Hillel Index

Purpose:

• To build shared and consistent language for how we talk about our work and ourselves
• To align on definitions and understanding of common terms used in our everyday work to increase efficiencies and avoid miscommunication
• To provide all staff with the accurate language they can use to communicate with the most relevant Hillel stakeholders

How is Hillel Ontario structured?

Hillel Ontario’s professional staff are organized into two teams beneath Senior Management. 

• Senior Management is made up of the Chief Executive Officer who supervises the Chief Strategy Officer, the Chief Education & Campus Officer, and the Chief Engagement & Campus Officer. 
• The Strategy Team are those professionals who work primarily with other staff, supporting their work on the ground with students and the centralized infrastructure of the organization.
• The Campus Team are professionals who primarily work directly on campus and with students in the fulfillment of the organization’s mission. There are always some exceptions, but this is the general division.

Who is on the Strategy Team and what do they do?

• The Strategy Team is comprised of the following departments: Marketing and Communications, Development, Operations, Talent, and Strategic Planning. The Strategy Team reports to the Chief Strategy Officer. 
  • Marketing and Communications – Responsible for creating all marketing/program materials for Hillel Ontario according to the organization’s brand guidelines, as well as communicating through various channels on both a campus and organizational level (i.e., email, direct mail, social media, etc.). For clarity, all creative assets for the organization, at all levels, are required to go through Marketing and Communications.
  • Development – Responsible for the financial resource development for the organization, as well as managing relationships with donors, prospects, Board of Director, and Board of Governors, as well as multiple other communal stakeholders. Fundraising strategies may be at a campus level or organizational level, and change year to year based on the financial needs of the organization.
  • Operations – Responsible for all operational needs of the organization to maintain financial accountability, increase efficiencies and effectiveness, and manage the real estate portfolio and associated challenges. Additionally, Operations works closely with Senior Management on data collection, and budgets and finances.
  • Talent – Responsible for the recruitment, training, and retention of all of Hillel Ontario’s talent. This includes all aspects of the hiring and onboarding process, performance effectiveness, logistics, and planning as it relates to staff training and professional development opportunities, as well as supporting staff-driven initiatives to improve and augment workplace culture.
  • Strategic Planning – Hillel Ontario’s Strategic Plan was unanimously approved by its Board of Directors in August 2016. The Chief Strategy Officer is responsible for ensuring that the plan is an organic document that guides the growth and development of the organization, and reports to the Board on the progress the organization has made as it relates to the actionable items set out in the plan.

Who is on the Campus Team and what do they do?

• We have campus staff serving nine universities across the province, with each Hillel having a Director who oversees and manages Hillel Ontario’s work at that school. Directors report to either Chief Campus Officers.
  • The Chief Education & Campus Officer supervises Hillel UofT, McMaster Hillel, Hillel York, and Western Hillel. He also manages the Education program for the organization. He supervises the Jewski portfolio, our Russian-speaking engagement program, and the Director, Advocacy and Issues Management, who is responsible for the management of Hillel Ontario’s relationships with its advocacy partners, provides support to the Campus Directors and Advocacy Coordinators on campus-based and external issues, and handles all communication with the media. 
  • The Chief Engagement & Campus Officer supervises Hillel Waterloo, Hillel Laurier, Guelph Hillel, Queen’s Hillel, and Hillel Ryerson. She is responsible for the Engagement program, and also provides general support to the Directors and manages the campus professionals cohort. She also manages external relationships with organizations such as CIE and JAFI.
• The staff structure and composition is different on each university, but draws from the following positions:
  • Directors are the Senior Campus Professional – They supervise the campus staff and determine strategy and vision for their Hillel. Additionally, they act as a liaison between the student population and the local Jewish community, university administration and other important stakeholders.
  • Program Professionals – connect with previously unengaged students, as well as those in leadership roles, and work with them on planning and running events and initiatives.
  • Senior Jewish Educators – provide opportunities for deeper Jewish learning and conversation.
  • Israel Fellows – connect students to Israel-related social and cultural discussions and events and cultivate relationships between students and the State of Israel
  • Advocacy Professionals – promote specified student engagement opportunities through proactive advocacy initiatives and campaigns. 

How do the Campus Hillels operate within Hillel Ontario?

