top of page
Group 851.png

Hillel Israel empowers the next generation of Israeli leaders to engage deeply with Jewish life and become active shapers of a pluralistic, connected Jewish future. Our programs nurture leadership by exposing students to the richness of Jewish diversity, fostering dialogue across differences, and creating opportunities to build bridges with Jewish peers worldwide. Grounded in the core values of Jewish Pluralism and Jewish Peoplehood, we believe that inclusive leadership is essential for strengthening Jewish life in Israel and beyond. 

After October 7, the need for strong, pluralistic leadership has only deepened. Our students are stepping forward to heal divides, lead initiatives within their communities, and strengthen solidarity with the global Jewish People. 

Through immersive educational experiences, overseas delegations, and peer-to-peer encounters, Hillel Israel is shaping a generation of leaders who carry Jewish values, civic responsibility, and global engagement into the heart of Israeli society. 

Group 1017.png
Group 1024.png

Your partnership helps build the next generation of Israeli leaders.

50+ Programs running

10,000+ Students

110+ Years of activity

Group 854.png

Our programs focus on...

Scroll Group 3.jpg
Group 360.jpg

Jewish Identity and Pluralism

Our programs foster a deep, personal connection to Jewish life by embracing the full spectrum of Jewish expression. Through YAHA-DO-IT and a variety of Beit Midrash learning cohorts, students explore questions of identity, practice, and tradition in open, inclusive environments. We also offer tailored Beit Midrash experiences for specific communities, including Ethiopian Israelis and Russian-speaking students. These programs create space for students to reflect on their own Jewish journeys while honoring their culture and heritage as an essential part of the global Jewish community.

Group 360.jpg

Jewish Peoplehood

We connect Israeli students with global Jewish communities to cultivate a shared sense of belonging across borders. At each of our campuses, students participate in programs that pair them with peers from North American Hillels for ongoing dialogue, cultural exchange, and shared exploration of Jewish identity and community. In the Matanel Global Leadership Fellowship, participants engage with Jewish peers from around the world, building real relationships and confronting both commonalities and differences. This work is guided by a core belief that we must learn with one another, about one another, and from one another.  

“I understood more about how uneven the Jewish community in the world is, but united. I realized how common our challenges are even if they are different and/or affect certain communities more than others, and the importance of the younger generation in the Jewish community to overcome the challenges and maintain the unity and connection between the communities.” – Tomer,  Hillel Ben Gurion 

Group 360.jpg

Immersive Experiences

Our delegations abroad and immersive Shabbaton experiences offer students powerful opportunities to connect with a myriad of options for Jewish life. For many of our students, the Shabbaton is their first experience of Shabbat as a communal, joyful, and welcoming tradition. Whether meeting with Jewish leaders in North America or exploring Jewish history alongside peers from Poland and the U.S., these experiences create lasting bonds and transformative learning moments. Students return home inspired to lead and more connected to the global Jewish story. 
 
"A personal highlight for me was visiting the Great Synagogue [in Budapest], where I truly felt like I was a part of something much bigger. Another powerful moment that I will never forget was seeing the shoes on the Denube River - it was deeply moving and left a strong impression on me." - Avihu, Hillel Tel Hai

Group 372.jpg
Group 360.jpg

Holocaust Education and Commemoration

We believe that memory is a call to action. Through volunteer and educational programs, such as Inheritance and Breaking the Boundaries of Memory, students engage deeply with Holocaust history and survivor testimony with a focus on untold or overlooked stories of the Holocaust. Many students volunteer with elderly survivors, particpate in multilingual testimonial events such as Zikaron BaSalon, visit museums, and tour historic sites. While not always easy or light, these experiences are deeply meaningful. As we enter a post-survivor era, our programs help young adults find meaningful ways to commemorate and carry forward the legacy of the Holocaust. These programs are deeply meaningful for our students. They challenge students to confront difficult truths, to listen with compassion, and to carry forward the stories of others with integrity. The result is a powerful sense of reflection, responsibility, and moral clarity. 

