הלל ישראל הינו ארגון חברתי שמטרתו להעמיק את תחושת שייכותם של סטודנטיות וסטודנטים ישראלים לעם היהודי, מתוך תפיסת עולם פלורליסטית. הלל ישראל מעודד סטודנטים וסטודנטיות לחקור את הקשר האישי שלהם לעם היהודי, תוך חשיפה למגוון רחב של זהויות וקהילות יהודיות בארץ ובעולם.
הלל ישראל פועל בשישה מרכזים באוניברסיטאות ומכללות ברחבי הארץ ומהווה את המרכז הישראלי של הלל העולמי - ארגון הסטודנטים היהודים הגדול והוותיק בעולם, הפועל במעל 550 קמפוסים במגוון מדינות.
Hillel Israel serves as a source of inspiration for young Israeli adults and university students, encouraging them to delve into their Jewish identity and cultivate a strong connection to the Global Jewish People. We aim to foster a pluralistic Jewish life and motivate students to make Judaism more meaningful and relevant for them, especially during the pivotal juncture when they are embarking on the path to adulthood. We believe this influence is crucial in shaping the way they navigate life choices, build their futures, and form families within Israeli society.
We focus upon two interconnected pillars: Jewish Pluralism and Jewish Peoplehood. Through these two inextricably linked values, we specialize in crafting enriching educational encounters that facilitate and promote dialogue between Israeli students and their global Jewish peers, emphasizing (re)building the relationship and bond between Israeli and American Jews.
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50+ Programs running
10,000+ Students
110+ Years of activity
Students say...
It's exciting to see what our students say about the work we do at Hillel Israel
Jewish Identity
Hillel Israel works broaden student's perception by showcasing Judaism as a multifaceted identity, encompassing culture, values, and heritage and help them see that Judaism is more varied, rich and beautiful than they had ever thought possible.
"I am now more thoughtful about my Jewish identity and about what kind of Judaism I wish for myself, my family and my country…I realize I need to be proactive in creating Jewish pluralism in Israel and that there are many ways to celebrate our Israel-Jewish identity. - Ben Gurion Student
Jewish Peoplehood
Hillel Israel strengthens Jewish peoplehood by nurturing a sense of belonging and responsibility across diverse Jewish communities relying on diversity and connectivity. Through Mifgash, or "Exchange", Israeli students are exposed to the richness of Jewish life in the USA and to the possibility of a pluralistic Jewish identity in Israel as well as challenges of antisemitism/anti-Israel, and American students enhance their connection to Israel, the land and the people and understanding of the situation here now.
"Listening to American student's stories and how greatly the events in Israel impact their lives abroad, helps me to better understand their difficulties and that is something that I would love to learn more about." - student who participated in a Mifgash program
Immersive Experiences
As part of strengthening Jewish peoplehood, we lead delegations that give students the opportunity to to connect and learn from Jews around the world. Many of our Hillels have partnerships with US cities/campuses, for example - Haifa and Boston or Sderot (Sapir College) and Philadelphia. Throughout the year these groups meet and study together. At the end of the year, they have the opportunity to take part in a delegation.
"First of all, of course, I've met amazing people and amazing friends, and I want to continue the personal connection with them. Also, I really want to visit them, see more, and learn more about the Jewish community in their area (for example, South America) and connect with them in Israel. I don't want this to be a one-time experience but a continuous connection because we are truly one people, and Judaism connects us from different corners of the world. " - Ben Gurion student on a delegation to San Francisco
Jewish Pluralism
Hillel Israel works to show the diversity of approaches to being Jewish in Israel today. Our programs examine how Judaism can look in both the US and in Israel. For example, YAHA-DO-IT, is a Beit Midrash program where students experience diverse approaches to being Jewish and various aspects of Israeli-Judaism, offering paths to develop a meaningful, pluralistic Jewish identity and an entry point into Israeli-Jewish communal life.
"Visiting a reform synagogue was very eye-opening for me. I have never experienced anything like it before." - Yaha-do-it program participant
Social Action
At Hillel Israel we have many opportunities for students to volunteer with different communities in Israel. Zahor v'Chabed (Remeber and Honor) allows students to learn from and volunteer with Holocaust survivors. VeHadarta (Respect) allows students to volunteer with evacuated elderly from the North and South. In addition, we have many programs for students still processing the events of October 7th and returning from miluim (reserves).