• It is important to understand that each campus Hillel is not an independent non-profit. Campus Hillels have no legal standing, do not have their own Boards of Directors, and cannot issue tax receipts for donations. The only legal entity and recognized non-profit organization is Hillel Ontario. Each campus Hillel is mandated to work towards Hillel Ontario’s overall mission and vision. While each school is unique, and each Director is autonomous in crafting their Hillel’s specific strategies, it is within the overall vision for Hillel Ontario.
• The campus Hillels can best be understood by the “branch office model”. While the Strategy Team are located on a daily basis at The Wolfond Centre, all other staff operate branches of Hillel Ontario on their individual universities. When these two teams work together cohesively and communicate frequently, we are better suited to achieve our organizational mission and overall excellence.

Mission and Vision

• What is Hillel Ontario’s mission statement?

  • Enriching the lives of Ontario Jewish students so that they may enrich the Jewish community, Israel and the world.

• What is Hillel Ontario’s vision statement?

  • We envision an Ontario where every Jewish student is inspired to make an enduring commitment to Jewish life, learning and Israel.

• What are Hillel Ontario’s Strategic Objectives?

• Hillel’s Board of Directors unanimously approved Hillel Ontario’s Strategic Plan for 2016-2021 in August of 2016. The plan outlined a vision for this (new) organization that followed a set of three strategic priorities:
  • a) Building a sustainable business model – Defining Hillel Ontario’s value proposition and putting a sustained focus on fund development to ensure the organization is appropriately resourced to deliver on its mission.
  • b) Expanding Hillel’s reach through higher quality programming – Achieving excellence in student engagement through the development of a Jewish engagement and education strategy, the “re-integration” of Israel into Hillel and the advancement of an innovative advocacy strategy.
  • c) Investing in Talent – Understanding the importance and centrality of the campus professional and the need to proportionately invest in campus-based resources. An overall focus on the recruitment, retention and training of talent to amplify workplace culture and supports.

What are Hillel Ontario’s Organizational Goals for 2019-2020?

• • As we enter the 2019-2020 academic year, Hillel Ontario acknowledges that it has fulfilled most of the objectives in this plan and will likely enter into a new strategic planning process to craft a vision for the next phase of the organization’s development. In light of this, Hillel’s organizational goals for this year reflect the remaining elements for growth within each of Hillel Ontario’s Strategic priorities.
    • Building a Sustainable Business Model: Hillel Ontario will have the internal and external support to raise the financial resources necessary to support on-going growth in the organization. This will be measured by:

• • • Reinforcing Strategic Programming and Relationship Building: Hillel Ontario will leverage the increase in staff diversity and talent to bolster education and engagement strategies and high-quality program initiatives that impact Jewish student and campus culture.  This will be measured by:

• • Investing in a Talent Pipeline: Hillel Ontario will continue to target areas of its workplace culture to make significant improvements and feel confident in applying for Hillel International’s “Great Place to Work” award at HIGA 2020. This will be measured by:

• Expenses, reimbursements, mileage, my credit card, my corporate cell phone, programming budgets over $500, logistics, or any issue in my Hillel space?
  • Call Dan Sennet, Director of Operations!
• Vacation, sick and/or mental health days, onboarding, my letter of employment, logistics relating to staff trainings and/or professional development opportunities or anything in the Personnel Code?
  • Call Shira Unterman, Talent Manager (and in her absence, call Jaime Walman)!
• An inquiry from a newspaper or similar entity, Israel and/or antisemitic incident or crisis on campus, questions about Hillel’s Israel Partnership Guidelines, applying for a CIJA grant or Identifying and supporting students for political campaigns?
  • Call Ruth Chitiz, Director, Advocacy and Issues Management!
• Managing a challenging student, structuring my student leadership training and development, thinking through innovative engagement strategies, planning and budgeting for a campus-based program, recruiting for birthright, or figuring out how to integrate Jewish content?
  • Call Seth Goren, Chief Education & Campus Officer, or Bev Shimansky, Chief Engagement & Campus Officer!
• Having issues with your campus social media, promoting an external program, event support, marketing programs, website, google drive, newsletters, graphics or need swag approval?
  • Call Elie Guttmann, Senior Creative Strategist!

