Avraham Infeld - Hillel
Avraham Infeld - Hillel
Avraham Infeld - Hillel
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June 2, 2010 New York City<br />
<strong>Hillel</strong><br />
INspiring INviting INtriguing INfeld<br />
<strong>Hillel</strong>: The Foundation for<br />
Jewish Campus Life Presents<br />
<strong>Avraham</strong> <strong>Infeld</strong><br />
with its<br />
Renaissance Award
The International Board of Governors,<br />
Board of Directors, Students and Professionals of<br />
<strong>Hillel</strong>: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life<br />
Proudly Present<br />
<strong>Avraham</strong> <strong>Infeld</strong><br />
with the<br />
Renaissance Award<br />
June 2, 2010<br />
20 Sivan 5770<br />
Alfred Lerner Hall, Columbia University<br />
New York City
Yehuda avner<br />
SandY Baklor<br />
YoSSi Beilin<br />
harveY Beker<br />
laurie Blitzer<br />
thomaS BlumBerg<br />
amY a.B. BreSSman<br />
Sandra Cahn<br />
ruth Calderon<br />
mark Charendoff<br />
JoSeph CieChanover<br />
aBBY JoSeph Cohen<br />
david m. Cohen<br />
SCott S. Cowen<br />
ilana delaneY<br />
alan derShowitz<br />
Yuli edelStein<br />
EVENT CHAIRS<br />
karen and neil moSS<br />
EVENT VICE CHAIRS<br />
Carol and irving Smokler<br />
PATRONS<br />
CindY and adam Bronfman<br />
edgar m. Bronfman<br />
CherYl and david einhorn<br />
eduardo elSztain<br />
JudY and aBel friedman<br />
Jane goldman and BenJamin lewiS<br />
kathY manning and randall kaplan<br />
JoSeph and harveY meYerhoff familY CharitaBle fundS<br />
tad tauBe, koret foundation<br />
diane and howard wohl<br />
HONORARY HOST COMMITTEE<br />
liSa eiSen<br />
david ellenSon<br />
edith everett<br />
waYne l. fireStone<br />
daniel gordiS<br />
Stephen m. greenBerg<br />
gidi grinStein<br />
dr lYnne B harriSon<br />
william J. heller<br />
lee m. hendler<br />
alan hoffman<br />
riChard m. Joel<br />
arlene i. kaufman<br />
Sam levine<br />
mort lowenthal<br />
BeatriCe S. mandel<br />
ruth meSSinger<br />
ChuCk newman<br />
dr. Stephen oppenheimer<br />
Julie wiSe oreCk<br />
miChael B. rukin<br />
lYnn SChuSterman<br />
JameS Shane<br />
roSalie Shane<br />
mark r. Shenkman<br />
roSalind Shenkman<br />
andrew Sklover<br />
levi Shem tov<br />
Sharon margolin ungerleider<br />
miChael wieger<br />
einat wilf<br />
Carol B. wiSe<br />
mark g. Yudof
andall kaplan<br />
Chairman<br />
Greensboro, NC<br />
edgar m. Bronfman<br />
founding Chairman<br />
New York, NY<br />
lYnn SChuSterman<br />
founding Co-Chair<br />
Tulsa, OK<br />
miChael Steinhardt<br />
founding Co-Chair<br />
New York, NY<br />
CarloS aBadi<br />
Buenos Aires, Argentina<br />
S. daniel aBraham<br />
Palm Beach, FL<br />
william a. aCkman<br />
New York, NY<br />
rene-pierre azria<br />
New York, NY<br />
harveY Beker<br />
New York, NY<br />
roBert m. Beren<br />
Palm Beach, FL<br />
mandell l. Berman<br />
Southfield, MI<br />
alexander Blavatnik<br />
New York, NY<br />
adam Bronfman<br />
Paradise Valley, AZ<br />
CharleS r. Bronfman<br />
New York, NY<br />
daniel a. BuraCk<br />
Harrison, NY<br />
aBBY JoSeph Cohen and<br />
david m. Cohen<br />
Hollis Hills, NY<br />
<strong>Hillel</strong>’s International Board of Governors<br />
2010<br />
david einhorn<br />
New York, NY<br />
eduardo S. elSztain<br />
Buenos Aires, Argentina<br />
edith B. everett<br />
New York, NY<br />
aBel friedman<br />
Chicago, IL<br />
miChael C. gelman<br />
Washington, DC<br />
roBert goldBerg<br />
Cleveland, OH<br />
Jane h. goldman<br />
New York, NY<br />
david S. gotteSman<br />
New York, NY<br />
harold grinSpoon and<br />
diane troderman<br />
Longmeadow, MA<br />
lYnne B harriSon<br />
MetroWest, NJ<br />
howard JonaS<br />
Riverdale, NY<br />
JoSeph kanfer<br />
Akron, OH<br />
edward h. kaplan<br />
Washington, DC<br />
toBee kaplan<br />
Greensboro, NC<br />
ellie meYerhoff katz<br />
Fort Lauderdale, FL<br />
arlene i. kaufman<br />
Palm Beach, FL<br />
roBert kogod<br />
Washington, DC<br />
harveY m. krueger<br />
New York, NY<br />
reuBen leiBowitz<br />
New York, NY<br />
JerrY levin<br />
New York, NY<br />
guStave k. lipman<br />
New York, NY<br />
howard lorBer<br />
New York, NY<br />
peter maY<br />
New York, NY<br />
aBe mitChell<br />
Mobile, AL<br />
aBe pollin, z”l<br />
Washington, DC<br />
howard roSenBloom<br />
Baltimore, MD<br />
keith roSenBloom<br />
New York, NY<br />
nina Sandler<br />
Dix Hills, NY<br />
StaCY h. SChuSterman<br />
Tulsa, OK<br />
mark r. Shenkman<br />
Greenwich, CT<br />
viCtoria SimmS<br />
Beverly Hills, CA<br />
Carol Smokler<br />
Boca Raton, FL<br />
helene Spiegel<br />
Beverly Hills, CA<br />
david tepper<br />
Short Hills, NJ<br />
iSaaC thau<br />
Vancouver, British Columbia<br />
leSlie h. wexner<br />
New Albany, OH<br />
mark and Jane wilf<br />
Short Hills, NJ<br />
garY winniCk<br />
Beverly Hills, CA<br />
diane wohl<br />
Mill Neck, NY<br />
CareY wolChok<br />
New York, NY<br />
mordehai woSk<br />
Vancouver, British Columbia
Officers<br />
BeatriCe S. mandel<br />
Chair, Los Angeles, CA<br />
amY a. B. BreSSman<br />
Vice-Chair, New York, NY<br />
Stephen m. greenBerg<br />
Vice-Chair, New York, NY<br />
lYnne B harriSon<br />
Vice-Chair, MetroWest, NJ<br />
adam kornetSkY<br />
Vice-Chair, Tufts University<br />
Carol Smokler<br />
Vice-Chair, Boca Raton, FL<br />
diane wohl<br />
Vice-Chair, Mill Neck, NY<br />
JameS Shane<br />
Treasurer, Boston, MA<br />
BruCe Sholk<br />
Assistant Treasurer, Baltimore, MD<br />
david m. Cohen<br />
Secretary, New York, NY<br />
waYne l. fireStone<br />
President, Washington, DC<br />
edgar m. Bronfman<br />
Ex-Officio, New York, NY<br />
randall kaplan<br />
Ex-Officio, Greensboro, NC<br />
Past Chairs<br />
Julian Sandler, z”l, Dix Hills, NY<br />
david l Bittker, z”l, Detroit, MI<br />
randall kaplan, Greensboro, NC<br />
neil m. moSS, Columbus, OH<br />
ChuCk newman, Ann Arbor, MI<br />
miChael B. rukin, Boston, MA<br />
Executive Committee<br />
laurie Blitzer, New York, NY<br />
thomaS BlumBerg, New York, NY<br />
Sandra Cahn, New York, NY<br />
paul Cherner, Chicago, IL<br />
philip h. Cohen, Miami Beach, FL<br />
<strong>Hillel</strong>: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life<br />
Board of Directors<br />
2009/2010<br />
marCelo CYnoviCh, Montevideo, Uruguay<br />
lee dranikoff, Short Hills, NJ<br />
edith B. everett, New York, NY<br />
william heller, Cleveland, OH<br />
BarrY J. levin, Philadelphia, PA<br />
mort lowenthal, Stamford, CT<br />
karen moSS, Columbus, OH<br />
dana rauCher, New York, NY<br />
andrew Sklover, White Plains, NY<br />
JeffreY Summit, Tufts <strong>Hillel</strong><br />
Carol B. wiSe, New Orleans, LA<br />
Members<br />
lawrenCe S. BaCow, Boston, MA<br />
SandY Baklor, Palm Beach, FL<br />
harrY Baumgarten, The George<br />
Washington University<br />
miChelle BlumenBerg, University of<br />
Arizona <strong>Hillel</strong><br />
andrew S. BoranS, Indianapolis, IN<br />
amY Born, Washington, DC<br />
phillip BrodSkY, Boston, MA<br />
edward e. a. BromBerg, Orlando, FL<br />
marShall BrookS, Philadelphia, PA<br />
daniel BuraCk, Harrison, NY<br />
JoSeph CieChanover, tel aviv, israel<br />
BruCe Coane, Houston, TX<br />
nanCY duBer, Washington, DC<br />
BarrY effron, White Plains, NY<br />
david einhorn, New York, NY<br />
iriS feinBerg, Atlanta, GA<br />
daniel ferman, York University<br />
hannah fiSher-arfer, Portland State<br />
University<br />
david gedzelman, New York, NY<br />
Jane gellman, Milwaukee, WI<br />
CaSSandra gottlieB, Baltimore, MD<br />
alex halBerStein, Aventura, FL<br />
walter harriSon, Hartford, CT<br />
garY hirSChBerg, Chicago, IL<br />
ari iSrael, University of Maryland <strong>Hillel</strong><br />
Sarah BatYa JoSelow, Harvard University<br />
deBorah kalliCk, Los Angeles, CA<br />
david karSenti, Northwestern University<br />
miChael kaSSen, Westport, CT<br />
leiBa krantzBerg, Ottawa, ON<br />
mark lainer, Los Angeles, CA<br />
SCott lefton, Texas A&M University<br />
danielle leShaw, <strong>Hillel</strong> at Ohio University<br />
david levY, Colgate University Jewish<br />
Union<br />
norman lipoff, Miami, FL<br />
frederiCk margulieS, Glencoe, IL<br />
edward marlowe, Delray Beach, FL<br />
roBert w. matankY, Chicago, IL<br />
marla meYerS, <strong>Hillel</strong> of Greater<br />
Philadelphia<br />
larrY moneta, Durham, NC<br />
Stephen oppenheimer, Atlanta, GA<br />
Julie wiSe oreCk, New Orleans, LA<br />
JoSeph paperman, Montreal, QC<br />
lee perlman, New York, NY<br />
SidneY pertnoY, Miami, FL<br />
Brette peYton, New York, NY<br />
Sarah rapoport, Brown University<br />
ruSS roBinSon, Houston, TX<br />
keith roSenBloom, New York, NY<br />
BarBara roSwell, Baltimore, MD<br />
lindSeY rYB, Kent State University<br />
morton owen SChapiro, Chicago, IL<br />
roBert ShlaChter, Portland, OR<br />
Jordan SillS, San Francisco, CA<br />
Jenna Silverman, University of Maryland<br />
adam Simon, Washington, DC<br />
edgar SnYder, Pittsburgh, PA<br />
andY SternlieB, New York, NY<br />
Bluma Stoller, Boston, MA<br />
SuSan turnBull, Bethesda, MD<br />
Sharon margolin ungerleider,<br />
Eugene, OR<br />
CareY wolChok, New York, NY<br />
david Yaffe, Washington, DC<br />
JudY Yudof, Oakland, CA<br />
louiS howard YuSter, Los Angeles, CA<br />
loiS zoller, Chicago, IL
dear friends,<br />
thank you for joining us tonight as we pay tribute to our beloved friend, teacher and leader<br />
avraham infeld.<br />
during his four years as interim president and president of hillel, avraham significantly<br />
increased hillel’s commitment to israel, enlarged our presence in the former Soviet union,<br />
and made tzedek, social justice, a cornerstone of our work.<br />
But avraham’s impact on our lives cannot be measured by those four years alone. as a<br />
community leader and lecturer avraham has shared his passion for israel, the Jewish people<br />
and social justice with generations of students of all ages. he has inspired us to work for the<br />
“significant survival of the Jewish people.” he has taught us how to be “distinctively Jewish<br />
and universally human.” today, avraham’s students are leaders and teachers themselves.<br />
they are spreading his message around the globe — but never with the eloquence of the<br />
master himself.<br />
we are grateful that avraham continues to draw from his endless reserves of wisdom and<br />
energy to influence our lives and to shape a brighter Jewish future.<br />
may he go mechayil lechayil, from strength to strength, for many years to come.<br />
randall kaplan<br />
Chairman<br />
hillel international Board of governors<br />
BeatriCe S. mandel<br />
Chair, Board of directors<br />
hillel: the foundation for Jewish Campus life<br />
waYne l. fireStone<br />
president and Ceo
AVRAHAM INFELD:<br />
The Lesson of Leadership
INSPIRING. INVITING. INTRIGUING.<br />
