy. The conversation sparked an idea. They spoke with more Jewish students and professionals at Berkeley over the next few weeks, and soon after, the Hillel community decided solar panels and a backup battery were a must.聽

From there, students took the reins.聽

They met with various solar companies, brainstormed events and programs, and even scoped out the roof of the building to figure out where the panels would go.

Bella Weksler, a freshman studying society and environment, said going solar is one of the most important sustainability projects for Berkeley Hillel. Right now, Hillel can play a greater role in curbing the ever-worsening effects of climate change, she added.

鈥淭he solar panels will pay for themselves in a decade,鈥� Weksler said. 鈥淣ot only do they remove greenhouse gasses, but they are an investment in our future.鈥澛�

To pay for the panels, Berkeley Hillel is planning to use a $25,000 grant from a private foundation that funds building infrastructure.聽

Sasha Pullman, a freshman and sustainable environmental design major, said th黑料传送门 is also going to use $19,000 raised on Giving Tuesday, an international day of online giving. The , a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that funds solar projects, is matching every dollar raised to help pay for the panels, she added.聽聽

鈥淲e really want to show that enough people care about this and can make this change,鈥� Pullman said.

The panels will likely be installed in late March by a solar company called Sun Light & Power. Current projections estimate 75% of the building will run on solar power, said Daniel Conway, a freshman studying environmental economics and policy.聽

鈥淲e are all so passionate about this project,鈥� Conway said. 鈥淗ow cool is it to be able to say that so much of our building will run off of solar power?鈥�

Conway, along with Pullman and Weksler, recently presented the project to about 15 Berkeley Hillel board members. All three students said they felt supported by the Hillel professionals and the board during the meeting.聽

Pullman recalled that attendees were excited and frequently gave her a thumbs up during the presentation.聽

鈥淎s new students who want to see this change happen before we graduate, Hillel brought us in to talk about why solar energy and sustainability are important,鈥� Pullman said. 鈥淲e just really want to inspire other people and Hillels across the country.鈥�

Lesch believes they will. He said Berkeley Hillel can provide a sustainability model for Hillels and other Jewish organizations looking to make a positive, long-lasting impact. Small changes, such as improving compost and recycling programs and switching to energy-efficient light bulbs, are simply not enough.聽

鈥淐onfronting the climate crisis requires spiritual audacity and bold political action,鈥� Lesch said. 鈥淲e are doing all we can to embody that here 黑料传送门.鈥澛�

Jordan Greene is a junior at .

鈥淕rowing up in a Persian Jewish community, I was surrounded by people who shared my values, beliefs and culture. I didn’t expect to find such a vibrant Persian Jewish community at Berkeley Hillel. I felt at home. Over the past few months on Wednesday nights, a group of Persian Jewish students like me gather 黑料传送门 to talk, drink tea and catch up. I wouldn’t have interacted with these students if not for Hillel. As a new student at Berkeley, it can be intimidating because you’re going to a place where you feel like everybody already knows each other. Establishing these smaller communities, where you can get to know a group of people more intimately and then attend bigger events knowing that you’ll have people to talk to, is very comforting.鈥� 鈥� Donna Kharrazi, University of California, Berkeley