Relationships to Other Organizations

• Hillel International – The Charles and Lynn Schusterman International Centre, located in Washington DC, is an international organization supporting local Hillels to achieve our shared mission. Hillel International also has offices in New York and San Francisco, as well as has professionals working remotely spread out across the globe. Hillel Ontario receives guidance, support, mentorship and expertise from Hillel International, as well as financial support in the form of grants, and international training and development opportunities.
• UJA Federation of Greater Toronto – UJA Federation of Greater Toronto has been invested in Hillel for over 20 years, understanding that 70% of the Jewish students across the nine main universities in the province are from and return to Toronto. UJA was instrumental in bringing the federated communities together to form Hillel Ontario and is one of Hillel Ontario’s largest stakeholders. Notably, Hillel is the single largest allocation from UJA’s Jewish Identity portfolio.
• Jewish Federations of Canada-UIA – UIA is a national organization that works in partnership with Jewish Federations and regional communities across Canada to strengthen Jewish life and raise funds for programs and services in Canada, Israel, and overseas. Hillel outside of the Greater Toronto Area was previously funded and under the purview of UIA. However, in October 2015, UIA collaborated with UJA Federation of Greater Toronto to form Hillel Ontario. UIA remains a significant funder and community stakeholder of Hillel Ontario.
• Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) – The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs  is the advocacy agent of the Jewish Federations of Canada. They are a national, non-partisan, non-profit organization, representing the perspectives of 150,000 Canadian Jews affiliated through local Federations. CIJA’s campus team works closely with Hillels across Canada, including Hillel Ontario, to overcome challenges presented on campus, and provide grant funding for advocacy-based programs run by Hillel.
• Canada Israel Experience (CIE) – Canada Israel Experience (CIE) is the sole Taglit Birthright Israel trip provider in Canada. Unlike in the US, where Hillels have multiple trip providers to choose from, CIE is the only partner in our market. In addition to working with CIE to recruit, staff, and follow-up from birthright trips, it is also the centre for other Israel experiences, such as MASA, Onward Israel, and March of the Living.