these three words only begin to describe speaker,<br />
teacher, leader avraham infeld. You could add to the<br />
list: international. innovative. indefatigable. and,<br />
incorrigible.<br />
avraham has inspired tens of thousands of people<br />
the world over with his unique approach to israel and<br />
Jewish life. a zionist visionary, avraham is a throwback<br />
to previous generations of Jewish leaders who<br />
conceptualized ideologies and lived by their ideals.<br />
he is a larger-than-life character who does not shrink<br />
from a challenge — or a joke.<br />
hillel presents its renaissance award to avraham,<br />
an individual whose bold vision and transformative<br />
initiatives enrich the campus, the Jewish community<br />
and the world.<br />
a native of South africa, avraham’s father was a<br />
hebrew linguist and a Jewish educator who raised his<br />
son in an ardently zionist atmosphere. naturally,<br />
avraham immigrated to israel as soon as he graduated<br />
from high school in 1959.<br />
he attained a degree in Bible and Jewish history from<br />
the hebrew university of Jerusalem and a law degree<br />
from tel aviv university. he married ellen infeld,<br />
originally from woodbridge, n.J., and they share four<br />
children and 14 grandchildren.<br />
in the 1970s, avraham founded melitz, a non-profit<br />
educational service institution that fosters Jewish<br />
identity rooted in a pluralistic understanding of Jewish<br />
life and the centrality of israel. he also served as<br />
chairman of arevim; founding chairman of San<br />
francisco federation’s amutot program in israel; and<br />
chairman of the Board of israel experience, ltd., an<br />
independent company created by the Jewish agency.<br />
“ <strong>Avraham</strong>’s infectious optimism<br />
about what can be done motivates<br />
all who surround him to reach<br />
for excellence in pursuing a joyous<br />
Jewish future. <strong>Avraham</strong> never lets<br />
realism limit his dreams and<br />
aspirations. As <strong>Hillel</strong> president<br />
he travelled the country and the<br />
world constantly, at great<br />
sacrifice to his family life, to<br />
be with students and <strong>Hillel</strong><br />
directors, always inspiring them<br />
with his vision. I feel blessed<br />
to work with him. His enduring<br />
friendship continues to<br />
”<br />
enrich my life.<br />
neil moSS, former Chair, Board of direCtorS<br />
Sandy Cahn was on a federation Young leadership<br />
Cabinet mission to israel in the 1980s when avraham<br />
delivered a lecture to her group at the western wall.<br />
“i will never forget his words: ‘we were together at<br />
Sinai!’ i thought he was only talking to me that day!<br />
the way he walks around and comes up close to you<br />
with those piercing eyes it makes you think you are the<br />
only one in the room.” Cahn says that avraham’s words<br />
began her love affair with the history of the State of<br />
israel and the Jewish people. “it was avraham who<br />
helped me begin to understand the tie that we as Jews<br />
have with our ancestors. he has been a huge motivator<br />
for me over the decades and has had a great impact on<br />
me, my activism, and my achievements.” Cahn went<br />
on to chair the Jewish federations of north america<br />
national women’s philanthropy Campaign. today she is<br />
a member of the Board of directors of hillel, serves on<br />
the new York uJa-federation’s Board of directors, and
is co-founder and financial resource development chair of<br />
limmud in the former Soviet union (fSu).<br />
hillel Board of directors vice Chair Carol Smokler was<br />
impressed by avraham’s command of his subject when<br />
she first met him at a federation national Young<br />
leadership Conference.<br />
“three of us were<br />
scheduled to appear on a<br />
panel about the importance<br />
of forming people-topeople<br />
relationships<br />
between israelis and<br />
diaspora Jews,” she recalls.<br />
“i worked hard on my 10<br />
minutes. the second<br />
panelist arrived with note<br />
cards. Just as the audience<br />
was being seated the third<br />
panelist arrived. it was<br />
avraham. he was harried and a little out of breath.<br />
he turned to me and said ‘here i am. what’s the topic?’<br />
of course, avraham was the star. he spoke off the cuff<br />
and eloquently. avraham, always the teacher, taught me<br />
much that day. i learned from him to speak from your<br />
heart, to be confident in what you have to say and spend<br />
more time knowing what you have to share than writing<br />
speeches.”<br />
avraham continued to influence generations of young<br />
leaders as president and chairman of israel forum, a<br />
nationwide volunteer movement he helped found in 1990.<br />
he conducted breakthrough work in bringing together<br />
secular and religious israelis as director general of the<br />
Shalom hartman institute and director general of gesher<br />
education affiliates. he was also director of the taglit-<br />
Birthright israel planning process.<br />
in 2001, then-hillel president richard m. Joel asked<br />
avraham to join hillel as Consul for Jewish affairs, a<br />
“ [<strong>Avraham</strong> taught me to]<br />
speak from your heart, to be<br />
confident in what you have to<br />
say and spend more time knowing<br />
what you have to share<br />
”<br />
than writing speeches.<br />
Carol Smokler, viCe Chair, hillel Board of direCtorS<br />
position that enabled him to lecture on more than 60<br />
campuses on three continents. “avraham firmly believes<br />
in the sanctity of the story,” Joel says. “he creeps into<br />
people’s souls through his grand narratives. i can hear<br />
avraham tell a story he borrowed from me and still gain<br />
insight. he makes us richer as a teacher by the content<br />
he conveys and the context<br />
in which he lives. avraham<br />
makes us richer by allowing<br />
us to feel a connection that<br />
is real and deep. he makes<br />
us richer by being a true<br />
ben Torah (follower of the<br />
torah) who wears his<br />
Jewishness with pride.”<br />
with his extensive experience<br />
on campus and his<br />
international reputation,<br />
avraham was named interim<br />
president of hillel when Joel left hillel to become<br />
president of Yeshiva university in 2003. neil moss served<br />
as chairman of hillel’s Board of directors when avraham<br />
was named interim president. “to say that working with<br />
avraham is stimulating and wonderful would be a gross<br />
understatement,” moss says. “his infectious optimism<br />
about what can be done motivates all who surround him<br />
to reach for excellence in pursuing a joyous Jewish<br />
future. avraham never lets realism limit his dreams and<br />
aspirations. as hillel president he travelled the country<br />
and the world constantly, at great sacrifice to his family<br />
life, to be with students and hillel directors, always<br />
inspiring them with his vision. i feel blessed to work with<br />
him. his enduring friendship continues to enrich my life.”<br />
avraham was named president of hillel in 2004 and<br />
worked closely with newly elected Board Chair randall<br />
kaplan. kaplan remembers attending a hillel student<br />
leadership conference where avraham “captivated the<br />
students with his sage teachings one minute and in the
next he was dancing furiously with them celebrating<br />
being Jewish. all the while his eyes were gleaming with<br />
pride and his sheepish smile revealed his deep love for<br />
his people. he is a master teacher and a pied piper for<br />
global Jewish peoplehood.” kaplan became chairman of<br />
hillel’s international Board of governors in 2009.<br />
in recognition of his contributions to Jewish education,<br />
in 2005 avraham was awarded the hebrew university<br />
of Jerusalem’s prestigious Samuel rothberg prize for<br />
Jewish education, the first specialist in informal Jewish<br />
education to be so honored. he was also given an<br />
honorary doctorate by muhlenberg College in may 2006<br />
for his work in the field of education.<br />
Shannon Sarna first heard avraham speak when she was a<br />
student on a taglit-Birthright israel trip. “when i got the<br />
call years later from hillel asking me if i wanted to work<br />
as avraham’s assistant, it was like getting a phone call to<br />
go work for a rock star,” she says.<br />
Sarna worked for avraham for two years and calls him<br />
“the most unique boss i ever had.” She often spent<br />
Shabbat at his washington, d.C., home. “avraham did<br />
not just give lip service to the concepts of Jewish peoplehood,<br />
learning and a welcoming community: he embodied<br />
them every day,” she says. “he welcomed anyone to his<br />
Shabbat table. if someone at friday night services did<br />
not have a place for dinner, he would bring them home —<br />
sometimes drag them home — sit them right next to him,<br />
and stuff them with shepherd’s pie and meatballs that he<br />
cooked himself, like they were one of his own family<br />
members. i try to live every day by the example he sets<br />
as a true leader. my Shabbat table is never too small to<br />
welcome another person.” Sarna continues to work for<br />
the Jewish community as a professional with the Samuel<br />
Bronfman foundation.<br />
when he took office as president, avraham inherited a<br />
hillel program in israel that had been in operation since<br />
the first hillel in the country was founded at the hebrew<br />
university of Jerusalem in 1951. he understood that<br />
hillel could play an increasingly important role in helping<br />
to shape the Jewish identity of israeli college students<br />
who often lacked a deep understanding of their Jewish<br />
traditions or connections with the Jewish people worldwide.<br />
during his tenure as hillel president, avraham<br />
worked with israeli hillel professionals and lay leaders<br />
to dramatically expand hillel israel from three to 11<br />
centers throughout the country. “avraham’s guidance,<br />
inspiration, and support helped us to make this a reality,”<br />
recalls hillel israel Chairman Joseph Ciechanover. “his keen<br />
and insightful understanding of the needs and interests of<br />
israeli young adults helped us articulate our vision and<br />
mission to our students, partners and supporters.”<br />
avraham also strengthened hillel in the former Soviet<br />
union. hillel Board of directors vice Chair karen moss,<br />
who had known avraham for decades, traveled with him<br />
to moscow to celebrate the tenth anniversary of hillel in<br />
the former Soviet union in 2004.<br />
<strong>Infeld</strong> with students and <strong>Hillel</strong> International Board of<br />
Governors Chairman Randall Kaplan.