"Volunteering with the elderly was the most meaningful thing I did this school year. I am happy for the opportunity to brighten someone else's day." - Haifa student
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Partners
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Staff
Rabbi Yossie Goldman
Associate VP, Hillel International, Emeritus
Rabbi Yossie Goldman is a pioneer in international Jewish education. Born in Tel Aviv and raised in the United States, after graduating from the Jewish Theological Seminary, he served as the spiritual leader of the Mosaic Law Congregation in Sacramento, California.
Upon making aliyah to Israel in 1985, he was appointed Director of Summer and Special Academic programs at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and later the director of Hillel at Hebrew University. He soon went on to become the overall director of Hillel Israel, establishing eight Hillels across the country. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, he founded 27 Hillels across the Former Soviet Union. As director of Global Expansion for Hillel International, he went on to establish Hillels in Germany, Poland, Hungary and France. He and his wife, Judy, live in Jerusalem. They have four married children and nine grandchildren, all of whom live in Israel.
Reut Noyman
Deputy Director
Reut, an IDF Major, served as a combat instructor in the armored corps and completed the first mixed-gender combat officer’s course. She was the Head of the International Leadership Program and Project Director for the Youth at Risk Center. Reut also served as a JAFI Sh'licha in summer camps. She holds a BA in Education and Communication, a Teaching Credential, and a double Master’s in American Jewish Studies and Alternative Education from Haifa University.
Yosef Epstein
Associate Director of Finance
Yoseph has been with Hillel since 1997. With a background in both the business and third sectors, he also operates as a financial consultant for companies in Israel and the USA. Yoseph holds a Master's degree in Management from Yale University, a Master's degree in Jewish History, and a Bachelor's degree in Economics, both from Yeshiva University.
Dina Kremer
Managing Bookkeeper
Dina made Aliyah to Israel in 1991. She has been working at Hillel as an accounting manager since 2008. Married to Boris and mother of three, she resides with her family in Ma'ale Adumim.
Maya Rosenblum
Director, Hillel at Ben Gurion University
Maya is a graduate of Ben-Gurion University with a Bachelor's degree in Education and Communication, and a Master's degree in Educational Counseling. As an undergraduate student, she was active in Hillel, participating in the BCI camp in California, and since then her connection to the Jewish diaspora plays a huge part in her life.
In the years leading up to her current role, she worked in various educational positions, including guiding in the "Israeli Journey" program and mentoring youth during their service year in "Krembo Wings."
Uri Carmeli
Director, Hebrew University Hillel in Jerusalem
Uri studied for about four years at a high yeshiva in southern mount Hebron. He completed his undergraduate degree at Shalem College in the Integrated Track of Israeli Thought Philosophy and Humanities Studies. In the past three years, he has taught and coordinated various programs, including "Totzeret Haaretz," a youth spirit program for science enthusiasts, guided reading in Greek philosophy at Tel Aviv University, and more.
Orr Grosman
Director, Hillel at Tel Aviv University
Orr served for three years as a Jewish Agency Israel Fellow at Hillel at Boston University and a on three campuses in North Carolina. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Sociology, Anthropology, and East Asia Studies from Tel Aviv University. He brings professional experience from the hi-tech world and experience in designing Jewish educational spaces for the purpose of connection, mentoring, and empowerment of youth.
Yael Bullet
Director, Technion, Haifa University, & Gordon College
An educational facilitator and group leader, she holds a Bachelor's degree in Sociology, Anthropology, and Human Resource Management, a Master's degree in Organizational Sociology, and certification in group facilitation from the University of Haifa. For over a decade, she has dedicated herself to the integration of immigrant students into Israeli society and worked for ten years with the Jewish Agency in the field of informal education within various Jewish communities in the Haifa area.
Nadav Leibovitz
Program Coordinator
Nadav was a Jewish Agency Shaliach in Washington DC, and holds a master's degree student in North American Jewish Studies (Roderman Program) from the University of Haifa. In the past he was a summer camp emissary, and was active in Hillel Tel Hai as an undergrad student. He was also honored to be the first emissary at the BCI camp on behalf of Hillel Israel. Nadav is a die-hard Haifa Hapoel fan, and a father to his 3-year-old son, Noam.
