Hillel Ontario

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Introducing Our New Staff Members!

by | Sep 9, 2021 | Hillel Ontario, Uncategorized | 0 comments

Introducing our New Staff!

Every year, we welcome new members to our talented team of Hillel professionals!
This year, we are thrilled to welcome Ashley Murphy, Aviva Davis, Jacob Brickman, Maya Shapira, Miriam Greenberg, Rebecca Ross, Jacqueline Dressler, Sofia Musman and Deborah Pekar.

Read on to get to know them a little better…

 

Ashley MurphyPhoto of: Ashley Murphy - Program Coordinator
Program Coordinator, Hillel Ryerson

Q. What university did you attend?
A. York University
Q. What did you study?
A. Devised Theatre
Q. What is your favourite thing about Jewish holidays?
A. I don’t typically celebrate the holidays, but when I do it is all about good company and good food.
Q. What was your first encounter with Hillel?
A. I was invited by a friend I made in University and I was told Hillel York was THE best place to hangout. After that day, it became the place I felt most at home at York.
Q. What excites you most about working at Hillel?
A. The network of amazing and like-minded people I get to surround myself with on a daily basis.
Q. What is your wish for the upcoming year?
A. To make as many connections as possible, get to know everyone and have fun! 🙂

Photo of: Jared Drewnowsky, VP Philanthropy

Jared Drewnowsky
VP, Philanthropy, Hillel Ontario

Q. What university did you attend?
A. University of Western Ontario
Q. What did you study?
A. I have an Honours Degree in History
Q. What is your favourite thing about Jewish holidays?
A. Time spent with family. It’s always nice to be able to catch up and just sit and talk without the distractions of day-to-day life
Q. What was your first encounter with Hillel?
A. I attended a Hillel dinner in my 2nd year of University. I was introduced to Hillel though a longtime friend who was a year ahead of me. It was a great experience that I wish I’d had early on in my first year.
Q. What excites you most about working at Hillel?
A. I believe that the impact that we can have on young adults at a time when they are really starting to figure out not only who they are but who they want to be is a tremendous privilege.
Q. What is your wish for the upcoming year?
A. I hope that we finally figure out how to not only be together in person but to stay together in person. I hope that the coming year can be one of bonding and healing as a whole.

 

Photo of: Aviva, Creative StrategistAviva Davis
Creative Strategist, Hillel Ontario

Q. What university did you attend?
A. Emily Carr University of Art and Design
Q. What did you study?
A. Communication Design
Q. What is your favourite thing about Jewish holidays?
A. Getting to spend time with my family
Q. What was your first encounter with Hillel?
A. I went to a Hillel lunch in my 2nd year of university
Q. What excites you most about working at Hillel?
A. Being a part of the Toronto/Ontario Jewish community and making a positive impact in that community
Q. What is your wish for the upcoming year?
A. To learn a new skill, like coding!

 

Photo of: Jacob, Springboard FellowJacob Brickman
Springboard Fellow, Hillel Waterloo

Q. What university did you attend?
A. Western University
Q. What did you study?
A. Psychology
Q. What is your favourite thing about Jewish holidays?
A. Being together with family over big meals
Q. What was your first encounter with Hillel?
A. It was a one-on-one coffee chat with Leora Tarshish, who had just arrived at Western as the Senior Jewish Educator and I was going into in my third of five years at Western (never too late to get connected!).
Q. What excites you most about working at Hillel?
A. Building the Jewish student community on campus and empowering students who are already doing fantastic work to plan for the year!
Q. What is your wish for the upcoming year?
A. More in-person events (with food!) in Waterloo for students to go to.

 

Photo of: Maya, Advocacy CoordinatorMaya Shapira
Advocacy Coordinator, Guelph Hillel & Hillels Waterloo and Laurier

Q. What university did you attend?
A. Queen’s University
Q. What did you study?
A. History with a focus on the cold war and genocides
Q. What is your favourite thing about Jewish holidays?
A. My favourite thing about the Jewish holidays is the connections we make, both strengthening our pre-existing connections with our families and close friends and making new ones with people we haven’t met yet! Especially for the high holidays, it feels like a beginning, and always a really positive way to start off the year.
Q. What was your first encounter with Hillel?
A. My first encounter with Hillel was in University like most students, attending the welcome BBQ for frosh students at Queen’s with a couple of friends I knew from high school.
Q. What excites you most about working at Hillel?
A. What most excites me about working with Hillel is the opportunity to connect with students – especially students who like myself, weren’t really engaged with Hillel in University, but totally could have been!
Q. What is your wish for the upcoming year?
A. My wish for this upcoming year is for students that are returning to campuses (or arriving for the first time) will find a sense of home and community at Hillel and hopefully normalcy as well.

