Hillel Issues Its First "Passport"
Dear Friends,
It is a pleasure to share with you the first edition of “Passport”, Hillel’s new quarterly
e-newsletter focusing on Hillel activities across the globe. Today, there are more than 300 Hillels in 14 countries on four continents where outstanding Jewish students are shaping the future of the Jewish world. “Passport” will provide you with a unique glimpse into the lives and activities of those who are leading the charge and the impact Hillel is having on countless communities and individuals. Hillel’s global family is growing and we welcome you to join in this exciting enterprise!
Adam Bronfman, Vice-Chair, Hillel Board of Directors and Chair, Hillel International Council
Jewish Students Experience Global Peoplehood
When Lindsey Napchen arrived in Israel this past December, she couldn't help but feel intimidated. As part of Hillel's Jewish Peoplehood and Pluralism Mission to Israel, the University of Massachusetts student joined a two-bus group filled with 84 students from 10 different countries. And she knew no one.
Students Leave North America on Alternative Spring Breaks
While 700 of their peers were helping to rebuild the Gulf Coast during Hillel Alternative Spring Break trips, nearly 600 students traveled abroad to lend a helping hand and help repair the world.
Israeli Students Help to Rebuild the NorthCollege Students Abroad: Invite Us to Seders and We'll Come
SOUTH AMERICA
• Third Hillel Opens in Argentina (read more)
•400 students celebrate Purim together in Montivedeo, Uruguay
•Hillel Rio students teach local high school students about Israel and the Holocaust
NORTH AMERICA
•Hillel activists from the University of Florida and the University of North Carolina attended two recent sessions of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva
•Vancouver Hillel shows tremendous growth (read more)
•More than 300 Canadian students participate in regional conferences focused on Israel advocacy and Jewish identity
•Hillel groups from nearly 20 N. American universities travel to Uruguay, Argentina, and Brazil for alternative spring break
•Hillel helps reestablish the American Union of Jewish Students (read more)
FORMER SOVIET UNION
•Nearly 300 students participate in Hillel’s annual Winter Congress held in Moscow
•Hillel opens a new office in Odessa, Ukraine
•Hillel students in Kharkov, Ukraine lead an anti-violence initiative
•New agreement strengthens Hillel in the FSU (read more)
ISRAEL
•Hillel opens new offices in Haifa and at Tel Aviv University
•Former Hillel leader from Ben Gurion University Tamar Schory is elected chairperson of the World Union of Jewish Students
•Hillel program bringing together traditional Jewish poets and famous pop musicians is featured at the Israel festival
•Hillel Expands Horizons for Israeli College Students (read more)
Hillel Gets to the Heart
Until recently, opening a Hillel in Cordoba (Argentina) was only a dream. There is no doubt that Hillel is meeting a great need in Cordoba. One young Cordoban pulled me aside at the dedication ceremony and said with great emotion, "You have no idea what you've done for us by helping to bring Hillel here."
After visiting with students from Cordoba and watching them embrace the new Jewish opportunities ahead of them, I am incredibly proud of the work that was done to make this dream happen and I continue to be inspired to forge ahead in Latin America and around the world.
Fred Margulies, Hillel Board of Directors and Chair, Latin American Committee
YOUR GLOBAL IQ?
1) Where are the oldest and youngest Hillels in the world located?
2) The 27 Hillels in the Former Soviet Union span how many time zones?
a. 6
b. 8
c. 9
d. 11
See Answer - Bottom of Page 
On March 6, Hillel Kharkov (Ukraine) held 'Moishe's Purim Palooza' in a local nightclub. Approximately 500 students and community members took part, making over 400 carnival costumes and masks. (photo credit: Yulia Pototskaya)
Igor Dabakarov's Big Family
Igor Dabakarov's story begins 30 years ago in the Uzbekistan city of Samarkand, the cradle of the Bukharian Jewish community. The 120,000 Jews of the region continued to preserve their customs and religion even during the darkest days of the Soviet times. But soon after the collapse of the Soviet Union, almost all the Jews left the unstable region. Many moved to either Israel or Brooklyn. But Dabakarov's family moved to Ulyanovsk, Russia where his father opened a small shoemaker business. For Igor, it was a difficult transition. He spoke very little Russian and desperately missed the sense of belonging that accompanied his life in Samarkand. (read more)
IN MEMORY
Hillel remembers the lives of Masha Stoyanova, 20, Odessa Hillel Development Coordinator, and Kostya Borovko, 25, Khabarovsk Hillel Jewish Renaissance Fellow, who were both taken from the Hillel family in recent months long before their time.
Hillel in Vancouver
Hillel of Greater Toronto
Hillel of Montreal
Hillel Calgary
Hillel in Argentina
Hillel Rio
Hillel Uruguay
Hillel in Israel
Hillel in Russia
Hillel in CASE