"The program impacted me deeply. It turned Holocaust memory from something distant and historical into something personal and alive. Through my relationship with the survivor I volunteered with, I came to understand that remembrance is a personal responsibility, not just a public one." - Racheli, Hillel Haifa

Group 360.jpg

​Social Action

Social responsibility is embedded in everything we do. Students across all our programs take initiative to put learning into action and create positive change in their communities—launching mental health campaigns, advocating for vulnerable populations, and building community-based service projects that occur both on and off campus. . From supporting new immigrants to addressing intergenerational trauma, our students are turning values into impact. Students also put their learning into action through advocacy work supporting pluralism, democracy, peace, deeper global Jewish connections, and mutual responsibility. Soon By You, a yearly student-led initiative, advocates for marriage freedom in Israel and reaches more students and communities members each year.  

 

Group 360.jpg

Leadership Development

Leadership at Hillel Israel is hands-on, values-driven, and deeply personal. The Foundry, our leadership incubator program is the first step in our leadership pipeline for students who want to build a more pluralistic Jewish future. This program is just one of many that we offer students, including the Matanel Global Leadership Fellowship and international delegations. Through these programs, students step into real leadership roles where they facilitate diagolue, represent their campuses abroad, and implement programming for their peers. Our programs nuture confident, compassionate, pluralistic leaders who are shaping the future of Jewish life in Israel and around the world. 

"I learned that I have influence and pride in being part of the global Jewish community." - Avihu, Hillel Tel Hai


 

Want to be part of the movement?

Group 870.png

Media

Hillel Israel in the Media

CEO Speech at Knesset

CEO Speech at Knesset

Noga Brenner Samia represents Hillel International at Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on antisemitism in US campuses

International Mifgash Program

International Mifgash Program

Joint cohort of Israeli and American students learning together, exchanging ideas

239 Empty Beds

239 Empty Beds

Hostages in Gaza under Hamas, call for action to free them

Invest in Global Jewish Relationships

4/1/2022

Invest in Global Jewish Relationships

Keynote article by Noga Brenner Samia for Diaspora Week

Emergency Conference Speech

3/14/2023

Emergency Conference Speech

Noga Brenner Samia at Knesset emergency conference on Israel and world Jewry

Noga on Galatz Radio

12/1/2020

Noga on Galatz Radio

Challenges of Hillels in Israel during Covid, discussed by Noga Brenner Samia

Legislative Changes Announcement

Legislative Changes Announcement

Hillel Israel's call to the Israeli government regarding legislative changes affecting global Jewish community

From Stalinist Oppression to a Jewish Renaissance

12/25/2020

From Stalinist Oppression to a Jewish Renaissance

Challenges and successes of Hillel International movement in FSU by Claudia Moscovici

Noga Podcast on Liberal Judaism

Noga Podcast on Liberal Judaism

Rabbi Noga Brenner Samia discusses liberal Judaism and public sphere

Pinterest for Priests

2/25/2021

Pinterest for Priests

Insight into Parashat Tetzaveh by Noga Brenner Samia

Impact of US-Israeli Student Exchange

Impact of US-Israeli Student Exchange

Impact of Hillel Israel course designed with Julius Stulman Foundation support

Fiddler on the Israeli Roof

1/16/2020

Fiddler on the Israeli Roof

Barbara Sofer on Beit Hillel Theater Workshop's production

media

Partners

We thank our partners for their support and collaboration

partners
Scroll Group 28.png
Group 855.png

Staff

Noga Brenner Samia

Noga Brenner Samia

CEO

In the past, Noga served as the CEO of the Koldor Association and as Deputy Director and Director of External Relations and Development at Bina. Noga holds a Master's degree in Jewish Education, is ordained as a rabbi from the Beit Midrash for Israeli Rabbis, and is active in the field of Jewish renewal in Tel Mond. Noga joined Hillel Israel in 2019.

