Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life has named six student leaders from the United States as members of its Board of Directors.
Alison Breskin of San Diego State University ('06); Danielle Josephs of Rutgers University ('07); Shuli Karkowsky of University of Maryland, College Park ('06); Zachary Peikon of Boston University ('06); Anna Solomon-Schwartz of Harvard University ('06); and Neil Spears of University of California, San Diego ('06) will serve on the board for two years. In addition, student board members serve on up to two committees and act as the student voice in board decisions.
"Student board members are empowered to serve as the voice of students on the Board and to shape Hillel policy that impacts Jewish students around the world," Hillel President Avraham Infeld said. "Their appointment also recognizes the involvement they have already made to their Hillels and campus Jewish communities."
Breskin is a sociology major from San Diego and is currently the Jewish Student Union/Hillel president at San Diego State. She also served as the JSU representative to SDSU's Associated Students Council for the past two years.
Josephs, a political science and Middle Eastern studies major from Teaneck, N.J., is the Israel director on the Rutgers Hillel student board. She also serves as the AIPAC campus liaison on her campus and participates in the Douglass Scholars Program.
A native of Silver Spring, Md., Karkowsky is currently the president of the Maryland's Jewish Student Union. A government and economics major, she also serves on the Strategic Planning Committee of University of Maryland Hillel and participates in the Gemstone and Honors programs on campus.
A political science major from Suffern, N.Y., Peikon is currently the vice president of outreach at the Boston University Hillel House. He is also involved with BU's student government, serving as the past president of the College of General Studies.
Solomon-Schwartz is the new vice chair of the Board of the Directors and the undergraduate president of Harvard Hillel. She also hails from Silver Spring, Md., and is majoring in government. She recently participated in the Harvard Hillel Netivot Fellowship, a yearlong program designed to allow students to explore the meaning of being Jewish and empower them to become Jewish leaders on campus.
Spears, a psychology major from Highland, Calif., is a Reform minyan leader at Hillel of San Diego. He also serves as a senator on UCSD's Associated Students Council.
The Board of Directors is comprised of more than 80 of Hillel's key representatives from the Council of Jewish Federations and Federation leadership, B'nai B'rith International, college students, Hillel professionals, faculty and delegates at-large. Student board member terms are staggered: six new board members join annually, allowing student members to mentor one another.
The largest Jewish campus organization in the world, Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life is committed to creatively empowering and engaging Jewish students through its network of more than 500 regional centers, campus foundations and affiliates. Its long-standing dedication to building Jewish identity, while nurturing intellectual and spiritual growth in a pluralistic community, positions Hillel as a leader in building a stronger Jewish people and stronger Jewish future.