Hillel Latin American Holds First Leaders Assembly 
Hillel Argentina business student Hernan Serlik wasn’t sure what to expect of the first Hillel Latin America Student Leaders Assembly.
"At first, I didn’t know what this conference was going to be like," said Serlik. "But as soon as all the groups arrived from the other countries, with their warm smiles, that’s when I understood the idea. That’s when I knew that sharing Judaism with other students really creates a bond, and it doesn’t matter where are you from."
Serlik joined 90 of his peers from around the region this August at the inaugural Hillel Latin America Student Leaders Assembly, held in Punta del Este, Uruguay. (read more)
Haifa Hillel Ushers Students Through Wedding Workshops
Students from Haifa Hillel are taking "engagement" to a whole new level! Haifa Hillel has started holding "Wedding Workshops" for engaged couples in order for them to learn about Jewish wedding traditions and rituals, and help them enter this new stage of their Jewish life together.
(read more)
Hillel in the UK Rings in the New Year with a New BuildingUJS/Hillel in London is getting a new home! The long-time Hillel House on Endsleigh Street in London is being replaced by a new state-of-the-art student center scheduled to open this October in London’s university district.
(read more)
AUSTRALIA
• 3-day Hillel Footsteps Training Seminar prepares student leaders to be madrichim (counselors) for immersive experiences.
• 40 students participate in Holocaust education seminar, giving new perspectives into contemporary issues related to the Holocaust.
• Derech Eretz service learning project brings together Hillel students and members of a Toomelah, an Australian Aboriginal community.
• 6-week Hillel Leadership Institute helps Jewish students develop their leadership skills and further their involvement in the Jewish community.
SOUTH AMERICA
• Cordoba Hillel Tzedek students create a puppet show for children to teach proper dental hygiene.
• Rio Hillel ends semester of Holocaust education by sending 30 students to Poland and Israel for Jewish heritage tour.
• Uruguay Hillel hosts nine students from the United States as part of its annual Spanish Program. The program brings students to Uruguay to study Spanish and learn about the Jewish community of Montevideo.
FORMER SOVIET UNION
• Dor Chadash program brings together students from Georgia and Azerbaijan for leadership seminars.
• Dnepropetrovsk Hillel held a leadership seminar for 150 students from 6 countries.
• 50 students participated in the Expedition Project across Belarus, learning about the local history and restoring a Jewish cemetery.
ISRAEL
• Hillel at Hebrew University, with support from the Avi Chai Foundation, runs Bein HaShurot, an initiative for immigrant students.
• The Amit project at Tel Aviv Hillel engages 25 young Israeli leaders to build connections between Israeli and North American students.
• Haifa Hillel students gather weekly to study Jewish texts about leadership and social responsibility, then volunteer with local youth.
UNITED KINGDOM
• Students at Hillel in London joined a 2,000 person-strong protest in front of the Sudanese Embassy in London as part of Global Day for Darfur.
• Hillel students will compete in the JUEFA Cup this fall, a nationwide Jewish soccer tournament.
Sweet New Year Hopes for Tblisi Hillel
The last days of the Jewish year are traditionally a period for reflection, and Rosh Hashanah a time for sweetness. At this crucial moment in our Jewish year, I reflect on the recent events in my country and find myself struck by both bitterness and sweetness.
Over the last two months, my country of Georgia has experienced the bitterness that comes with war. While one can easily become depressed by seeing so much pain and suffering, there are aspects of this experience that fill me with the sweetness of strength and hope.
I saw the parents of our Hillel students joining me without hesitation in bringing their fellow Jews out of the afflicted town of Gori. I saw Tbilisi Hillel students coming back from their vacations to assist the Jewish refugees that fled the conflict zone. I saw these same Hillel students turning the expressions of refugee teenagers from frightened scowls to relieved smiles. And I see the drastic changes this experience has had not just on the refugees, but on our students.
As you read these lines, 11 student volunteers are staffing a 9-day sleep-away camp for refugees from Gori, which Hillel organized in partnership with Joint Distribution Committee. In this unusual camp, Hillel students are working with entire families--with teenagers and young adults, with their parents and grandparents. Together they learn Jewish songs and Israeli dances, they learn about Jewish history and community, about Jewish holidays and Israel. They come together as a community to celebrate Shabbat and prepare for High Holidays. Together they find refuge and respite as they begin to put their lives back together again.
The strength of the human spirit and the Jewish community’s resolve in times of crisis is heartening and we, collectively, are finding ways to turn this tragedy into opportunity.
I hope that the New Year will bring us all peace and sweetness. Shana Tova u’Metuka!
Moris Krikheli,
Tbilisi Hillel Director
YOUR GLOBAL IQ?In a record-breaking summer, Hillels in the former Soviet Union sent how many buses to Israel with Taglit-Birthright Israel?
A. Five
B. Nine
C. Eight
D. Eleven
See Answer - Bottom of Page 
Students of Hillels in the Urals region of Russia in
the annual 4-day Jewish history reenactment camp.
Hillel Israel Regional Director, Rabbi Yossie Goldman Few Hillel staff members embody Hillel’s global reach as does Hillel Israel Regional Director Rabbi Yossie Goldman. Born in Tel Aviv, Goldman has spent his career working with Jewish communities around the world—first in the United States and the former Soviet Union, and now in Israel. While expanding the Hillel Israel operation from three to nine Hillels over the last two years, Goldman has come to appreciate the important role Hillel plays in Israel today. "While young Israelis speak Hebrew and follow the cycle of the Jewish calendar, …many of them feel disconnected from their local community and the Jewish people," said Goldman. "Hillel has a vital role in helping to shape Israel’s future leadership, and enables Israel’s young generation to explore and strengthen its Jewish identity."
Helping young adults explore their Jewish identity is something Rabbi Goldman knows well. During the 1990s, Goldman was instrumental in bringing Hillel to the former Soviet Union, allowing an entire new generation to discover their Jewish identity. "With the collapse of the Soviet Union and the massive aliyah to Israel, I realized that even though many Russian Jews were leaving, many would still remain in Russia," said Goldman. "I wanted to help the youth there reconnect with the Jewish people, our culture and traditions, and I saw Hillel as the way to do so." Goldman’s vision eventually established a network of Hillels serving nearly 30 communities across the former Soviet Union.
Hillel's International Division
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 the United Kingdom
Hillel in Australia
Hillel in CASE
ANSWER: B. Nine buses from throughout the former Soviet Union went to Israel this summer!