Esther Abramowitz

Esther Abramowitz

Associate VP, Global Israel Experiences

Esther began her career with Hillel in the United States and has been working with Hillel Israel since 1990. She has worked with student leaders, participated in the March of the Living in Poland and met with over 1,500 Birthright groups. Esther holds a Bachelor's degree in Jewish Studies and a Master's degree in Social Work.

Grace Baker

Grace Baker

Director of Development and Communications

Grace joined Hillel Israel in December 2024 as Director of Development and Communications. She brings a strong background in nonprofit development, communications, and impact measurement, with experience in both Israeli and international settings. Prior to joining Hillel, she served as a Development and Organizational Success Officer at BINA, where she focused on grant development, donor communications, and building systems to track and communicate programmatic impact.


She holds a B.Sc. in Music with a specialization in teaching students with developmental differences, postgraduate coursework in Educational Psychology and Linguistics, and an M.B.A. in International Business. Grace is passionate about building stronger communities and advocates for animal rescue, with a soft spot for pit bulls.

Dina Kremer

Dina Kremer

Managing Bookkeeper

Dina made Aliyah to Israel in 1991. She has been working at Hillel as an accounting manager since 2008. Married to Boris and mother of three, she resides with her family in Ma'ale Adumim.

Adiella Finer

Adiella Finer

Program Director, Hillel at Ben Gurion University

Adiella is the Program Director at Hillel Ben-Gurion and knows the community life of Be’er Sheva firsthand. In her early years as a university student, she founded a Beit Midrash for her peers, dedicated to building community and studying Jewish texts with the aim of bringing people closer together. She holds a degree in Jewish History, Jewish philosophy, and Middle Eastern Studies, as well as a teaching certificate in History. Over the years, she has guided tours in Be’er Sheva that combined culture and history and coordinated the “Osim Rehov” project, which creates shared community garden spaces that connect students and local residents. In addition, she has participated in summer camp delegations to Camp Ramah Nyack through the Jewish Agency.

Yael Bullet

Yael Bullet

Director, Hillel Haifa

An educational facilitator and group leader, she holds a Bachelor's degree in Sociology, Anthropology, and Human Resource Management, a Master's degree in Organizational Sociology, and certification in group facilitation from the University of Haifa. For over a decade, she has dedicated herself to the integration of immigrant students into Israeli society and worked for ten years with the Jewish Agency in the field of informal education within various Jewish communities in the Haifa area.

Keren Reuveni

Keren Reuveni

Program Coordinator, Hillel Sapir

Keren Reuveni is the Program Manager of Hillel Sapir. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Science from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Throughout her life, she has lived both in Israel and abroad, in the Netherlands and Sweden, where she was closely connected to local Jewish communities. These experiences strengthened her connection to the Jewish communities around the world, a subject that is deeply meaningful to her and drives her educational and community work.

During her studies, Keren interned in the Public Diplomacy Department at the Embassy of Israel in The Hague, where she was exposed to community-based work with Jewish and Israeli groups and youth. Today, in her role as Program Manager at Hillel Sapir, she works to promote pluralistic Jewish life on campus and foster meaningful connections between Israeli students and Jewish students from around the world.

Reut Noyman

Reut Noyman

Deputy Director

Reut holds a B.A. in Education and Communication and a Teacher’s Certificate from the University of Haifa. She earned a double M.A. in American Jewish Studies and Alternative Education. In response to the events of October 7th and the ensuing war, she enrolled at the University of Haifa in the M.S.W. in Clinical Social Work with a specialization in trauma.


Before joining Hillel Israel, Reut served as Director of the Education Department at the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism (IMPJ) where she led International Leadership Programs. Reut has extensive experience in Jewish Agency programming, having served as a summer Sh'licha at American Jewish summer camps for many summers. She was also a long-term Sh'licha at South Miami-Dade Jewish Federation.