Above and below: <strong>Avraham</strong> <strong>Infeld</strong> with students at the 2006<br />
Charles Schusterman International Student Leaders Assembly.<br />
The high point of their trip was a gala event in a baroque<br />
auditorium in Moscow that was attended by 1,000<br />
students as well as by city government officials,<br />
prominent philanthropists, and leaders from across the<br />
FSU. The students performed a series of original, dazzling<br />
selections of drama, music and dance. At the end of the<br />
performance, representatives from each of <strong>Hillel</strong>’s 27<br />
groups in the FSU stood on stage in a semi-circle with<br />
<strong>Avraham</strong> at the center. When Hatikvah began to play,<br />
the students — many of whom had just discovered their<br />
Jewish identity — sang Israel’s national anthem with<br />
gusto. “Tears began to stream down my cheeks,” recalls<br />
Moss who is co-chair of <strong>Hillel</strong>’s FSU Committee. “<strong>Avraham</strong><br />
was their visionary and inspirational teacher. He believed<br />
in their Jewish future and understood that our collective<br />
Jewish future — the future of a global <strong>Hillel</strong> and klal<br />
yisrael, the Jewish people — would be incomplete<br />
without them. This man, who lived to teach and share<br />
his passion for Torah and the Jewish people, was witness<br />
to a phoenix — Jewish life that rose from the ashes.”<br />
<strong>Avraham</strong> retired from the <strong>Hillel</strong> presidency in 2006 but he<br />
has not ceased working for the Jewish people. Not only<br />
concerned with Jewish young adults in the Diaspora, he<br />
currently serves as senior consultant to the Nadav Fund.<br />
He has sought to promote Jewish values among Israelis<br />
as president and chairman of Israel Forum, a nationwide<br />
volunteer movement he helped found.<br />
<strong>Avraham</strong>’s strong belief in Jewish peoplehood and social<br />
justice can be traced to his upbringing in apartheid South<br />
Africa. He has worked tirelessly for minorities and spoken<br />
out passionately about the importance of tzedek, social<br />
justice, in Jewish life. Emily Pearl Goodstein served as<br />
the social justice fellow in <strong>Hillel</strong>’s Charles and Lynn<br />
Schusterman International Center during <strong>Avraham</strong>’s term<br />
as president. “<strong>Avraham</strong> led an organization that helped<br />
to shape my Jewish identity in a very significant way,”<br />
she recalls. “The culture of the organization was directly<br />
influenced by <strong>Avraham</strong>'s vision and emphasis on social<br />
justice, tzedek. He created a space for Jewish youth to<br />
thrive and professionals to flourish creatively.” Goodstein<br />
left <strong>Hillel</strong> to educate young people about reproductive<br />
rights and now helps non-profit organizations to harness<br />
the power of the social media.<br />
<strong>Avraham</strong>’s background also informed his approach to Jewish<br />
identity. Throughout his teaching, he emphasizes five<br />
core principles of Jewish identity: Memory, Family,<br />
Covenant, the Land of Israel and the Hebrew Language.
Former <strong>Hillel</strong> Bronfman Fellow Avi Mayer defines himself<br />
as an “<strong>Infeld</strong>ian Jew” who has been profoundly<br />
influenced by <strong>Avraham</strong>’s teachings. He explains that<br />
<strong>Avraham</strong> “possesses the uncanny ability to simplify the<br />
most complex questions of Jewish life, to crystallize them<br />
in such a way as to make them almost axiomatic. Students<br />
and professionals alike find themselves drawn to his ideas<br />
about Jewish identity and peoplehood, and his powerful<br />
words — projected in a manner no less compelling — echo<br />
in their minds hours, days, and even years later.” Mayer<br />
enlisted in the Israeli Army after completing his one-year<br />
fellowship and serve in the IDF Spokesperson’s office where<br />
he works with the foreign media. He is considering a career<br />
in Jewish education at the end of his service.<br />
<strong>Avraham</strong> also had an important influence on another young<br />
<strong>Hillel</strong> professional, Aviva Perlman. Perlman first met <strong>Avraham</strong><br />
as a college sophomore in 2003 and heard his lectures both<br />
when she served as a <strong>Hillel</strong> intern and as a <strong>Hillel</strong> professional.<br />
In 2008 she was staffing a Taglit-Birthright Israel trip when<br />
her group attended a lecture by <strong>Avraham</strong>. She remembers<br />
the profound impression his lecture made on students, and<br />
on her: “<strong>Avraham</strong> taught us that Jewish identity is made up<br />
of five components and that these components are like a<br />
five-legged table, a minimum of three legs are needed to<br />
create Jewish identity. I looked around the room at the<br />
hundreds of students, not surprisingly, mesmerized by<br />
<strong>Avraham</strong>'s words, and I wondered how many of these students<br />
had those minimum of three legs. I guessed that a majority<br />
of them did not. At that moment I pledged that in my<br />
career as a Jewish educator I would help Jewish children,<br />
teens and adults to build the sturdiest table that they<br />
could.” Perlman is now pursuing a graduate degree in Jewish<br />
education at the Jewish Theological Seminary.<br />
<strong>Hillel</strong> Board of Governors member Diane Wohl has seen<br />
<strong>Avraham</strong>’s spellbinding effect first hand. “I was impressed by<br />
<strong>Avraham</strong> from the first time I heard him speak to a group of<br />
students ,” she says. “He just makes Jewish history come<br />
“ Every moment with [<strong>Avraham</strong>]<br />
is unique and filled with his<br />
special approach to life. It’s the<br />
pause and the smile that says<br />
“I KNOW you and I LOVE you”<br />
It’s the way he lives the dream of<br />
sustaining the significant<br />
”<br />
survival of the Jewish people.<br />
ADAM R. BRoNFMAN, MEMBER,<br />
HILLEL INTERNATIoNAL BoARD oF GovERNoRS<br />
alive. Students hang on every word. He is an exceptional<br />
teacher and a compassionate man.”<br />
Fellow Board of Governors member Adam R. Bronfman<br />
agrees: “<strong>Avraham</strong> articulates and personifies the value of<br />
Jewish educational excellence with grace and humility.<br />
Every moment with him is unique and filled with his special<br />
approach to life. It’s the pause and the smile that says “I<br />
KNoW you and I LovE you” It’s the way he lives the dream<br />
of sustaining the significant survival of the Jewish people.”<br />
For two decades, Lisa B. Eisen has watched <strong>Avraham</strong><br />
educate, inspire and electrify listeners. She has observed<br />
<strong>Avraham</strong> illuminate the meaning of Zionism for members<br />
of Congress on a Project Interchange seminar in Israel,<br />
celebrate the bar mitzvah of <strong>Hillel</strong> in the Former Soviet<br />
Union in Moscow, dance with students at <strong>Hillel</strong>’s Charles<br />
Schusterman International Student Leaders Assembly, and<br />
speak to college students about the meaning of Jewish<br />
citizenship on July 4 in Washington, D.C. “I have seen<br />
<strong>Avraham</strong>’s passion for Jewish peoplehood ignite sparks of<br />
understanding, inspiration and hope,” says Eisen, the<br />
national director of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman<br />
Family Foundation in Washington, D.C.. “He has offered<br />
thousands a compelling vision of global Jewish peoplehood<br />
that will have reverberations for generations to come.”
<strong>Hillel</strong>’s Vision:<br />
hillel SeekS to inSpire everY JewiSh Student<br />
to make an enduring Commitment to JewiSh life.<br />
<strong>Hillel</strong>’s Mission:<br />
hillel SeekS to enriCh the liveS of JewiSh undergraduate<br />
and graduate StudentS So that theY maY enriCh<br />
the JewiSh people and the world.<br />
<strong>Hillel</strong>’s Values:<br />
hillel is committed to<br />
n Creating a pluralistic, welcoming, and inclusive environment;<br />
n fostering student growth and the balance in being distinctively<br />
Jewish and universally human;<br />
n advancing social justice, Jewish learning, and spirituality;<br />
n embracing israel and global Jewish peoplehood;<br />
n delivering excellence, innovation, accountability, and results.
<strong>Hillel</strong>: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life<br />
WHO WE ARE<br />
hillel is the largest organization in the world with a focus<br />
on university-age Jews, serving young adults at more<br />
than 550 colleges and communities in north america,<br />
South america, israel, and the former Soviet union.<br />
Since its origin in 1923, hillel has played a critical role in<br />
ensuring the future of our Jewish community by creating<br />
a welcoming environment for Jewish students and young<br />
adults and by demonstrating how Jewish tradition can<br />
be incorporated into their lives. hillel helps expand their<br />
Jewish knowledge, hone their leadership skills, bolster<br />
their ties to israel, and present opportunities for social<br />
justice work. Just as the university establishes a<br />
professional foundation for students’ futures, hillel builds<br />
a Jewish foundation for their lifetime. hillel equips<br />
today’s students and young adults to be the supporters<br />
and leaders of tomorrow’s Jewish community.<br />
WHAT WE DO<br />
hillel seeks to engage every Jewish university student,<br />
from those with strong Jewish backgrounds to those<br />
with none at all. they may take advantage of hillel’s<br />
leadership opportunities, travel experiences, israel<br />
education and advocacy, Jewish spiritual and intellectual<br />
enrichment, holiday services, volunteer projects, and<br />
more. By creating warm, supportive Jewish communities,<br />
hillel encourages emerging adults to take ownership of<br />
their Jewish experience and define “Jewish” their own<br />
way. Success is gauged not only by the number of<br />
attendees at an event, but also by the creation of<br />
meaningful relationships and experiences.
Students participate in an Alternative Break in Tampa, 2009.<br />
Students at a Taglit-Birthright Israel: <strong>Hillel</strong> trip.<br />
SIGNIFICANCE TO THE<br />
JEWISH COMMUNITY<br />
over 85% of all u.S. college-age Jews, approximately<br />
400,000, attend an institution of higher learning. add<br />
to this the near 180,000 college-age Jews in israel,<br />
110,000 in europe, 100,000 in the former Soviet union,<br />
65,000 in South america, and 10,000 in australia, and<br />
you will find that there is no other window of time in<br />
which the Jewish community can find such a vast part<br />
of our population. the university environment and<br />
emerging adulthood encourage young Jews to contemplate<br />
their futures and grapple with serious questions<br />
of meaning, values, and identity. hillel reaches young<br />
adults during this decisive time when they are open to<br />
influences and experiences that will shape their<br />
commitment to the Jewish people. By making Judaism<br />
accessible and meaningful, hillel builds a foundation<br />
for Jewish life that extends far beyond the university.<br />
HOW WE ARE STRUCTURED<br />
hillel welcomes any and all Jewish students to take<br />
advantage of its resources, initiatives, and services; no<br />
membership is required. local hillels do not pay a fee<br />
to belong to the global enterprise, which operates on<br />
an annual budget of nearly $95 million. hillel relies on<br />
each local affiliate to provide young Jewish adults with<br />
activities, services, and enrichment that suit their<br />
campus or community. the Charles and lynn Schusterman<br />
international Center, hillel’s global headquarters,<br />
supports this work by offering local hillels a comprehensive<br />
spectrum of resources and services, including<br />
content or consulting in the areas of institutional<br />
advancement, strategic planning, leadership development,<br />
fundraising, human resources, fiscal administration,<br />
student engagement, and communications. in addition,<br />
the Joseph meyerhoff Center for Jewish experience<br />
provides students and young professionals with Jewish<br />
educational resources and learning curricula.