Rebecca Weiss
National Programs Coordinator
Rebecca made Aliyah to Israel from Toronto in 2018 with Garin Tzabar. Currently, she is pursuing her bachelor's degree at Ben-Gurion University in the Departments of Communication and Management, and has played an active role in Hillel since her first year. Over the past two years, Rebecca has served on the Hillel International Student Cabinet, organized volunteer initiatives for new immigrants, and presently spearheads the national "Vehadarta" program, which engages students in volunteering with elderly who were displaced from there home because of the war.
Noga Brenner Samia
CEO
In the past, Noga served as the CEO of the Koldor Association and as Deputy Director and Director of External Relations and Development at Bina. Noga holds a Master's degree in Jewish Education, is ordained as a rabbi from the Beit Midrash for Israeli Rabbis, and is active in the field of Jewish renewal in Tel Mond. Noga joined Hillel Israel in 2019.
Esther Abramowitz
Associate VP, Global Israel Experiences
Esther began her career with Hillel in the United States and has been working with Hillel Israel since 1990. She has worked with student leaders, participated in the March of the Living in Poland and met with over 1,500 Birthright groups. Esther holds a Bachelor's degree in Jewish Studies and a Master's degree in Social Work.
Galit Cohen
Head Bookkeeper
Working at Hillel Israel since August 2005 as an accounting manager. Married to Yossi and a mother of five children. She resides with her family in Efrat, located in the Gush Etzion region.
Leetal Shoshan
Development Coordinator
Lital served for three years as an Israel Fellow of the Jewish Agency at Hillel Vanderbilt. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication and Public Diplomacy from Reichman University. She served as a spokesperson for the IDF in the International Press Unit.
Bekky Katsenelenbogen
Program Coordinator, Hillel at Tel Aviv University
Bekky holds a bachelor's degree in psychology, sociology and anthropology and a master's degree student in business administration. In the past she guided tours, ODT programs and high altitude leadership programs. Currently, she is the program coordinator at Hillel Tel Aviv University.
Uri Bassan-Dvash
Director, Hillel at Sapir College
Uri began his role as the director of Hillel Sapir in 2023. He is active in the Negev Refugee Center and holds a Bachelor's degree from Ben-Gurion University.
Tair Hellerman
Program Coordinator, Hebrew University Hillel in Jerusalem
Tair is pursuing a Bachelor's in International Relations and Communications and a Master's in International Relations with a focus on International Security Studies and Diplomacy at the Hebrew University. She attended a Jewish Agency summer camp and has since guided educational trips for American youth in Israel. Tair is a proud graduate of the "Focus" program for Jewish communities, sponsored by Hillel and the Jewish Agency, and completed the "DiploAct" program focused on Israel advocacy.
Sofya Polotovskaya
Program Coordinator, Hillel Technion, Haifa University & Gordon College
Sofya is currently in her third year of studies as a teaching student at Oranim College and actively involved with Hillel Haifa. Sofya volunteers at "Moishe House Haifa," a social enterprise she co-founded with friends which focuses on young Russian-speaking immigrants in Haifa. She has also worked with children, youth, and young adults. Sofya appreciates the rich diversity within Israeli society and is deeply connected to Jewish philosophy and spirituality.
Dor Gweita
Director, Hillel Tel Hai
Dor is a social entrepreneur with expertise in building partnerships. He served for two years as a Jewish Agency emissary at Hillel at UCSD in San Diego, California. He is a graduate of the Mandel Excellence Program on behalf of the Jewish Agency. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Social Education and East Asian Studies and a Master's degree in Jewish Studies. For three years, he managed programs in partnership with Tzahar-Palm-Beach. He also managed the Youth Entrepreneurship Center, Yunistarim-Amal, in Safed. He is a co-founder of "Beit Hachamisha," a social enterprise aimed at strengthening social education in the north.
Board of Directors
Dr. Yosef Beilin
Chairman
Israeli politician and businessman who held multiple key positions in Israeli governments. Yossi was a significant figure in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process of the nineties and the initiator of the "Tagalit" program. After retiring from political life, he founded "Beylink" - a business consulting company. Yossi writes opinion articles in Haaretz and Israel Hayom newspapers.