Reut is a Major in the IDF reserves. She continues to serve in a combat unit, facilitates post-combat processing workshops, and supports reservists’ families.

Yosef Epstein

Yosef Epstein

Associate Director of Finance

Yoseph has been with Hillel since 1997. With a background in both the business and third sectors, he also operates as a financial consultant for companies in Israel and the USA. Yoseph holds a Master's degree in Management from Yale University, a Master's degree in Jewish History, and a Bachelor's degree in Economics, both from Yeshiva University.

Galit Cohen

Galit Cohen

Head Bookkeeper

Working at Hillel Israel since August 2005 as an accounting manager. Married to Yossi and a mother of five children. She resides with her family in Efrat, located in the Gush Etzion region.

Maya Rosenblum

Maya Rosenblum

Southern Region Director, Hillel Israel

Maya Rosenblum is the Southern Region Director at Hillel Israel. She holds a B.A. in Education & Communication and an M.A. in Educational Counseling from Ben-Gurion University. Her connection to Diaspora Jewry began in her youth and deepened during her studies, when she participated in BCI summer program in California. Earlier in her career, Maya worked in educational roles, including as a guide with Masa Yisraeli and as a mentor for teens in Krembo Wings’ service-year program. In recent years she served as Director of Hillel Ben-Gurion.

Tair Hellerman

Tair Hellerman

Director, Hillel Jerusalem

Tair is the Director of Hillel Jerusalem and was born and raised in the city. She holds a B.A. in International Relations and Communication and an M.A. in International Relations, specializing in International Security and Diplomacy, both from the Hebrew University. Her passion for Jewish Peoplehood began as a counselor at Camp Ramah Nyack and grew through leading Israel programs for American youth. As a former Hillel student leader, she strives to pass on the meaningful experiences and sense of community she gained as a student to the next generation.

Sofya Polotovskaya

Sofya Polotovskaya

Program Coordinator, Hillel Haifa

Sofya is currently in her last year of studies as a teaching student at Oranim College and actively involved with Hillel Haifa. Sofya volunteered at "Moishe House Haifa," a social enterprise she co-founded with friends which focused on young Russian-speaking immigrants in Haifa. She has also previously led programs for children, youth, and young adults. Sofya appreciates the rich diversity within Israeli society and is deeply connected to Jewish philosophy and spirituality.

Board of Directors

Nava Michael Tsabari

Nava Michael Tsabari

Member of the Board of Directors

Nava holds a Ph.D. from the Technion and serves as a faculty member at the Coller School of Management at Tel Aviv University. She is the founder and director of the Raya Strauss Center for Family Business Research, which is the only academic center on the subject in Israel. Her research focuses on the study of emotions, organizational culture and employment in family companies. Her research has won academic awards such as the best article of the year 2014 in the Journal Family Business Review. Her doctorate is the first in Israel on the topic of family businesses, and she has been teaching a course open to families for 15 years. Nava lectures to audiences in Israel and abroad about the connection between families and their businesses, while connecting the theoretical knowledge with the practical knowledge, from her personal experience as the third-generation in the Strauss family..

Avraham Infeld

Avraham Infeld

Member of the Board of Directors

Avraham founded and managed the Melitz organization for about 30 years. He was the first director of Taglit Israel, president of Hillel Global and former chairman of the board of directors of Hillel Israel. He wrote a book "Passion for the People" (published in Hebrew in 2018). Married to Ellen, father of 4, grandfather of 16, great grandfather of 4 out of his 64 future grandchildren.

Shlomo Gur

Shlomo Gur

Member of the Board of Directors

Holds a law degree from Tel Aviv University, served in diplomatic service at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in various positions in Israel and abroad, last position: diplomatic envoy and deputy ambassador of Israel in Washington. Served as director general of the Ministry of Justice, director of the European Union - Israel Forum, director general of the State Comptroller's Office and lecturer at the faculty of Law at the Hebrew University and the College of Management (Rishon L’Etzion). Served until recently as Vice President (for Israel) of the Claims Conference.