OUR LEADERSHIP<br />
hillel is supported by individual benefactors and<br />
foundations, Jewish federations of north america, and<br />
the national federation/agency alliance through its<br />
supporting federations. hillel’s professional staff is led<br />
by president wayne l. firestone. the hillel Board of<br />
directors, which includes volunteer lay and student<br />
leaders from around the world, sets hillel policy and is<br />
chaired by Beatrice S. mandel of los angeles, Ca. the<br />
hillel international Board of governors, chaired by<br />
randall kaplan of greensboro, nC, provides counsel to<br />
the Board of directors. the founding chairman is edgar m.<br />
Bronfman of new York, nY, and founding co-chairs are<br />
lynn Schusterman of tulsa, ok, and michael Steinhardt of<br />
new York, nY.<br />
<strong>Hillel</strong> Stories:<br />
ALAN YANCELSON<br />
Former Campus Entrepreneur Intern, University of Texas Austin<br />
HILLEL AND ISRAEL<br />
Born in mexico City, mexico, alan moved to texas a few years after becoming<br />
a bar mitzvah. although he was bilingual, he found the high school transition<br />
difficult: “every time i spoke, kids would laugh. i was a double minority as an<br />
immigrant and as a Jew.”<br />
at the university of texas, austin, alan joined the alpha epsilon pi fraternity<br />
and attended Shabbat services at hillel on friday nights. he was recruited to<br />
become a Campus entrepreneur intern where he leveraged his relationships<br />
with Jewish students across campus to help them strengthen their Jewish<br />
identities. a business major, alan founded JoBS, the Jewish organization of<br />
the Business School, which holds weekly meetings for any Jewish students<br />
interested in business. and when a sports injury laid him up, he worked with<br />
Senior Jewish educator devora Brustin to co-found a weekly yoga class called<br />
“hamsa Yoga” – yoga with a Jewish twist.<br />
now that he is graduating, alan will put his Jewish passion and his<br />
relationship-building skills to work as a field representative for aepi.<br />
hillel is steadfastly committed to the support of israel<br />
as a Jewish and democratic state with secure and<br />
recognized borders and as a member of the family of<br />
free nations. through the work of the edgar m. Bronfman<br />
hillel israel Center, hillel is inspiring a renaissance of<br />
Jewish life in nine communities throughout israel. around<br />
the world, hillel considers israel advocacy and education<br />
not only essential to strengthening Jewish life, but also<br />
an opportunity to engage young adults in conversations<br />
about themselves as Jews and as members of the Jewish<br />
people.
SOME MAJOR HILLEL INITIATIVES<br />
Enriching Lives, Building Communities<br />
local hillels are the backbone of the global organization.<br />
these hillels enrich the lives of young Jews and challenge<br />
them to explore and celebrate what it means to be Jewish.<br />
hillels create safe, supportive communities in which<br />
young people can best take advantage of opportunities to<br />
grow personally, intellectually and Jewishly.<br />
<strong>Hillel</strong>’s Guide to Jewish Life on Campus<br />
(www.hillel.org/guide)<br />
JloC is the world’s foremost source on Jewish campus<br />
life.every year, over 500,000 high schoolers, parents,<br />
guidance counselors, and others turn to our guide for<br />
details about Jewish life on campus.<br />
<strong>Hillel</strong> Stories:<br />
MARISA JOHNSON<br />
Former Campus Entrepreneur Intern, Northwestern University<br />
“my journey to Jewish leadership began with my year as an intern for hillel’s Campus<br />
entrepreneurs initiative, my first glimpse of the Jewish community's most pressing<br />
mission: to engage the uninvolved, show them a world of Jewish possibilities, and<br />
give them the tools to build a meaningful Jewish life. now, as an advisor to the<br />
current interns, i have mentored a young woman who led a 28-student humanitarian<br />
mission that brought 1000 lbs of medical aid to Cuba. another intern reignited the<br />
holocaust awareness group on campus, bringing together more than 100 students for<br />
the opening of the illinois holocaust museum, a Yom hashoah walk and a memorial<br />
service on campus.<br />
“i have learned that my actions can have a much broader impact beyond my direct<br />
reach. and i continue to realize how much is possible, not only for the Jewish<br />
community, but also for myself. i approach the future with enthusiasm and<br />
confidence that i have gained through my experiences with hillel. ready to<br />
be part of our Jewish community wherever my journey takes me, i go<br />
forward with the knowledge that everything is possible.”<br />
Excerpted from remarks to the opening plenary of the 2009 Jewish<br />
Federations of North America General Assembly.<br />
The Campus Entrepreneurs Initiative (CEI) and the<br />
Peer-Network Engagement Internship (PNEI)<br />
Based on a peer-mentoring model, these initiatives<br />
select previously uninvolved students to engage 60 or<br />
40 peers respectively from their social networks. Since its<br />
inception in 2006, student interns have built relationships<br />
with over 20,000 previously uninvolved Jewish peers on<br />
17 campuses.<br />
Senior Jewish Educators<br />
this initiative places 10 experienced Jewish educators<br />
on campus to work with Cei student interns and offer<br />
in-depth Jewish educational content to students. over<br />
the next three years, hillel aims to add a senior Jewish<br />
educator on five campuses annually to reach a total of 25<br />
by 2012.
Alternative Breaks<br />
these seven- to ten-day trips combine hands-on<br />
volunteer service with Jewish learning and reflection.<br />
as the leading provider of alternative Breaks for<br />
Jewish students, hillel has offered over 8,000<br />
students the chance to join their peers in pursuing<br />
social justice in a Jewish context locally and globally.<br />
Israel on Campus Coalition (ICC)<br />
the iCC is a partnership of the Charles and lynn<br />
Schusterman family foundation and hillel in<br />
cooperation with a network of over 30 organizations<br />
committed to promoting israel education and<br />
advocacy on college campuses.<br />
Taglit-Birthright Israel<br />
Supported by the israeli government, Jewish<br />
federations and philanthropists, this partnership<br />
offers thousands of young Jewish adults a free,<br />
first-time trip to israel with their peers. more than<br />
35,200 Jewish college students have experienced<br />
a first visit through hillel since 2000.<br />
Campus Israel Fellows<br />
this initiative, in partnership with the Jewish agency<br />
for israel, partners young israelis with local hillels to<br />
serve as peer educators and foster support for israel.<br />
this year, israel fellows at 20 hillels can reach about<br />
80,000 young Jews.<br />
MASA Interns<br />
in the 2009-2010 academic year, hillel and maSa<br />
launched a partnership in which hillels on 48<br />
campuses hired maSa interns as part of their Cei<br />
and pnei cohorts to increase american students’<br />
participation in long-term programs in israel, such<br />
as study abroad or post-graduation volunteering.<br />
<strong>Hillel</strong> Stories:<br />
Andrey Gorozhankin<br />
Odessa <strong>Hillel</strong><br />
Born under the Communist regime and raised in an independent,<br />
post-Soviet ukraine, Jewish identity was not part of andrey<br />
gorozhankin’s life. that changed after he participated in a<br />
taglit-Birthright israel: hillel trip.<br />
“i was intrigued and wanted to learn more about Jewish<br />
culture, traditions and way of life – so i decided to come to<br />
hillel,” he says. “Since i started going to hillel, my life has<br />
changed. i try to attend all the Jewish learning activities at<br />
hillel and to participate in all the Jewish holidays because<br />
this is something i did not get growing up.”<br />
andrey, a student leader in odessa hillel, is one of thousands<br />
of young people outside north america who turn to hillel for<br />
Jewish inspiration and celebration. hillel has groups across<br />
the vast lands of the former Soviet union (fSu), israel,<br />
uruguay, argentina, Brazil, and a nascent unit in paraguay.<br />
“hillel is an amazing organization that does something special<br />
for young people,” andrey explains. “Students make great<br />
friends at hillel. they develop their own Jewish identity. they<br />
connect to the Jewish people and they learn how to be leaders<br />
in their own communities. in the fSu — especially where Jewish<br />
communities are still very young — we need to continue to<br />
invest in the young leaders who will lead them in the future.”
<strong>Hillel</strong> and Israel<br />
every day, hundreds of thousands of university students<br />
worldwide depend on hillel’s dedicated on-the-ground<br />
leadership, staff and network to support, understand and<br />
engage with israel. working with our partners in the<br />
Jewish federations of north america, the Conference of<br />
presidents of major american Jewish organizations,<br />
aipaC, the israel on Campus Coalition and others, hillel is<br />
educating students and their campuses about israel.<br />
when students seek knowledge and meaning, hillel<br />
proactively delivers with authentic israeli voices and<br />
immersive experiences.<br />
israel education is both an obligation stemming from<br />
hillel’s commitment to strengthening Jewish life and an<br />
opportunity to create meaningful Jewish experiences for<br />
students. with the most diverse array of ongoing israel<br />
programs and initiatives across the country, hillel reaches<br />
more students in more ways than any other organization<br />
on campus.<br />
Students celebrate Chanukah with <strong>Hillel</strong> at Israel’s<br />
Interdisciplinary Center.<br />
HILLEL ISRAEL<br />
when israel and the Jewish community look to the next<br />
generation, hillel develops passionate student leaders<br />
who understand israel’s important role in our world.<br />
hillel firmly believes that israel is both an end in itself,<br />
a core value of Jewish life, and a means to engage<br />
students in a conversation about their own Jewish<br />
identity, their role as members of the Jewish people,<br />
and their relationship to the Jewish homeland.<br />
when israel is attacked, hillel stands up for israel and<br />
organizes the response.<br />
hillel is steadfastly committed to the support of israel<br />
as a Jewish and democratic state with secure and<br />
recognized borders and as a member of the family of<br />
free nations. in close partnership with the entire<br />
pro-israel community, hillel works tirelessly to speak up<br />
for israel on campus.<br />
through the work of the edgar m. Bronfman hillel israel Center, hillel is<br />
inspiring a renaissance of Jewish life on campuses throughout israel,<br />
serving thousands of israeli, new immigrant, and overseas students, and<br />
providing a unique vehicle for Jewish experiences, cultural expressions<br />
and social change in israeli society. throughout the country, hillel<br />
provides a variety of opportunities for Jewish students to explore and<br />
celebrate their Jewish identities and take ownership of their individual<br />
Jewish journeys. the first hillel in israel was created at the hebrew<br />
university of Jerusalem in 1951. today, 11 hillels serve 35,000 students<br />
at hebrew university mt. Scopus and givat ram campuses, tel aviv<br />
university, Ben-gurion university of the negev, haifa university, technionisrael<br />
institute of technology, haifa City Center, interdisciplinary Center<br />
herzliya (idC), Sapir College, tel hai academic College, and emek Yezreel<br />
academic College.