Common Words and Acronyms We Use

• Mar/Comm – Used to refer to the people in the Marketing and Communications Department and/or the need for this resource to be applied to a piece of work.
• Mailchimp – Our email management system. All mass emails (i.e. campus newsletters, monthly newsletters, solicitations, etc.) are usually sent through Mailchimp. Mailchimp can only be accessed by the Marketing and Communications Department
• Creative Assets – Any piece of creative that is used to support a program, initiative, or event. This could range from a Facebook banner, to an email header, to swag, to a poster/flyer/handout, to a microsite, etc.
• Brand – Established language and design elements that distinguish an entity from its competitors and communicate a specific value to its target audience.
• Sub Brand – An entity that has its own name and/or creative identity but is associated with a “parent brand”. Sub brands are typically meant to strengthen and echo the values and message of the “parent brand”. At Hillel Ontario, Out of Sync or You Had Me At Hillel would be considered sub brands.
• LGL – Little Green Light. Hillel Ontario’s previous CRM (Constituent Relationship Management system) that was used to capture both student engagement data, as well as fundraising data.
• Schwipe – Hillel Ontario’s new CRM (see above) specifically designed for Hillel student data collection. Schwipe is based on students swiping their student ID cards to indicate their attendance at events. Schwipe integrates with Mailchimp, forms, and payment processing and will be the system where each campus tracks their student engagement data for Measuring Excellence.
• The Drive – refers to the Google Drive. All documents should be saved on the Drive so that they can be accessed by other staff and shared accordingly. 
• Team Drives – refers to the campus specific drives that are shared between MarComm and campus teams. There is also a Shared Resources Team Drive where you can find helpful documents. 
• Paycom – Hillel Ontario’s HRIS- Human Resources Information System. Where things like vacation, sick, and mental health day requests live, as well as performance effectiveness, job descriptions, and onboarding materials.
• Square One – An online form to collect all necessary information and to provide support for campus-based and organization wide programs and initiatives. Every staff is required to fill out Square One in the planning of a program, which initiates Mar/Comm’s work on the creative assets necessary to promote the initiative.
• Newsletters – Hillel sends newsletters to each campus weekly and on a monthly basis to all of its constituents. Newsletters are a set template that we fill with specific content, sent through Mailchimp to mass lists by the Marketing and Communications Department. Hillel Ontario’s policy is that every campus sends a weekly newsletter and the content is provided by campus staff. Every campus contributes content to the monthly newsletter, which Mar/Comm is responsible for collecting and sending.
• Board of Directors – A group of lay leaders who guide and advise the organization, are its champions in the community, and have fiscal responsibility for its operations. The Hillel Ontario Board of Directors is managed primarily by the CEO and its current Chair is Allan Weinbaum. The minimum gift to be a Board member at Hillel Ontario is $1800.
• Board of Governors – A group of lay leaders who act as advisors and thought partners for the organization, but do not have any fiscal responsibility. The Hillel Ontario Board of Governors is primarily managed by the CEO, and the minimum gift to participate is $10,000. The Board of Governors is currently chaired by Hinda Silber.
• Student Board(s) – a group of leadership students at each university who work with campus staff to create and organize programming, events, and engagement
• SIC – Charles and Lynn Schusterman International Center. The formal and full name of the Hillel International primary office in Washington DC.
• Israel Partnership Guidelines – Hillel International has crafted a set of guidelines for all local Hillels to use when assessing partnerships with Israel-related organizations. Hillel Ontario fully adheres to these guidelines, which can be found here.
• Measuring Excellence (ME) – The largest data collection effort in the world. All Hillels that participate do so voluntarily and are able to measure themselves against all other participating Hillels across the global movement. On going measurement through ME collects data around finance, fundraising activity, student participation, and employee engagement. Specifically for student engagement data, Hillel Ontario measures each campuses’ breadth, depth, and reach and compares these metrics year over year, as well as uses these metrics to report on our impact to donors and potential donors.
• Breadth – Student engagement measurement that indicates students who have had 1+ interactions with Hillel. Based on the estimated Jewish student population on a campus, excellent Hillels strive for 70% breadth.
• Depth – Student engagement measurement that indicates students who have had 6+ interactions or a high-impact experience with Hillel. Based on the estimated Jewish student population on a campus, excellent Hillels strive for 30% depth.
• Reach – Student engagement measurement that indicates the percentage of students for whom we have at least one piece of contact information. Based on the estimated Jewish student population on a campus, excellent Hillels strive for 90% reach.
• OOF – On One Foot. A peer to peer fundraising campaign created by Hillel Ontario in 2016, for which we won the Innovation in Fundraising Award. After three years, OOF is taking a break, but may be back one day!
• You Had Me At Hillel (YHMAH) – The newest campaign to celebrate our $1M matching gift for Talent and to build a platform to advance the conversation around talent in our community. YHMAH will be the on-going site of all information as it relates to working at Hillel Ontario – job postings, staff profiles, etc.
• Hillel Ontario Student Leadership Council (SLC) – Hillel Ontario Student Leadership Council, which includes between two and four students from each campus, serves as an advisory group to the Hillel Ontario Board, and provides participants with opportunities for leadership development, Jewish learning, and relationship building.