 

Miriam GreenbergPhoto of Miriam, JLIC
Director, Jewish Learning Initiative (OU/JLIC)

Q. What university did you attend?
A.  I attended York University for my undergraduate degrees and OISE/UofT for my Master’s degree.
Q. What did you study?
A. Psychology and Education for my undergrad and went on to complete an MEd in Special education and adaptive instruction
Q. What is your favourite thing about Jewish holidays?
A. I love the family time and all of the wonderful foods and traditions that bring us together during the holidays
Q. What was your first encounter with Hillel?
A.My first encounter with Hillel was during my time at York as a student. I enjoyed visiting the Jewish Student Union and meeting new people, as well as reconnecting with familiar faces.
Q. What excites you most about working at Hillel?
A.  I am so excited to develop new relationships, both with colleagues as well as students!
Q. What is your wish for the upcoming year?
A. I wish for a healthy, productive and interactive year, full of much in person engagement 🙂
   

Deborah PekarPhoto of: Deborah, Business Manager
Business Manager

Q. What university did you attend?
A. Western University
Q. What did you study?
A. Criminology and Sociology
Q. What is your favourite thing about Jewish holidays?
A. Seeing my family and food!!
Q. What was your first encounter with Hillel?
A. During clubs and committee sign up day, there was a Hillel booth and I remember walking over and being welcomed! Everyone was so nice! And, of course, I remember the chicken soup hotline!
Q. What excites you most about working at Hillel?
A. I’m so excited to be working for an organization with such incredible people! Everyone has been so welcoming and I’m ecstatic to begin my journey here!
Q. What is your wish for the upcoming year?
A. Hopefully that we’re all back in the office and that the world shifts back to normal! 

Jacqueline Dressler
Advocacy Coordinator, Western Hillel

Photo of: Jacqueline, Advocacy Coordinator

Q. What university did you attend?
A. University of Michigan. Go Blue!
Q. What did you study?
A. History and Judaic studies
Q. What is your favourite thing about Jewish holidays?
A. My favourite thing is spending lots of time in the kitchen making my favourite holiday dishes
Q. What was your first encounter with Hillel?
A. My first encounter with Hillel was a Shabbat dinner, I remember it well because it was Chinese food!
Q. What excites you most about working at Hillel?
A. Having the opportunity to work with such a talented team and our wonderful students! It is really exciting to be a part of an organization that values continuing education and learning opportunities as well.
Q. What is your wish for the upcoming year?
A. My wish for the upcoming year is that we continue to offer kindness and grace to each other as we navigate our uncertain world and find new and engaging ways to build solidarity and community within our Jewish spaces and outside of them.

 

Rebecca Ross
Springboard Innovation Fellow, Hillel Laurier

Photo of: Rebecca, Springboard Fellow

Q. What university did you attend?
A. Ryerson University
Q. What did you study?
A. Child and Youth Care (BA)
Q. What is your favourite thing about Jewish holidays?
A. The bringing of family, community, and friends communally together, all with an underscored shared love and connection to Judaism; ‘being with’ in a meaningful way.
Q. What was your first encounter with Hillel?
A. I can recall that experience clear-as-day! The Program Coordinator for Hillel Ryerson asked me for a coffee chat at Balzacs on Bond/Gould on campus, and in every way possible, they centred in on all the unique parts of my Jewish-ness that, at the time, I felt made me different and/or invaluable to the community. It was the first time in my entire life that I felt like my Jewish identity was being not just acknowledged, but also celebrated and invited into a space.
Q. What excites you most about working at Hillel?
A. Based on the above story, I am most excited to do the exact same for students – celebrate them. I want students at Hillel Laurier-Waterloo to know, and feel, that they can bring their whole selves to an interaction with me, and that those ‘selves’ – many intersecting and overlapping – will be both seen and empowered. I want to be a resource for helping students to continue exploring their Jewish ‘and’ (holistic) identities, and cultivate an ecosystem at Hillel that is shaped by, and reinforced through, student-centred wants and needs.
Q. What is your wish for the upcoming year?
A. My first wish for the upcoming year is that every single student that longs-for an inclusive Jewish space and/or resource at Laurier is met by our Hillel with open, welcoming arms! For the students that currently are involved, my wish is that I can seamlessly co-create an idea, an event, and/or a space with them that brings them a sense of accomplishment and pride. Most importantly, I want Hillel Laurier-Waterloo to unequivocally reflect all the desires and wishes of its students, whether new or returning. As a Springboard Innovation Fellow, I will quote what I said in my introduction emails to students: “this role will be shaped by all of you” – I truly believe that my efforts for innovation are incomplete without the individual input of what each and every student I work with hopes to see.