Israeli <strong>Hillel</strong> leaders.<br />
Major Accomplishments:<br />
n hillel’s presence on over 500 campuses worldwide<br />
is the backbone of the pro-israel community,<br />
providing resources, activists and information for<br />
the entire campus community.<br />
n hillel and the Jewish agency for israel have<br />
partnered to place recent israeli university and<br />
idf graduates on campuses to educate students<br />
and the community about israel.<br />
n hillel co-founded and hosts the israel on Campus<br />
Coalition, the leading coalition of national proisrael<br />
organizations, dramatically improving the<br />
effectiveness of all education and advocacy<br />
efforts on campus.<br />
n hillel professionals and students participate in<br />
large numbers at aipaC’s policy conference and<br />
have received the ally of the year award annually.<br />
n hillel student activists and professionals create<br />
meaningful israel programs that celebrate israel<br />
and respond to anti- israel propaganda.<br />
n hillel regularly organizes a variety of immersive<br />
experiences in israel, including intensive leadership<br />
missions, alternative breaks and introductory<br />
trips through taglit-Birthright israel.<br />
n hillel created a nationwide student campaign on<br />
campuses across north america — Student Coalition<br />
against nuclear iran — calling for international<br />
action against this looming threat to israel’s security.<br />
n eleven hillels in israel, administered from the<br />
edgar m. Bronfman hillel israel Center in<br />
Jerusalem, enable israeli students to take ownership<br />
of their Jewish identities in new ways.<br />
Israel on Campus Coalition student leaders at Israel’s Knesset.
<strong>Hillel</strong> Stories:<br />
Boyanna Grubeshich<br />
Israel Fellow, <strong>Hillel</strong> at Baruch College<br />
Boyanna grubeshich, a refugee from war-torn Bosniaherzgovina,<br />
found a meaningful Jewish identity through hillel.<br />
Boyanna fled ethnic violence with her family at the age of<br />
12 in 1995 and spent her elementary school and high school<br />
years in the goldstein Youth village in israel. “during my<br />
second year at tel aviv university i participated in a hillel<br />
social justice program,” she explains. “i found lots of<br />
individuals just like me who were concerned about their<br />
Jewish identity and israeli society. i became a student<br />
leader and created my own programs. at hillel i found<br />
my community.”<br />
today, Boyanna is giving back to<br />
the community as a Jewish<br />
agency israel fellow at Baruch<br />
College hillel. “Because i<br />
come from a multicultural<br />
background and because i<br />
moved from one place to another<br />
i had to discover who i<br />
am. i think that most of the<br />
people in the post-modern<br />
world try to understand what’s<br />
their story, what’s their<br />
identity,” she says. “By<br />
helping Baruch College<br />
students explore these<br />
questions i get to answer<br />
them for myself.”<br />
Israel Fellows<br />
in the aftermath of the Second intifada, hillel<br />
partnered with the Jewish agency for israel to<br />
place a network of recent israeli college graduates<br />
and idf veterans on strategic campuses across<br />
north america to help young Jews build a personal<br />
connection with israel and to present a different<br />
image of israel on campus than the one portrayed<br />
by the news media.<br />
now located on 19 campuses, israel fellows have<br />
become an integral part of their local hillels. as<br />
key members of the local hillel staff, fellows play<br />
a pivotal role each and every day on campus:<br />
n empowering and supporting Jewish students<br />
who are already engaged with israel; enhancing<br />
their knowledge base, and providing them with<br />
tools to initiate israel activities on campus;<br />
n engaging uninvolved Jewish students through<br />
meaningful informal interactions, personal<br />
story-telling and formal programs that help<br />
them explore their relationship with israel in a<br />
safe and welcoming environment;<br />
n educating the broader campus community<br />
about the importance of israel and the unique<br />
role it plays in the geopolitical arena;<br />
n encouraging participation in israel travel<br />
experiences and educational programs — such as<br />
taglit-Birthright israel and maSa — thereby<br />
expanding the number of Jewish students<br />
visiting israel each year.
<strong>Hillel</strong> volunteers work in a Bronx, N.Y., Jewish community center.<br />
<strong>Hillel</strong>s in New York<br />
new York State, with approximately 65,000 Jewish<br />
students on 81 campuses, is critically important to hillel’s<br />
global network. hillel is deeply committed to enriching<br />
the lives of Jewish college students throughout the state.<br />
our Charles and lynn Schusterman international Center<br />
maintains a presence in manhattan – in the offices of the<br />
Jewish federations of north america – to further our<br />
national development work and to support our collective<br />
efforts to strengthen Jewish campus life.<br />
Collaboration with Jewish Federations in New York<br />
working in close partnership with the united Jewish<br />
appeal — federation of new York, hillel offers opportunities<br />
for Jewish students to explore and celebrate their<br />
Jewishness and help hillel further its strategic goal of<br />
doubling the number of students having meaningful<br />
Jewish experiences. uJa-federation of new York invests<br />
close to $2.5 million to support hillel’s work in the<br />
new York metropolitan area, as well as nationally and<br />
internationally. Support comes in the form of both direct<br />
core operating support and targeted grants that<br />
underwrite creative, cutting-edge ideas to strengthen<br />
Jewish identity among college youth. the talented and<br />
dedicated staff and lay leaders of the uJa-federation of<br />
new York provide support and guidance to help advance<br />
the hillels. uJa-federation also supports capacitybuilding<br />
efforts of hillels in the metropolitan area with<br />
added-value training for hillel professionals and trustees.<br />
hillel is also grateful for the support of federations in<br />
albany, Buffalo, rochester and Syracuse.<br />
hillels serve Jewish college students on the following<br />
new York State campuses: university at albany; Baruch<br />
College; Binghamton university; Brooklyn College;<br />
university at Buffalo; City College of new York; Colgate<br />
university; College of Staten island; Columbia university;<br />
Cornell university; eastman School of music; fashion<br />
institute of technology; hamilton College; hofstra<br />
university; hunter College; long island university –<br />
Brooklyn and C.w. post Campuses; manhattanville<br />
College; university at new paltz; new York university;<br />
pace university; purchase College; Queens College;<br />
university of rochester; rochester institute of technology;<br />
Sarah lawrence College; Skidmore; Stony Brook university;<br />
Syracuse university; vassar College; westchester<br />
Community College.<br />
Hofstra <strong>Hillel</strong> marches in the New York Salute to Israel parade.
CANADA<br />
USA<br />
BRAZIL<br />
URUGUAY<br />
ARGENTINA<br />
UK<br />
UKRAINE<br />
MOLDOVA<br />
BELARUS<br />
ISRAEL<br />
RUSSIA<br />
AZERBAIJAN<br />
GEORGIA<br />
UZBEKISTAN<br />
AUSTRALIA
<strong>Hillel</strong> Foundations and<br />
Regional Centers in North America<br />
kay Spiritual life Center at american<br />
university hillel<br />
university of arizona hillel foundation<br />
arizona State university hillel<br />
hillel of greater Baltimore<br />
Baruch College hillel<br />
hillel at Binghamton<br />
the florence and Chafetz hillel house,<br />
Boston university hillel foundation<br />
the Brandeis hillel foundation<br />
hillel of Brooklyn College<br />
levine weinberger Jewish life Center:<br />
hillel of Broward and palm Beach<br />
Brown hillel at the glenn and darcy weiner Center<br />
uC Berkeley hillel<br />
Yitzhak rabin hillel Center for Jewish life at uCla<br />
university of California, Santa Barbara hillel<br />
CSun hillel — Jewish Student Center<br />
Central florida hillel<br />
hillels around Chicago<br />
Johanna and herman h. newberger hillel<br />
Center at the university of Chicago<br />
Cincinnati hillel Jewish Student Center<br />
at the rose warner house<br />
hillel at the Claremont Colleges<br />
Cleveland hillel<br />
hillel of Colorado<br />
Colorado university: Boulder hillel<br />
Colorado State university hillel<br />
the robert k. kraft family Center for Jewish<br />
life, hillel at Columbia university and Barnard College<br />
hillel at the university of Connecticut<br />
Cornell hillel — the Yudowitz Center for<br />
Jewish Campus life<br />
the roth Center for Jewish life, dartmouth hillel<br />
hillel at davis and Sacramento<br />
university of delaware hillel<br />
denver hillel<br />
hillel of metro detroit<br />
Jewish life at duke: freeman Center /<br />
rubenstein-Silvers hillel<br />
emory hillel<br />
hillel foundation at the university of florida<br />
hillel at florida State university<br />
hillel at the george washington university<br />
hillels of georgia<br />
university of georgia hillel<br />
goucher College hillel<br />
riesman Center for harvard-radcliffe hillel,rosovsky hall<br />
hofstra hillel<br />
the ida and william zinn hillel Student Center of<br />
greater houston<br />
hunter College hillel foundation<br />
the hillels of illinois<br />
levine hillel Center, university of illinois, Chicago<br />
university of illinois, urbana-Champaign hillel<br />
helene g. Simon hillel Center at indiana university<br />
aliber/hillel Jewish Student Center at the<br />
university of iowa<br />
the Smokler Center for Jewish life, harry and Jeanette<br />
weinberg Building, Johns hopkins university hillel<br />
university of kansas hillel<br />
hillel at kent State university<br />
los angeles hillel Council<br />
Ben and esther rosenbloom hillel Center for Jewish<br />
Student life at the university of maryland<br />
hillel at the university of maryland, Baltimore County<br />
hillel at the university of massachusetts, amherst<br />
m.i.t. hillel at the muriel and norman B. leventhal<br />
Center for Jewish life<br />
hillel at miami university (oh)<br />
Jewish Student Center of hillel at the university of miami<br />
mandell l. Berman hillel Center at the university of<br />
michigan<br />
lester J. morris hillel Jewish Student Center at michigan<br />
State university<br />
the hillel foundation milwaukee<br />
university of minnesota hillel foundation<br />
hillel of montreal
muhlenberg College hillel<br />
hillel Council of new england<br />
new orleans hillel at tulane university<br />
edgar m. Bronfman Center for Jewish life —<br />
new York university hillel<br />
north Carolina hillel<br />
louis and Saerree fiedler hillel Center at<br />
northwestern university<br />
oberlin hillel foundation<br />
hillel at the ohio State university /<br />
wexner Jewish Student Center<br />
hillel foundation of orange County<br />
hillel at the university of oregon<br />
penn State hillel<br />
Steinhardt hall, hillel at the university of pennsylvania<br />
hillel of greater philadelphia hillel at pierce & valley<br />
Colleges the edward and rose Berman hillel /<br />
Jewish university Center of pittsburgh<br />
Center for Jewish life at princeton university<br />
Queens College hillel<br />
hillel foundation at the university of rhode island<br />
hillel of rochester area Colleges<br />
rutgers university hillel foundation<br />
St. louis hillel at washington university<br />
hillel of San diego<br />
San francisco hillel<br />
Santa Cruz hillel foundation<br />
hillel Second generation (h2g)<br />
hillel of Silicon valley<br />
university of South florida hillel<br />
university of Southern California hillel foundation<br />
hillel at Stanford — the ziff Center for Jewish life<br />
gloria & mark Snyder hillel Center at Stony Brook hillel<br />
Syracuse hillel at the winnick hillel Center for Jewish life<br />
texas hillel foundation<br />
texas a&m hillel foundation<br />
hillel of greater toronto, the wolfond Center for<br />
Jewish Campus life<br />
hillel of towson university<br />
granoff family hillel Center, tufts university<br />
vancouver hillel foundation<br />
university of virginia hillel<br />
the karen mayers gamoran Center for Jewish life,<br />
hillel at the university of washington<br />
western ontario hillel<br />
hillel at the university of wisconsin - madison<br />
Joseph Slifka Center for Jewish life at Yale university<br />
