1320 Centre Street, Newton Centre, MA 02459 • (617) 928-1488
New England is the home of many of the finest educational institutions in the nation, attracting an estimated 30,000 of the brightest Jewish students from all of North America and the world. Although they come from increasingly diverse Jewish backgrounds and affiliation experiences, they share the common experience of attending college away from home, often for the first time. Our challenge as a Jewish community is to provide them with a safe Jewish context in which to explore the major life choices they will make over the four college years.
Hillel Council’s primary mission is to provide a Jewish campus community to the majority of Jewish students who attend Universities and colleges in New England without the benefit of full time Hillel Foundations on their campuses.
Our principal mechanism for serving Jewish students at the small schools is our Regional Student Board (RSB) which has representation from most of the schools in New England including those with established Hillel Foundations. Participation on the board provides that critical sense of community to Jewish students who may represent a small percentage of their campus population or who would be without access to the resources and support that Hillel Council staff provide. The Board meets monthly to develop programs provide information sharing and create a greater Jewish sense of connection that could not be possible on an isolated campus. For the many students from the smaller colleges in the Regional Student Board (RSB) also provides their only opportunity to connect with the larger Jewish community as well.
We also connect these students as well as the students from established Hillel Foundations with the exciting opportunities made available by the Shusterman International Hillel Center such as birthright israel, the Spitzer Public Policy conference, the Student Leaders Assembly and the recent Israel rally in Washington.
Council staff provide direct staff support to Jewish student groups at Boston College, Emerson, the University of New Hampshire, Simmons College, Lesley College, Wheaton College, Wellesley College and Suffolk University.
We also provide critical regional programming and leadership development training for both lay and student leadership among the established Hillel foundations and for emerging Hillel campuses. This work makes us responsible for the largest Jewish student population of any Hillel foundation in New England.
please note: our extensions have recently changed! We have added a "0" to the end of our previous extensions. The new extensions are listed below.
Samuel I. Mendales, Executive Director, ext. 280
Patti Sheinman, Assistant Director, ext 320
be in touch with Patti for details about Jewish life at Wellesley College
Ailene S. Gerhardt, Director, Small Campus Advancement, ext 300
be in touch with Ailene for details about Jewish life at Boston College, Simmons College, Suffolk University
and many other New England campuses with small Jewish populations
Arinne Braverman, Director, Regional Student Services, ext 310
be in touch with Arinne about Jewish life at Emerson College, the University of New Hampshire, Wheaton College and Hillel Council's Regional Student Board
Earle Nicholas, Controller, ext 290