• GA – The General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America. This is a yearly conference that attracts Jewish professionals and lay leaders across the globe. The location of the GA changes year to year in North America, and every four years, the GA is in Israel. The GA usually has a student track and Hillel Ontario offers this travel and leadership opportunity to the SLC.
• HIGA – Hillel International Global Assembly. Hillel International’s annual gathering/conference for all Hillel professionals across the globe. HIGA is typically in early December and will be held in Atlanta, Georgia this year. 
• BRI – Taglit Birthright Israel
• Wolfond Centre (“The Wolfond”) – UJA Federation of Greater Toronto launched a major, city-wide capital campaign in the 90s, called Jewish Toronto Tomorrow, under the leadership of long time, former UJA CEO Ted Sokolsky. The first phase of this campaign was the redevelopment of Jewish downtown. The Wolfond Family made a capital gift as part of this campaign to construct a Hillel building at UofT that would primarily serve the Jewish student population downtown but also serve as a hub for the downtown Jewish community. Multiple organizations have occupied and/or regularly used the Wolfond Centre as their home over the years, with Hillel always being the primary tenant. When the former organization, Hillel of Greater Toronto, transitioned to become the larger Hillel Ontario, any non-campus based staff were placed at the Wolfond Centre. Today, given the way in which Hillel Ontario has grown, the first floor of the Wolfond Centre is specifically for Hillel U of T and the Strategy Team, as well as select positions from the Campus Team, as well as the CEO, are all located in offices on the third floor of the Wolfond Centre. While the building is owned and operated by UJA, Hillel is now the only tenant. The Wolfond family has now made a second, capital commitment to renovate the building to better suit the needs of Hillel Ontario. This is a long term project that is currently still in negotiations with the university and UJA.
• Interns – peer-to-peer student engagement interns. Student interns are responsible for building relationships with other students, developing programs that speak to students’ needs, and promoting events to the community. In cultivating these community engagement skills, interns will receive extensive training, learning, and mentoring around outreach, one-to-one conversations, and project management, among other topics.
• Engagement – Hillel defines engagement as “the act of reaching others, getting to know them, and connecting with them on the basis of their interests, ambitions, and passions. Hillel attempts to engage others, seeking first to understand them, and then to identify common interests, offerings, or experiences that meet them where they are. With a focus on relationships and not on participation, we create vibrant, relevant, Jewish life across campus, enhancing the accessibility of Jewish experiences for all students through conversations with peers.”
• Advocacy – Public support or recommendation of a specific cause through campaigns and other methods for promoting change
• Education – Guided or independent learning that leads to changes in behavior, feeling, knowledge, skills, or perspective and that bolster understanding of oneself, Judaism, Jewishness, and the surrounding world
• Community Partners – external organizations with whom we engage and run programs and initiatives
• Crisis – a time of unexpected difficulty, trouble, or danger relating to Hillel Ontario, either at large or on campus, usually associated with antisemitism and/or anti-Israel sentiment.  The severity of a crisis is determined by the amount of additional resources required to respond to the issue.
• Zoom – An online platform for video conferencing that we use across Hillel Ontario. The Hillel Zoom account can be reserved through the Google calendar by writing “Zoom” in the calendar and inviting the administrator to the meeting.
• Talent – The term that Hillel uses to refer to its professional staff and human resource strategies around recruitment, retention and training.
• IFs – Israel Fellows. “Shlichim” (Israeli Ambassadors) from Israel that are placed on university campuses throughout North America through a global partnership between Hillel International and the Jewish Agency for Israel. An Israel Fellow has typically completed his/her army service, and works on a campus for an average of two years. IFs bring the “authentic” Israel to our students on campus.
• Shinshinim – UJA’s Israel Engagement ShinShinim are young Israeli leaders who defer their army service for one year to volunteer in the GTA. Each year, the ShinShinim are hosted by local Toronto families, and engage Jewish community members with cutting edge programs focusing on contemporary Israel. The ShinShinim informally teach about Israel through creative programs and challenging discussions, bringing an authentic Israel experience to the Toronto Community. Hillel Ontario has two Shinshinim serving the GTA campuses.
• Education Team – about seven Hillel Ontario staff people who have a background in Jewish education gather every other week to discuss programs and initiatives that support Jewish education for students and within Hillel Ontario. The Chief Education & Campus convenes these meetings and oversees the group.
• Out of Sync (OOS) – each year, Hillel Ontario does one initiative across all of it campuses that asks students, in partnership with their campus professionals, to raise money to support Hillel’s programming on their campus. In its first year (2019), the event featured Israeli Eurovision Netta Barzilai and over 100 participating students on stage. The event raised approximately $100,000 in corporate sponsorships and individual donations. 

Here at Hillel Ontario, we like to spell the following words in the following ways:

• Antisemitism
• Chag Sameach
• Channukah
• Cholent
• D’var Torah
• Gmar Chatimah Tovah
• Hamantashen
• Havdalah
• Lag Ba’omer
• Maccabee
• Megliah
• Mischloach Manot
• Pesach
• Purim
• Rosh Hashanah
• Seder
• Shanah Tovah
• Shavuot
• Shimini Atzeret
• Simchat
• Simchat Torah
• Sufganiyot
• Sukkot
• Torah
• Tu Bishvat

• U’metukah

• Yom Ha’Atzmaut
• Yom Hashoah
• Yom Hazikaron
• Yom Kippur