<strong>Hillel</strong> Program Centers<br />
university at albany hillel<br />
Jewish Student association at university of alberta<br />
amherst hillel<br />
Bucknell university hillel<br />
hillel of Buffalo<br />
university of Calgary hillel Jewish Student association<br />
university of California, riverside hillel<br />
Carleton university Jewish Student association<br />
Clark university hillel<br />
eastern michigan university hillel<br />
gallaudet Jewish Student association<br />
george mason university hillel<br />
georgetown university Jewish Student association<br />
grinnell College Chalutzim<br />
university of guelph Jewish Student organization<br />
hartford hillel foundation<br />
hillel foundation at ithaca College<br />
kenyon College hillel<br />
lehigh university hillel Society<br />
hillel of greater long Beach and w. orange County<br />
hillel of long island university, Brooklyn Campus<br />
C.w. post Center of long island university hillel<br />
university of louisville hillel<br />
hillel at loyola university<br />
university of manitoba Jewish Student association / hillel<br />
hillel of memphis<br />
university of missouri, Columbia hillel<br />
university of nevada, las vegas hillel<br />
hillel at the university of new mexico<br />
regional hillel of north texas<br />
northeastern university hillel
hillel of northern new Jersey<br />
ohio university hillel<br />
oklahoma university hillel<br />
Jewish Student association at university of ottawa<br />
purdue hillel<br />
Queen’s hillel house<br />
hillel of richmond<br />
hillel at Santa monica Jewish Student association<br />
Skidmore College Jewish Student union<br />
Smith hillel<br />
hillel of Sonoma County<br />
Southern illinois university hillel<br />
hillel at College of Staten island<br />
trent Jewish Student association<br />
tri-College hillel of greater philadelphia<br />
trinity College hillel<br />
union College hillel<br />
Schulman Center for Jewish life / vanderbilt hillel<br />
allen house Center for Cultural pluralism at the<br />
university of vermont<br />
hillel at virginia tech<br />
waterloo Jewish Student association / hillel<br />
wellesley College hillel<br />
havurah at wesleyan university<br />
hillel of westchester<br />
wilfrid laurier Jewish Student association<br />
Balfour hillel at the College of william & mary<br />
windsor Jewish Students association<br />
Jewish Student association of winnipeg /hillel<br />
Yad of metrowest<br />
<strong>Hillel</strong>s in the Former Soviet Union<br />
Baku, azerbaijan<br />
dnepropetrovsk, ukraine<br />
ekaterinburg, russia<br />
khabarovsk, russia<br />
kharkov, ukraine<br />
kiev, ukraine<br />
kishinev, moldova<br />
lvov, ukraine<br />
minsk, Belarus<br />
moscow, russia<br />
novosibirsk, russia<br />
odessa, ukraine<br />
St. petersburg, russia<br />
Sevastopol, ukraine<br />
Simferopol, ukraine<br />
tashkent, uzbekistan<br />
tbilisi, georgia<br />
<strong>Hillel</strong>s in Israel<br />
Ben-gurion university of the negev<br />
emek Yezreel academic College<br />
haifa university<br />
hebrew university of Jerusalem<br />
interdisciplinary Center herzilya<br />
Sapir university<br />
technion-israel institute of technology<br />
tel aviv university<br />
tel hai academic College<br />
<strong>Hillel</strong>s in Latin America<br />
Buenos aires, argentina<br />
Cordoba, argentina<br />
montevideo, uruguay<br />
rio de Janeiro, Brazil<br />
Other Affiliates<br />
hillel of new South wales, australia<br />
uJS - hillel of the united kingdom
You are a true partner<br />
in our continued goal<br />
to create a welcoming and<br />
open community<br />
for the Jewish people.<br />
Congratulations<br />
on a well-deserved honor.<br />
Edgar M. Bronfman<br />
and The Samuel Bronfman Foundation
Congratulations on receiving this well-deserved honor.<br />
You have been an inspirational teacher and<br />
leader to manY Young and old.<br />
Your leadership of hillel during Your tenure has made<br />
an enduring impact on the hundreds of thousands of<br />
Jewish students around the world.<br />
You are inspiration to all of us who care about the<br />
future of the Jewish people.<br />
We love you,<br />
Randall Kaplan<br />
chair, hillel’s international board of governors<br />
and<br />
Kathy Manning<br />
chair, board of trustees, the Jewish federations<br />
of north america
Joshua ben Perahayah taught:<br />
“find yourself a teacher; acquire a colleague for study.”<br />
pirke avot 1:6<br />
the teacher thousands have found and the colleague hundreds<br />
treasure, avraham’s infectious passion for the Jewish people has<br />
shown us all how to be distinctively Jewish and universally human.<br />
thank you, avraham, for lessons we cannot forget and for being a<br />
continuing source of inspiration in the world.<br />
THE JOSEPH AND HARVEY MEYERHOFF<br />
FAMILY CHARITABLE FUNDS<br />
harVey m. meyerhoFF<br />
eLeanor m. Katz<br />
terry m. ruBenstein<br />
Lee m. henDLer<br />
zoh hieronimus<br />
Joseph meyerhoFF, ii<br />
Laura CutLer<br />
thomas Katz<br />
saLLy Katz<br />
WaLter Katz<br />
DanieL Katz
My dear Uncle <strong>Avraham</strong>,<br />
As we join a chorus of voices honoring you<br />
and your work, we can all declare one thing<br />
with certainty:<br />
The survival of the Jewish people is<br />
ever more significant due to the love<br />
and work you give to it.<br />
We love you...<br />
Adam and Cindy Bronfman
In honor of a<br />
very special man and teacher<br />
whether educating our <strong>Hillel</strong> students<br />
or leading a panel at Limmud FSU in Israel,<br />
wherever you go, whomever you meet,<br />
your transmitted knowledge changes<br />
that person forever. You are definitely<br />
a force to be reckoned with.<br />
May you continue to enlighten and<br />
transform people of all ages<br />
and may they become your<br />
ambassadors in the joy of learning.<br />
With fondness and respect,<br />
DIANE AND HOWARD WOHL
.lYNuc tkt lYNc YReT LA<br />
Read not “your children,” but “your builders.”<br />
(Talmud, Berachot 64a)<br />
We applaud <strong>Hillel</strong> and its committed leadership<br />
for inspiring Jewish college students<br />
to become the next generation of builders of<br />
Israel and Jewish communities here and abroad.<br />
SOL GOLDMAN CHARITABLE TRUST<br />
JANE GOLDMAN, Trustee<br />
DR. BENJAMIN LEWIS, Trustee
Northwestern University <strong>Hillel</strong><br />
salutes our honoree,<br />
<strong>Avraham</strong> <strong>Infeld</strong><br />
For making Jewish life flourish<br />
on campuses worldwide<br />
and for bringing<br />
so many Jewish students<br />
home to Israel.<br />
Judy and Abel Friedman<br />
and<br />
Northwestern University <strong>Hillel</strong>
mazeL toV aVraham<br />
anD<br />
CongratuLations to hiLLeL<br />
For engaging anD inspiring stuDents<br />
to Bring your Vision oF<br />
‘DISTINCTIVELY JEWISH AND UNIVERSALLY HUMAN’<br />
to LiFe!<br />
Cheryl and David Einhorn<br />
�e Einhorn Family Charitable Trust
<strong>Hillel</strong><br />
ArgentinA<br />
<strong>Hillel</strong> Argentina<br />
Salutes<br />
<strong>Avraham</strong> <strong>Infeld</strong><br />
for his dedication and commitment to<br />
Jewish university students and young adults<br />
around the world<br />
and we invite everyone to visit<br />
the extraordinary<br />
<strong>Hillel</strong>s in Latin America.
<strong>Hillel</strong> salutes<br />
UJA-Federation of New York<br />
From Long Island, Westchester, and the five boroughs,<br />
<strong>Hillel</strong> and UJA-Federation of New York provide<br />
meaningful Jewish experiences for thousands of<br />
Jewish college students of all backgrounds.<br />
JOHN M. SHAPIRO<br />
President<br />
JERRY W. LEVIN<br />
Chair of the Board<br />
HELEN SAMUELS<br />
Chair, Jewish Communal<br />
Network Commission<br />
ALISA DOCTOROFF<br />
Chair, Commission on<br />
Jewish Identity & Renewal<br />
JOHN S. RUSKAY<br />
Executive Vice President<br />
and CEO<br />
LOUISE B. GREILSHEIMER<br />
Senior Vice President for<br />
Agency and External Relations<br />
ALISA RUBIN KURSHAN<br />
Senior Vice President for<br />
Strategic Planning and<br />
Organizational Resources<br />
SUSAN FRIEDMAN<br />
Managing Director, Jewish<br />
Communal Network Commission<br />
DEBORAH JOSELOW<br />
Managing Director,<br />
Commission on<br />
Jewish Identity & Renewal
<strong>Hillel</strong> is grateful for the strong partnership and support of the<br />
THE JEWISH FEDERATIONS OF NORTH AMERICA<br />
For the past five years since Hurricane Katrina,<br />
the Jewish Federations of North America has helped <strong>Hillel</strong> send<br />
more than 3,500 students to volunteer in the Louisiana Gulfport.<br />
For the past ten years the Jewish Federations of North America<br />
has been a key partner in sending more than 40,000 Jewish students<br />
on Taglit-Brithright Israel through <strong>Hillel</strong>.<br />
And for more than twenty years the Jewish Federations of North America<br />
has partnered with <strong>Hillel</strong> to bring today’s Jewish students<br />
to the General Assembly to become tomorrow’s Jewish leaders.<br />
Every hour of every day the Jewish Federations of North America<br />
helps <strong>Hillel</strong>s throughout North America enrich the lives of<br />
Jewish undergraduate and graduate students<br />
so that they may enrich the Jewish people and the world.<br />
KATHY MANNING<br />
Chair, Board of Trustees<br />
MICHAEL C. GELMAN<br />
Chair, Executive Committee<br />
MICHAEL I. LEBOVITZ<br />
National Campaign Chair<br />
HESCHEL I. RASKAS<br />
Treasurer<br />
JERRY SILVERMAN<br />
President and<br />
Chief Executive Officer
<strong>Avraham</strong>,<br />
“<strong>Avraham</strong> shall surely become a great and mighty nation,<br />
and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him.<br />
For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children<br />
and his household after him, that they may keep the way of the Lord,<br />
to do righteousness and justice.”<br />
Bereishit 18:18-19<br />
You have amazed us with your energy, inspired us<br />
with your wisdom, and challenged us with your vision.<br />
You have enriched us with your leadership<br />
and blessed us with your friendship.<br />
Thank you for your contributions to <strong>Hillel</strong>,<br />
to Israel and to the Jewish people.<br />
With deep gratitude, admiration and love,<br />
The Chairs (Neil, Randall, Chuck, Michael)<br />
Former Chairmen, Board of Directors, <strong>Hillel</strong>: �e Foundation for Jewish Campus Life
Dear <strong>Avraham</strong>,<br />
as hillel president you travelled the country and the world constantly —<br />
at great sacrifice to your family life — to be with students and hillel directors,<br />
always inspiring them with your vision. Your fundraising skills are legendary.<br />
the question was always not if, but how much!<br />
to say that working with you is stimulating and wonderful would be a<br />
gross understatement. Your infectious optimism about what can be done<br />
motivates all who surround you to reach for excellence in pursuing a joyous<br />
Jewish future. You never let realism limit your dreams or aspirations.<br />
we feel blessed to know you and to partner with you.<br />
Your enduring friendship continues to enrich our lives.<br />
With love and admiration,<br />
Karen and Neil Moss
d<br />
“Every blade of grass has an angel<br />
that bends over it and<br />
whispers grow, grow.”<br />
–The Talmud<br />
Congratulations <strong>Avraham</strong><br />
Your voice inspires a<br />
Jewish renaissance in us all.<br />
Madeleine and Bill Berman
“It Is true that we asPIre to our ancIent land.<br />
But what we want In that ancIent land Is<br />
a new BlossomIng of the JewIsh sPIrIt.”<br />
theodor herzl<br />
<strong>Avraham</strong>,<br />
As an educator you are keeping<br />
ancient aspirations alive and<br />
bringing about new blossoms<br />
of meaning. Thank you for<br />
everything you do for <strong>Hillel</strong>,<br />
Israel and the Jewish people.<br />
With admiration and best wishes,<br />
The Sandler Family
Congratulations<br />
and<br />
Best Wishes<br />
to<br />
<strong>Avraham</strong> <strong>Infeld</strong><br />
[\<br />
Jayne and Harvey Beker
HILLEL URUGUAY<br />
is proud to honor <strong>Avraham</strong> <strong>Infeld</strong>.<br />
<strong>Avraham</strong> is an educational giant<br />
whose vision, insight and passion have inspired the<br />
Uruguayan Jewish community and the Jewish world.<br />
We are honored to call you our teacher and<br />
even more so, to call you our friend.<br />
May you go from strength to strength and<br />
Mazel Tov on this much deserved recognition.
