Independent Campus Hillel Established at CU Boulder

DENVER – Hillel International and Hillel of Colorado announced today that an independent University of Colorado Boulder Hillel has been created to bring additional resources and on-campus support for the 2,500 Jewish students on campus. The new organization will be led by incoming Executive Director Seth Reder.

CU Boulder Hillel will be financially supported for its first two years by a partnership of Hillel International, an anonymous donor, and Hillel of Colorado. JEWISHcolorado will be the fiscal sponsor of this new entity until it can sustain itself independently.

Hillel of Colorado has historically sponsored Hillel activities at CU Boulder in addition to Colorado State University and University of Denver. By spinning off CU Boulder Hillel as a separate entity, Hillel of Colorado is achieving one of the core goals of its 2016 strategic plan.

“Through this exciting collaboration, Hillel of Colorado and CU Boulder Hillel are now positioned to facilitate a bright future in serving Colorado’s more than 4,000 Jewish college students,” said Hillel of Colorado Board Chair Ed Barad. “We are looking forward to both Hillels continuing the momentum that has led to many successes, with sound finances, extraordinary leadership and student engagement.”

Daniel Bennett will continue to serve as Executive Director of Hillel of Colorado, fostering Jewish student life at the University of Denver and Colorado State University. Bennett will build on Hillel of Colorado’s solid student engagement metrics and programming on all campuses.

Reder comes to CU Boulder Hillel from Hillel International, where he has served as Associate Director of Leadership Programs for its professional development department, Hillel U. He managed the ACCELERATE: Weinberg Executive Training Program for aspiring Hillel Executive Directors and oversaw a year-long comprehensive onboarding program for all new Hillel professionals. Originally from the small town of Boring, Oregon, Reder has worked in various educational capacities, both domestically and in Israel, and has taught and facilitated leadership courses at the University of Colorado Boulder. Prior to his work with Hillel U, he worked as the Director of Jewish Student Life at Central Florida Hillel, as well as spending a year in Netanya, Israel as a Masa Israel Teaching Fellow.

In addition to his professional experiences, Reder is currently studying for his Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership at the University of Northern Colorado, where he will apply his course content to his new role. When he is not working as an educator, you can find Seth writing music, performing, playing ice hockey, traveling, hiking and enjoying the Colorado playground with his wife, Debbie, and daughter, Hannah. Debbie is also a part of the Hillel family as the Israel Engagement and BICEP Manager for Hillel International.

“I am thrilled and honored to be a part of this exciting new chapter as the Executive Director of CU Boulder Hillel,” Reder said. “I look forward to working closely with CU Boulder students, staff, faculty and community members alike to enrich the lives of every Jewish student on campus. With my team, we will continue to inspire the next generation of Jewish leaders to make an enduring commitment to Jewish life, learning, and their personal relationship to Israel.”

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About Hillel International    

Founded in 1923, Hillel has been enriching the lives of Jewish students for more than 90 years. Today, Hillel International is a global organization that welcomes students of all backgrounds and fosters an enduring commitment to Jewish life, learning and Israel. Hillel is dedicated to enriching the lives of Jewish students so that they may enrich the Jewish people and the world. As the largest Jewish student organization in the world, Hillel builds connections with emerging adults at more than 550 colleges and universities, and inspires them to direct their own path. During their formative college years, students are challenged to explore, experience, and create vibrant Jewish lives. For more information visit Hillel.org.

About Hillel of Colorado

Hillel of Colorado, one of over 550 North American affiliates of Hillel International, is the Jewish home-away-from-home for over 1,000 Jewish students at the University of Denver and at Colorado State University in Ft. Collins – with outreach to students at a dozen other colleges in metro-Denver and northern Colorado. Founded in the early 1950’s, Hillel of Colorado provides students with a safe place to learn, socialize, celebrate, act, hone their Jewish values, travel to Israel – and develop the all-important skills and contacts to enable them to become tomorrow’s community leaders. Student-run and staff supported activities – from weekly Shabbat dinners to social justice trips to assist disaster victims – connect Jewish students with mentors, with Jewish tradition and with each other as they navigate the often-rocky transition from the Jewish world of childhood to that of Jewish adulthood. For more information visit Hillelcolorado.org.