Aryeh Mintkevitch

Aryeh Mintkevitch

Member of the Board of Directors

Chairman of A. Mintkevitch Consulting Ltd and chair of the Board of Rafael Development Corporation Ltd. Served as General Counsel at Israel's Ministry of Finance, chair of Israel's Securities Authority, chair of Israel's Discount Bank and Vice Chair of IDB Holdings.

Tomer Sharet

Tomer Sharet

Member of the Board of Directors

Investor, chairman and director of public companies. Served as senior vice president at the global insurance company AIG - served as CEO of the international division and CEO of the European division in the field of credit risk insurance. Served as CEO of the EMI insurance company - which dealt in highly financed mortgage insurance in Israel. In the early 2000s, he served as CEO of the Economic Society of Tel Aviv and as CEO of the Jaffa Development Authority. He holds an EMBA degree from Bar Ilan University and an MA in International Relations from the Hebrew University.Member of the Executive Committee of the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Academic College.

Dr. Yosef Beilin

Dr. Yosef Beilin

Chairman

Israeli politician and businessman who held multiple key positions in Israeli governments. Yossi was a significant figure in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process of the nineties and the initiator of the "Tagalit" program. After retiring from political life, he founded "Beylink" - a business consulting company. Yossi writes opinion articles in Haaretz and Israel Hayom newspapers.

Samuel “Skip” Vichness

Samuel “Skip” Vichness

Member of the Board of Directors

SamuelSkip” Vichness:

Past chair of the Board of Directors of Hillel International, Board Chair of the Hunter College Hillel, chair of the New York Federation’s Henry Kaufman Revitalization Project and a member of the emergency Campaign Allocations Committee of the Jewish Federation of North America. Skip is a past chair of the Foundation for Jewish Camp as well as the National Ramah Commission, the recipient of HUC’s American Jewish Distinguished Service Award. Holder of a PhD in European History, he is the vice chair of the Massena Society, a member of the Board of Trustees of Randolph Macon College, named a distinguished alumnus of the college in 2011.

Ofra Friedman

Ofra Friedman

Member of the Board of Directors

​Ofra holds a Master's degree in Law from Bar-Ilan University and founded a law and mediation office specializing in labor law, women's status, and planning. With leadership roles such as Chairperson of the Appeals Committee for Planning and Construction in the Tel Aviv district, she also served as Chairwoman of the Advisory Committee to the Minister of the Interior on Refugees. Additionally, she directed the Israel region at the Jewish Agency, chaired Naamat, and managed 40 legal offices as a consultant. Her international experience includes work at the Israeli embassy in Paris. Contributing to various boards, she actively supports initiatives for welfare and community development. Her commitment to education is evident through participation in mediation courses and as a lecturer in programs by the State Service Commission and the Israeli Center for Management.

Shimon Greenberg. Esq.

Shimon Greenberg. Esq.

Member of the Board of Directors

Accountant with a bachelor's degree in economics and accounting from Tel Aviv University. Until the end of 2014, he was a senior partner in the CPA firm Coast Furrer, Gabai, which is part of the global CPA network - EY. Specialization in large non-profit corporations, public companies in the field of real estate and financial corporations Today, he serves in several non-profit corporations in various positions (audit committee, finance committee, investment committee, auditing body, etc.), and also serves as the CEO of a public company traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.

Yosef Abramowitz

Yosef Abramowitz

Member of the Board of Directors

A former Hillel activist and Chairperson of the World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS), Yossi is Israel's leading solar pioneer.  Named by CNN as one of the top six leading Green Pioneers worldwide, and winner of Israel's Green Globe, he can be followed @KaptainSunshine.

Want to be part of the movement?

Scroll Group 10.png
Group 1017.png
stuff
bottom of page