Y<br />
HILLEL ARGENTINA<br />
salutes our dear friend and colleague<br />
AvRAHAm INfELd<br />
for his commitment to developing<br />
vibrant Jewish communities<br />
and his vision for unifying<br />
the global Jewish people.<br />
We are grateful for his inspiration,<br />
his vision, and his passion<br />
in helping to establish and build<br />
<strong>Hillel</strong>s throughout Argentina.<br />
felicitaciones on this wonderful achievement<br />
and well-deserved honor!<br />
HILLEL ARGENTINA IS HONORING AvRAHAM<br />
WITH A SPECIAL LUNCHEON JUNE 6TH WHERE<br />
THEY WILL PRESENT THE AvRAHAM INFELD AWARD.<br />
Y
The campus is the crossroads<br />
where Jews from around the world<br />
meet on their journey to adulthood.<br />
<strong>Hillel</strong> has the opportunity, and<br />
the obligation, to guide them<br />
in the right direction.
Kol Hakavod,<br />
<strong>Avraham</strong>!<br />
your vision of Jewish peoplehood and<br />
commitment to education have strengthened our community<br />
and inspired a new generation of Jewish leaders.<br />
thank you for your many years of leadership,<br />
partnership and friendship.<br />
CharLes anD Lynn sChusterman FamiLy FounDation<br />
www.schusterman.org
Mazal Tov<br />
to our dear friend,<br />
<strong>Avraham</strong> <strong>Infeld</strong><br />
A bold visionary and<br />
magnificent leader,<br />
For his invaluable contributions<br />
to the Jewish future<br />
With admiration and affection,<br />
Edith Everett and Family
CONGRATULATIONS<br />
TO<br />
AVRAHAM INFELD<br />
FROM<br />
ABBY AND DAVID COHEN<br />
AND YOUR FRIENDS AT CORNELL HILLEL
5<br />
we salute<br />
AVrAHAM inFeLD<br />
no one is more deserving of this award<br />
than this pioneer of Jewish renaissance.<br />
with admiration,<br />
SHENKMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, INC.<br />
new York • stamford • london
HILLEL RIO<br />
pays tribute to<br />
AVRAHAM INFELD,<br />
a dynamic educator and leader who challenges us<br />
to shape the future of our community by fortifying our connection to<br />
Jewish memory, tradition, the State of Israel, and the Jewish people.<br />
With his indomitable energy and passion, <strong>Avraham</strong> is an<br />
inspiration to thousands of Brazilian students and to<br />
countless others within the community.<br />
We are proud to share in this celebration and<br />
to recognize <strong>Avraham</strong> on the occasion<br />
of this much-deserved honor.<br />
Mazel Tov, <strong>Avraham</strong>!
"IF YoUr aCTIonS InSPIre oTHerS To DreaM More,<br />
learn More, Do More anD BeCoMe More, YoU are a leaDer"<br />
John Quincy Adams<br />
<strong>Avraham</strong><br />
- a true leader - with gratitude and joy<br />
we honor your dazzling vision, inspiring passion,<br />
boundless energy and your huge heart<br />
which reaches out to so many and<br />
so deeply loves the Jewish people<br />
With love and admiration,<br />
THe naTIonal YoUng leaDerSHIP CaBIneT alUMnI<br />
Joel AlPersoN<br />
sANDy ANtigNAs<br />
BArBArA AroNsoN<br />
sHAroN Bell AND FreD ZimmermAN<br />
BryNA BermAN<br />
lAurie BlitZer AND sAm leViNe<br />
sANDy CAHN<br />
DAN CoHeN<br />
tim r. CoHeN<br />
KAreN FrieDmAN CooPer AND Peter CooPer<br />
lAurA Cutler<br />
iris FeiNBerg<br />
mArC Felgoise<br />
stACy AND DAViD FisHer<br />
CHAyA AND HowArD FrieDmAN<br />
mArlA lANDis<br />
JeNNiFer meyerHoFF<br />
weNDy AND sCott NewBerger<br />
gAil AND elliot Norry<br />
lewis Norry<br />
JoDi sCHwArtZ<br />
Betsy riBAKoFF sHeerr<br />
melANie sturm<br />
Julie wise-oreCK<br />
JANe AND mArK wilF
<strong>Hillel</strong>’s Vision:<br />
<strong>Hillel</strong> seeks to inspire<br />
every Jewish student<br />
to make an enduring commitment<br />
to Jewish life.
<strong>Hillel</strong>’s Mission:<br />
<strong>Hillel</strong> seeks to enrich the lives<br />
of Jewish undergraduate and<br />
graduate students so that they<br />
may enrich the Jewish people<br />
and the world.
We are privileged to join<br />
In paying tribute to our<br />
Dear friend<br />
<strong>Avraham</strong> <strong>Infeld</strong><br />
n<br />
SANDY AND STEPHEN GREENBERG
Mazel Tov<br />
to<br />
<strong>Avraham</strong><br />
on this wonderful honor<br />
AMY AND BOB BRESSMAN
thAnk<br />
THANK YOU AVRAHAM,<br />
For your vision, leadership and commitment<br />
to the joint <strong>Hillel</strong>/UJA Federation of New York<br />
initiative to strengthen <strong>Hillel</strong>s in New York<br />
TOM AND LANIE BLUMBERG<br />
you
Stamford, CT<br />
salutes<br />
our friend<br />
<strong>Avraham</strong> <strong>Infeld</strong>
“The Genius is not only the discover of new truths<br />
or inventions, but the man that is a light<br />
and blazes a new trail for his generation<br />
by virtue of his great personal influence.”<br />
-S Y Hurvitz<br />
three generation of Jews,<br />
world wide, together<br />
wish you yasher koach!<br />
Carolyn and Steve Oppenheimer
Oregon Salutes<br />
our friend, teacher and visionary<br />
AVRAHAM INFELD<br />
many generations of oregon hillel students have been inspired<br />
by avraham’s compelling teachings and mission to challenge<br />
each one of us to “find and own” our personal Jewish stories.<br />
in avraham’s presence we all discover that we have been heroes,<br />
warriors and pursuers of justice.<br />
Knowing and listening to avraham challenges each one of us<br />
to find the passion to reunite with our people and our history.<br />
and most of all we thank you for putting the magic back into<br />
our sense of Jewish peoplehood.<br />
OREgON HILLEL<br />
PORTLAND HILLEL<br />
THE UNgERLEIDER FAMILY
To<br />
Avram <strong>Infeld</strong>,<br />
the father of International <strong>Hillel</strong>,<br />
our teacher, inspiration and friend.<br />
May you and your family go<br />
from strength to strength,<br />
With the greatest admiration,<br />
Rosalie & Jim Shane
An old man was planting a tree.<br />
A young person passed by and asked,<br />
“What are you planting?”<br />
“A carob tree,” the old man replied.<br />
“Silly fool,” said the youth,<br />
“Don’t you know that it takes 70 years<br />
for a carob tree to bear fruit?”<br />
“That is okay,” said the old man.<br />
“Just as others planted for me,<br />
I plant for future generations.”<br />
Talmud, Ta’anit 23a<br />
<strong>Avraham</strong>, Mazel Tov!<br />
Your extraordinary contributions to<br />
the Jewish people and particularly its<br />
youth are legendary. Thanks to you<br />
that “carob tree” is now bearing fruit.<br />
Judy and Isaac Thau<br />
Vancouver, Canada
Mazal tov to<br />
<strong>Avraham</strong> infeld<br />
and <strong>Hillel</strong><br />
for your inspiration, dedication,<br />
commitment and leadership<br />
towards ensuring a stronger future<br />
for the Jewish people around the world<br />
TINA AND STEvEN PRICE
MAZAL TOV<br />
HILLEL<br />
Best wishes to<br />
AVRAHAM INFELD<br />
Recipient of the Annual<br />
RENAISSANCE AWARD<br />
�is is a well-deserved honor for your efforts in<br />
promoting Jewish identity, your devotion to Israel<br />
and your vision of “peoplehood”<br />
Harold Grinspoon and Diane Troderman<br />
“And you shall show them the way they should go”<br />
Exodus 18:20
To our dearest <strong>Avraham</strong>,<br />
You have given so much<br />
to the world....<br />
We are privileged to be<br />
part of the thousands<br />
who have benefited by your<br />
wisdom, knowledge and<br />
love of the Jewish people.<br />
With all of our love<br />
and best wishes to you<br />
on this wonderful occasion,<br />
CAROL B. WISE and JULIE WISE ORECK<br />
ij
ttttttt<br />
Congratulations to<br />
<strong>Avraham</strong> <strong>Infeld</strong><br />
teacher and visionary extraordinaire<br />
Thank you<br />
for all you have done for students<br />
and Jewish life on campus!<br />
BiLL & anita heLLer
8<br />
Mazel Tov<br />
to a Real Mensch<br />
Love<br />
Jane and Larry Sherman<br />
(and the Treadmill Co)
AVRAM INFELD<br />
We are blessed to have you as a leader<br />
and thank you for your dedication<br />
and fabulous contributions to<br />
young adults and the Jewish people.<br />
Mazel Tov to a lekker ou!<br />
Best wishes<br />
Linda Mirels, Martine and Stanley Fleishman
In Honor of<br />
<strong>Avraham</strong> <strong>Infeld</strong>,<br />
a giant in the world of<br />
Jewish education and continuity,<br />
an inspiration to everyone he touches<br />
and a role model for the masses<br />
in Tikkun Olam and selflessness.<br />
You are loved and respected and<br />
have created a legacy that is unique to you.<br />
Sending blessings for many years of health,<br />
happiness and the ability to enjoy your family.<br />
Chaiki and Ziel Feldman
mazel tov to<br />
AVRAHAM INFELD<br />
an educator par excellence<br />
committed to inspiring Jewish pride and peoplehood.<br />
thank you to the<br />
UJA FEDERATION OF NEW YORK<br />
for making it possible for us to bring avraham’s vision to life<br />
through your continued support of hillel’s work on campus.<br />
hillel at binghamton<br />
Queens college hillel<br />
hillel at the college of staten island<br />
tanger hillel @ brooklyn college<br />
