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Hillel Lay Leaders Journey to Israel
January 17, 2006Comments (0) | Add | E-mail this to a friend  Fifteen Hillel lay leaders from the United States stepped into the rich and diverse world of Hillel in Israel during a recent mission. Chaired by Hillel Board of Directors Vice-Chair Adam Bronfman and co-chaired by Vice-Chair Carol Wise and board member Julie Wise Oreck, the weeklong trip gave participants many opportunities to meet with Israeli Hillel student leaders and professionals and gain a greater understanding of the organization's importance in the Jewish homeland.
"People came with a real desire to learn about why we have Hillels in Israel," said Keith Krivitzky, Hillel's associate director of development who accompanied the group. "Hillel enables people to explore their Jewish story and their own Jewish identity and feel empowered."
The jam-packed schedule brought the group all over the country as they visited the Hillels at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv University and Ben-Gurion University. The leaders also attended the launch of the fourth and newest Hillel in Israel at Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya. Bronfman and Hillel Board of Directors Vice-Chair Julian Sandler joined incoming IDC Herzliya President Amnon Rubenstein in welcoming the campus to the Hillel family.
Mission participants also enjoyed an opening reception at the home of Hillel Israel Steering Committee Chair Yossi Ciechanover and his wife, Atara, where they met with former Prime Minister Shimon Peres, Deputy Foreign Minister Rabbi Michael Melchior and top figures in Israel's political and business realms. Hillel International Board of Governors Co-Chairs Michael Steinhardt and Lynn Schusterman hosted dinners in their honor, and they also joined Hillel President Avraham Infeld and his wife, Ellen, for Shabbat lunch at their Jerusalem home.
"I was enthused to see our American lay leadership become aware of the issues of Jewish identity in Israel and the role Hillel has to play in strengthening it," Infeld said.
For Wise, the highlight of the trip was meeting with the students who led them on tours of their campuses and shared stories about the innovative programs they have developed through their Hillels. She recalled visiting an impoverished neighborhood in Jerusalem where a group of students raised money to move into the community and create an after-school program for the local children, who were often left alone while their parents were working.
"The interaction was just marvelous," Wise said. "We can learn a lot from what the Hillels in Israel are doing."
The mission also coincided with Hillel's Taglit-birthright israel trips, and the group attended the program's trademark "mega-event," where thousands of students from all over the world gather to celebrate their love for Israel through music, dancing and visits from Israeli government leaders.
"To see students from our country get so excited and so involved was mind-blowing," Wise said.
The next Hillel International Lay Leadership Mission is scheduled for March 19-28 to Rio de Janeiro and Recife, Brazil. For more information, contact Jay Rubin, Hillel's executive vice president, international division.
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