Nava Michael Tsabari
Member of the Board of Directors
Nava holds a Ph.D. from the Technion and serves as a faculty member at the Coller School of Management at Tel Aviv University. She is the founder and director of the Raya Strauss Center for Family Business Research, which is the only academic center on the subject in Israel. Her research focuses on the study of emotions, organizational culture and employment in family companies. Her research has won academic awards such as the best article of the year 2014 in the Journal Family Business Review. Her doctorate is the first in Israel on the topic of family businesses, and she has been teaching a course open to families for 15 years. Nava lectures to audiences in Israel and abroad about the connection between families and their businesses, while connecting the theoretical knowledge with the practical knowledge, from her personal experience as the third-generation in the Strauss family.
Ofra Friedman
Member of the Board of Directors
Ofra holds a Master's degree in Law from Bar-Ilan University and founded a law and mediation office specializing in labor law, women's status, and planning. With leadership roles such as Chairperson of the Appeals Committee for Planning and Construction in the Tel Aviv district, she also served as Chairwoman of the Advisory Committee to the Minister of the Interior on Refugees. Additionally, she directed the Israel region at the Jewish Agency, chaired Naamat, and managed 40 legal offices as a consultant. Her international experience includes work at the Israeli embassy in Paris. Contributing to various boards, she actively supports initiatives for welfare and community development. Her commitment to education is evident through participation in mediation courses and as a lecturer in programs by the State Service Commission and the Israeli Center for Management.
Aryeh Mintkevitch
Member of the Board of Directors
Chairman of A. Mintkevitch Consulting Ltd and chair of the Board of Rafael Development Corporation Ltd. Served as General Counsel at Israel's Ministry of Finance, chair of Israel's Securities Authority, chair of Israel's Discount Bank and Vice Chair of IDB Holdings.
Tomer Sharet
Member of the Board of Directors
Investor, chairman and director of public companies. Served as senior vice president at the global insurance company AIG - served as CEO of the international division and CEO of the European division in the field of credit risk insurance. Served as CEO of the EMI insurance company - which dealt in highly financed mortgage insurance in Israel. In the early 2000s, he served as CEO of the Economic Society of Tel Aviv and as CEO of the Jaffa Development Authority. He holds an EMBA degree from Bar Ilan University and an MA in International Relations from the Hebrew University.Member of the Executive Committee of the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Academic College.
Avraham Infeld
Member of the Board of Directors
Avraham founded and managed the Melitz organization for about 30 years. He was the first director of Taglit Israel, president of Hillel Global and former chairman of the board of directors of Hillel Israel. He wrote a book "Passion for the People" (published in Hebrew in 2018). Married to Ellen, father of 4, grandfather of 16, great grandfather of 4 out of his 64 future grandchildren.
Shlomo Gur
Member of the Board of Directors
Holds a law degree from Tel Aviv University, served in diplomatic service at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in various positions in Israel and abroad, last position: diplomatic envoy and deputy ambassador of Israel in Washington. Served as director general of the Ministry of Justice, director of the European Union - Israel Forum, director general of the State Comptroller's Office and lecturer at the faculty of Law at the Hebrew University and the College of Management (Rishon L’Etzion). Served until recently as Vice President (for Israel) of the Claims Conference.
Richard Roberts, Esq.
Member of the Board of Directors
Israeli lawyer and director, born in Queens, New York. Graduated with a bachelor's degree in law at the Hebrew University, interned at the Tosia law firm in Jerusalem and. Gornitsky in Tel Aviv and qualified as a member of the Bar Association.
In 1973, jointly with Amnon Shibolet, he founded the law firm Shibolet & Co., where he still serves as a founding partner and a senior board member.
He currently serves as a director at the Discount Bank and the Economic Society of the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, and also serves as an advisor to the Chief Scientist at the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Employment. In addition, he serves as a pro bono legal advisor to the Jewish Agency's "Spirit of Israel" organization.
Shimon Greenberg. Esq.
Member of the Board of Directors
Accountant with a bachelor's degree in economics and accounting from Tel Aviv University. Until the end of 2014, he was a senior partner in the CPA firm Coast Furrer, Gabai, which is part of the global CPA network - EY. Specialization in large non-profit corporations, public companies in the field of real estate and financial corporations Today, he serves in several non-profit corporations in various positions (audit committee, finance committee, investment committee, auditing body, etc.), and also serves as the CEO of a public company traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.
Yosef Abramowitz
Member of the Board of Directors
A former Hillel activist and Chairperson of the World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS), Yossi is Israel's leading solar pioneer. Named by CNN as one of the top six leading Green Pioneers worldwide, and winner of Israel's Green Globe, he can be followed @KaptainSunshine.