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Air Force Officer Olivia Raykhman found a strong Jewish community while attending the United States Military Academy at West Point. Hillel at West Point helped her embrace her identities as a Jew and as an American soldier. After recognizing that many Jewish cadets and ROTC students lacked similar support, she built Nesharim, an organization dedicated to creating community for Jewish service members through in-person and virtual gatherings. Raykhman hopes every Jewish cadet can find the same sense of community she found through Hillel.

Hillel International announced that Doug Berman will begin a three-year term as chair of its Board of Directors, succeeding Lee Dranikoff. Berman has served on the board for six years, including as treasurer and chair of the finance committee, and also serves on Hillel’s Board of Governors. Outside of Hillel, he is the immediate past chair of the Jewish Federation of Broward County Board of Directors and is co-president of H.I.G. Capital.

Hillel of San Diego reaches 3,500 students across UC San Diego, San Diego State University, University of San Diego, and Cal State San Marcos. CEO and Executive Director Karen Parry said the organization has seen six years of sustained growth in student engagement, noting, “We built it, and they came,” as participation in Jewish life programming continues to expand.

Bob Pollack and his wife Marion provided a matching donation to Hillel International’s Ruach Fellowship, a new cohort program training and empowering Jewish student ritual and songleaders. Pollack, who also has supported Hillel at Princeton University,  says he and Marion believe investing in Jewish community is a great privilege that has brought them deep purpose and joy. Their gift is helping to train more than 60 student ritual and song leaders across over two dozen campus Hillels, building joy and resilience within weekly Shabbat services and other Jewish experiences.

University of Vermont graduate Hadley Kalson credited their campus Hillel with providing an environment that supported both their queer, non-binary identity and Jewish identity. Kalson, who served as the UVM Hillel student president for two years, noted that inclusive leadership practices and programming like “Queers and Schmears” helped build the confidence needed to hold public student leadership roles. Following graduation, Kalson joins Hillel San Antonio as an incoming Springboard Fellow.

Elon University graduate and Alpha Epsilon Pi alumnus Benji Stern helped launch Elon’s Black-Jewish Coalition to build cross-community relationships and combat rising campus polarization. Inspired by a trip to Alabama, where he learned about the Civil Rights Movement, Stern collaborated with student leaders, university chaplains, and campus organizations to host regular dialogue dinners, cultural programs, and meetings with university administrators. The coalition plans to continue their work as Stern transitions into a new role as Springboard Fellow at Brandeis University Hillel.