As the vice president for Global Jewish Experience at Hillel’s Schusterman International Center, part of my role is overseeing all of Hillel’s Jewish educational resources and serving as the main point of contact between JLIC and Hillel.
Dr. Katz’s article in the most recent Jewish Action (fall 2012) told an inspiring story of the impact that talented Jewish educators have on college students. The leadership of Hillel’s Schusterman International Center and the executive directors of the sixteen local Hillels in the United States who work closely with the JLIC educators were happy to see Jewish Action highlight these educators.
At the same time, we were disappointed that Hillel was not described as a partner in this project. In particular, when describing the JLIC educators, the article referenced the campuses they serve, rather than the Hillels in which the educators work. Over the past number of years, Hillels around the country have supported this Jewish learning initiative in significant ways. This year alone, Hillel has contributed half-a-million dollars toward JLIC. Local Hillel directors work closely with the JLIC couples to integrate them into their organizations, seeing them both as key educators for the Orthodox students and as an important resource for the whole Hillel community.
Abigail Dauber Sterne
Vice President for Global Jewish Experience
Hillel’s Schusterman International Center
Washington, DC