 

Sofia Musman
Program Coordinator, Western Hillel

Photo of: Sofia, Program Coordinator

Q. What university did you attend?
A. California State University Long Beach and Fanshawe College
Q. What did you study?
A. Digital Communication
Q. What is your favourite thing about Jewish holidays?
A. Being able to celebrate with family and friends, my favourite holiday is Passover
Q. What was your first encounter with Hillel?
A. First day freshman year, I met a jewish girl (who became my best friend and who also currently works at Hillel) in the dorms, she was talking about her bat mitzvah, I told her I was jewish and she took me to my first Hillel shabbat dinner.
Q. What excites you most about working at Hillel?
A. I was super involved with Hillel during my 4 years of undergrad, and loved it. I’m excited to be involved with it again, and to be able to provide students with a similar experience and I had, which was a home away from home.
Q. What is your wish for the upcoming year?
A. I wish for this upcoming year to be more positive, to be able to have in person events and more meaningful interactions

This Passover, help Hillel fortify Jewish students’ identities

This Passover, help Hillel fortify Jewish students’ identities

by | Apr 3, 2023

The night before the Children of Israel’s departure from Egypt is referred to as leil shimurim, often translated as a “night of vigil.”  Rav Nahman and subsequent scholars interpret this phrase, which appears nowhere else in the Tanakh, as a time of divine protection. These scholars conclude the night when Passover begins is one of safety – one on which no harm can come to the Jewish people.

In the face of rising antisemitism, isolation, extremism, and other threats to Jews individually and collectively, we are fortunate that there are additional ways and times for seeking security and comfort.  Building and sustaining strong, inclusive, and welcoming Jewish communities on campus enables Jewish students to experience a sense of belonging with their peers, bolster their leadership skills, advocate for themselves, and chart their own Jewish journeys.  Indeed,  Hillel Ontario is on track for a record-breaking year, in which we will engage more than 3,500 Jewish students. Leil shimurim might be just one night, but together, we can fortify emerging adults’ Jewish identities and provide spaces in which they prepare to take on leadership roles after graduation.

As we head into Passover, we are grateful for all of the contributions you’ve made in support of Jewish student life in Ontario.  Your generosity allows us to confront antisemitism, instill a sense of joy, pride, and resilience in Jewish students, and empower the next generation of Jewish leaders.  

While we’re proud of our success, more work remains to provide for our universities’ 10,000 Jewish students who remain unengaged with Jewish campus life in Ontario.  In conjunction with your observance of the upcoming holiday, please consider a gift to Hillel Ontario so we can continue our work and provide additional openings for connection with Jewish life, learning, and Israel.

Chag sameach,

Seth Goren
CEO, Hillel Ontario

Weekly D’var: Tzav

Weekly D’var: Tzav

by | Mar 31, 2023

In this week’s parasha, Tzav, focuses on the laws of sacrifices and priestly duties. The emphasis is on the instructions given to the priests regarding the burnt offerings, the meal offerings, the sin offerings, and the guilt offerings. These offerings were an essential part of the religious practices of the Israelites, and they were intended to symbolize the people’s devotion to God.

As I reflect on this chapter, I am struck by the idea of sacrifice. In today’s world, sacrifice is often viewed negatively. We are taught to prioritize our own needs and desires, and sacrificing them for the sake of others or for a greater cause is often seen as a burden. However, the concept of sacrifice in this chapter of the Torah is different. It is not seen as a burden or a punishment, but rather as a means of expressing devotion and gratitude.

In Tzav, the burnt offering is described as a “pleasing aroma to the Lord”. The idea of a pleasing aroma suggests that the sacrifice is not just a physical act, but also a spiritual one. It is an offering of the heart, a way of expressing love and gratitude to God. As I look around the world today, I see many examples of sacrifice that are motivated by love and gratitude. Healthcare workers, for example, have been sacrificing their own safety and well-being to care for those who are sick during the COVID-19 pandemic. They are not doing this because they are being forced to, but because they feel a sense of duty and devotion to their patients. Similarly, many people have been sacrificing their own comfort and convenience to protect the environment. They are making changes to their lifestyles, such as reducing their energy consumption or using public transportation instead of driving, because they recognize the importance of preserving the planet for future generations. Making sacrifices to show devotion and gratitude is also a way of showing appreciation for the things that we have been given, and a way of giving back to the world.\

As I read this chapter, I am also intrigued by the idea of atonement. The sin offering and the guilt offering were both intended to provide a way for the people to seek forgiveness for their sins. In our modern world, forgiveness and atonement are often difficult to come by. We live in a culture that values punishment and retribution over forgiveness and reconciliation. However, the idea of atonement in this text suggests that forgiveness is possible, even for the most serious of offenses. It requires a willingness to acknowledge our mistakes, to take responsibility for our actions, and to make amends.

In today’s Jewish community, the lessons of Tzav continue to be relevant. The act of sacrifice, whether it be in the form of volunteering, making charitable donations, or participating in community service, is still seen as a way to connect with God and express gratitude for the blessings of life. Similarly, seeking forgiveness and atonement remains a central tenet of Jewish faith and practice. Finally, the concept of sacrifice is particularly relevant during Jewish holidays and festivals, such as Passover and Yom Kippur. During these occasions, we make offerings and engage in rituals that are intended to demonstrate our devotion to God and their commitment to living a righteous life

As I reflect on this parasha, the concepts of sacrifice and atonement may seem outdated or irrelevant in our modern world, but they still have a powerful message to teach us. By sacrificing for others and seeking forgiveness for our mistakes, we can show our love and devotion to the world around us and ultimately make the world a better place to live.

Emily Green
Student, Western Hillel

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