edgar m. bronfman center for Jewish student life at nYu<br />
columbia/barnard hillel<br />
hunter college hillel<br />
hillel at baruch college<br />
hofstra hillel<br />
hillels of westchester<br />
stony brook university hillel<br />
hillel of long island university
Mazal Tov to<br />
<strong>Avraham</strong> <strong>Infeld</strong><br />
on being honored by<br />
<strong>Hillel</strong>: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life<br />
You are an inspiration to Jewish students, young adults,<br />
and leaders in Israel and around the world.<br />
<strong>Hillel</strong> said, "Where there is a need, stand up and address it." (Avot 2,6)<br />
<strong>Avraham</strong> <strong>Infeld</strong> is the embodiment of this precept.<br />
We wish you good health as you continue<br />
to go from strength to strength.<br />
Adam Bronfman, Chair<br />
Joseph Ciechanover, Co-Chair<br />
Yossie Goldman, Director General
<strong>Hillel</strong> Russia<br />
is proud to pay tribute to<br />
AVRAHAM INFELD,<br />
a man who has helped bring about a<br />
renaissance of Jewish life throughout russia.<br />
over his lifetime, avraham has transcended<br />
language and cultural barriers to inspire<br />
tens of thousands of russian Jews.<br />
as the beneficiaries of his wisdom, humor,<br />
and kindness, we are privileged to honor him<br />
for his wonderful achievements.<br />
.,
<strong>Hillel</strong> CASE<br />
honors<br />
<strong>Avraham</strong> <strong>Infeld</strong>,<br />
a friend, a mentor, and a leader<br />
who has inspired the Jewish journeys of<br />
tens of thousands of young people across<br />
Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Uzbekistan,<br />
Moldova, and Azerbijan.<br />
We are proud to celebrate this wonderful recognition<br />
of such an extraordinary individual.<br />
May <strong>Avraham</strong> continue to go from strength to strength!<br />
Edgar Bronfman<br />
SASHA GRANOvSKIY YOSIF AKSELRUD<br />
Chair Regional Director
Have you heard the one about the bank<br />
in Manhattan (“At their bank you have a friend,<br />
at ours we’re all mishpocha!”)?<br />
Or the one about the rain we pray for in the Diaspora,<br />
which is the same rain that falls in Israel?<br />
Or about why Judaism is NOT a religion!?<br />
You may have been lucky enough to hear avraham’s stories once<br />
twice or fifty times, but now you can hear them again!<br />
coming soon is www.5leggedtable.org, a new website dedicated<br />
to collecting and disseminating avraham’s insights, ideals and zest for life.<br />
for all students of avraham infeld - to learn, enjoy and connect<br />
to the wisdom of this great teacher.<br />
Initiated by <strong>Avraham</strong>’s colleagues and students,<br />
from Melitz, MAKOM and beyond.<br />
for more information, email fiveleggedtable@gmail.com
.<br />
Raya Strauss Ben-Dror<br />
and<br />
Shmuel Ben-Dror<br />
are proud to honor<br />
<strong>Avraham</strong> <strong>Infeld</strong><br />
for his life-long commitment to<br />
Jewish and Zionist education,<br />
for the hundreds of thousands of young people<br />
and many leaders that he has inspired,<br />
,<br />
and for the great institutions that he built and led.<br />
May his legacy continue to grow in the decades to come!
In honor of<br />
Mr. <strong>Avraham</strong> <strong>Infeld</strong><br />
- a warm and passionate soul<br />
- a (grand)fatherly figure to thousands<br />
- a pillar of identity in a time of challenge and confusion<br />
One who knows, above all, that the greatest joy of our Creator is<br />
the unity of His people which reinforces the eternity of His Torah<br />
To a man who has given more than he would ever accept<br />
or will ever receive<br />
Mazel Tov on this recognition.<br />
May others learn from you how a true love of Torah and of the Jewish<br />
people are ultimately the twin pillars of our survival<br />
RABBI LEvI SHEMTOv<br />
American Friends of Lubavitch, Washington, DC
MAZEL Tov<br />
Mazel tov to<br />
<strong>Avraham</strong> <strong>Infeld</strong><br />
on the Renaissance Award.<br />
Congratulations to<br />
the Bronfman Center<br />
and the entire <strong>Hillel</strong> staff<br />
on all your hard work and dedication.<br />
Job well done to <strong>Hillel</strong>s<br />
all over the world<br />
for inspiring students of<br />
the next generation.<br />
Love<br />
Alan and Elisa Pines and Family
<strong>Avraham</strong>,<br />
We don’t just love you. We also like you.<br />
Mazal Tov on this well-deserved honor.<br />
Love,<br />
<strong>Hillel</strong>’s Schusterman International Center Fellows<br />
Classes of 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and beyond<br />
Rachel Alexander<br />
Jessica Beitch<br />
David Bernay<br />
Amy Born<br />
Eric Buckstein<br />
Julie Finkelstein<br />
Represented by:<br />
Zach Gelman<br />
Emily Goodstein<br />
Danny Greene<br />
Jen Gubitz<br />
Jonathan Horowitz<br />
Aaron Juda<br />
Reuben Posner<br />
Stephanie Schwartz<br />
Lisa Stella<br />
Lina (Dreyfus) Wallace<br />
Naomi (Korb) Weiss
Congratulations Avram<br />
Thank you for inspiring<br />
so many generations<br />
with your wisdom, wit and warmth<br />
Michael and Andrea Leeds
<strong>Avraham</strong> <strong>Infeld</strong><br />
has brought to the NADAV Foundation<br />
his vast experience and knowledge,<br />
his love of the Jewish People<br />
and a wonderful sense of humor.<br />
He is truly an ambassador for Jewish Peoplehood,<br />
a value he has dedicated his whole life to.<br />
<strong>Avraham</strong> is our wisdom and inspiration<br />
and we are very proud that<br />
he is receiving this award.<br />
IrInA nevzlIn KogAn<br />
President of the NADAV Foundation
You once taught us, as your father taught you,<br />
“there is no such thing as Jewish history,<br />
only Jewish memory.”<br />
For all of the generations you inspired as students<br />
to become teachers of Jewish memory,<br />
thank you.<br />
vcr vsu`<br />
Wayne L. Firestone<br />
President<br />
<strong>Hillel</strong>: �e Foundation for Jewish Campus Life<br />
on behalf of the thousands of <strong>Hillel</strong> staff around the world<br />
(past, present and future)
<strong>Avraham</strong>-<br />
For your years of service to <strong>Hillel</strong><br />
and the Jewish people…<br />
For your commitment to making our<br />
world a better place…<br />
For your mentorship of our<br />
professional staff…<br />
For your wisdom and leadership…<br />
We salute you!<br />
<strong>Hillel</strong> at Kent State<br />
Cohn Jewish student Center<br />
613 e. summit street - Kent, ohio 44240<br />
www.kenthillel.org<br />
330-678-0397
Thank you<br />
for your visionary leadership<br />
AVRAHAM INFELD<br />
our leader and our teacher<br />
Los AngELEs HiLLEL CounCiL<br />
CALiforniA institutE of tECHnoLogy<br />
CALif. stAtE PoLytECHniC univ., PomonA<br />
CALiforniA stAtE univErsity, nortHridgE<br />
tHE CLArEmont CoLLEgEs<br />
CLArEmont grAduAtE univErsity<br />
CLArEmont mCKEnnA CoLLEgE<br />
HArvEy mudd CoLLEgE<br />
PitzEr CoLLEgE<br />
PomonA CoLLEgE<br />
sCriPPs CoLLEgE<br />
Los AngELEs vALLEy CoLLEgE<br />
LoyoLA mArymount univErsity<br />
moorPArK CoLLEgE<br />
oCCidEntAL CoLLEgE<br />
PiErCE CoLLEgE<br />
sAntA BArBArA City CoLLEgE<br />
sAntA moniCA CoLLEgE<br />
univErsity of CALiforniA, sAntA BArBArA<br />
univErsity of CALiforniA, Los AngELEs<br />
univErsity of soutHErn CALiforniA<br />
CLEVELAND HILLEL FOUNDATION<br />
salutes<br />
AVRAHAM INFELD<br />
For his lifetime of building<br />
Jewish identity among young people<br />
and on the occasion of receiving<br />
hillel: the Foundation for<br />
Jewish Campus Life’s<br />
renaissance award<br />
“May you go from strength to strength”<br />
www.clevelandhillel.org
Cornell <strong>Hillel</strong><br />
congratulates<br />
AVRAHAM INFELD<br />
for his award.<br />
From generation<br />
to generation<br />
may his teachings<br />
inspire future Jewish leaders<br />
as they have inspired us.<br />
Marc Schlussel ’77 MBA ’78,<br />
Board Chair, Cornell <strong>Hillel</strong>,<br />
& Ronnie Schlussel,<br />
Parents of Emily ’13<br />
on behalf of the<br />
Cornell <strong>Hillel</strong><br />
Board of Trustees & Staff
Cavanaugh Press
Yossi son of Yoezer of Zeredah said:<br />
“Let your house be a meeting place for scholars;<br />
sit at their feet in the dust<br />
and drink in their words thirstingly.”<br />
Pirkei Avot 1:4<br />
<strong>Avraham</strong>,<br />
It has been our pleasure to work shoulder-to-shoulder<br />
with you in fulfilling a vision for <strong>Hillel</strong> that is<br />
“distinctively Jewish and universally human.”<br />
Your teaching continues to influence our work<br />
and enrich our lives. We look forward to sitting<br />
at your feet for many years to come.<br />
The Staff of<br />
<strong>Hillel</strong>’s Charles and Lynn Schusterman<br />
International Center
<strong>Hillel</strong>: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life<br />
Charles and Lynn Schusterman International Center<br />
Arthur and Rochelle Belfer Building<br />
800 Eighth Street, N.W.<br />
Washington, DC 20001-3724<br />
(212) 284-6801<br />
www.hillel.org