Hillel increased its presence in Israel’s growing regional college system with the opening of new centers at Sapir College in the southern town of Sderot, Tel Hai College in the northern Galilee, and Jezreel Valley College near Afula. These centers join a growing Hillel presence in Israel, now comprised of Hillels at nine major Israeli universities and colleges. More>>

The excitement in the air was familiar, but this year's Charles Schusterman International Student Leaders Assembly was unlike any before. This was the first Leaders Assembly ever was held in Israel and fully one-third of the participants came from across Latin America, the former Soviet Union and Israel. The participation of these students inspired new conversations about global Judaism in the modern world. More>>

For select students from Russia, Latin America, Israel and North America, the journey of Taglit-Birthright Israel went far beyond Israel's borders. These students had the opportunity to be part of this winter's multi-national Taglit travel groups, learning first-hand what it means to be part of a global people. More>>

FORMER SOVIET UNION
• 100 students from across the former Soviet Union gather in Kishinev, Moldova for Hilleliada athletics competition. More>>
• In cooperation with Project Kesher, Hillel is training female activists to explore their roles within Judaism and Jewish communal life.
• 200 students turn out for the opening of Café Hillel in Odessa, Ukraine.
• 40 Belorussian students explore their Jewish roots in an expedition around the Jewish sites in Belarus.

ISRAEL
• Tel Aviv Hillel launches program for Ethiopian students, aimed at helping them adjust to university life.
• Haifa University Hillel activists travel to Germany and Poland to explore the relevance of the Sho’ah to the lives of “third generation” survivors.
• Ben-Gurion University students help Darfur refugees seeking asylum in Israel, founding first local chapter of STAND: A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition. More>>

Inspirational Trips to Israel
This winter, I had the distinct pleasure of visiting Israel and spending time with students participating in various immersive experiences.  These students were diverse in nationality, Jewishness, language, and background, yet they were unified by their experience in Israel. Despite their differences, these students found common ground in the desert dust, the street smells, the sounds of prayer. As I spent time with different groups of students, I witnessed South Americans laughing with North Americans and Russians learning with Israelis, and I was struck by the power of our global peoplehood. We are a people of differences but we are united by our shared beliefs in Tzedek, community, tradition, and pluralism. I can’t think of a more inspiring place to have witnessed this incredible commonality.

Julian Sandler, Chair, Hillel Board of Directors

Meet Doron Rubin, the Jewish Agency Shaliach to Hillel

Doron Rubin knows Hillel inside and out. From 2002-2007, Doron served as director of Hillel at Tel Aviv University (TAU), leading it through a period of incredible growth. Now, Doron is continuing his work with Hillel - this time as the Jewish Agency Shaliach (emissary) to Hillel in Washington, D.C. "I believe that young Israelis are the greatest resource for young Americans to learn about and engage in Israel, and I believe young Americans are a great resource for young Israelis to learn about Judaism," he says. As the Shaliach to Hillel, Dorom wil focus on forging connections between students and Israel and to creating these same connections between students worldwide.