To Life!

THE SCENE

Changing Of The Guard

U-M Hillel
welcomes
incoming staff
as departing
group takes on
new posts.

At U-M Hillel's annual welcome barbecue last fall are staff mem-

Shelli Liebman Dorfman
Staff Writer

C

ome fall, students at the
University of Michigan
Hillel Foundation will
be meeting new leadership, fol-
lowing staff changes taking place
over the summer.
Rabbi Jason Miller, associate
director and director of reli-
gious life, will leave U-M Hillel
to become rabbi of the 500-
family Congregation Agudas
Achim in Columbus on July 1.
He'll be joined for the upcom-
ing High Holidays by Yevsey

bers Rabbi Jason Miller, Alexis Frankel, Lori Hoch Stiefel and

Jacob Kander.

Gutman, outgoing cantor at
Adat Shalom Synagogue in
Farmington Hills.
Of his time at U-M Hillel,
Rabbi Miller said, "Every rabbi
should be required to spend two
years at a Hillel — like I did
— before going on to a congre-
gation. It really teaches how to
be a Jewish communal leader,
work with a team, do dynamic
programming and cultivate lead-
ership."
Two new Hillel staff members

— Joel Marcovitch and Rabbi
Nathan Martin — will fill the
posts of assistant directors.
Marcovitch was program
director of the Hillel of Broward
and Palm Beach in Florida. This
spring, he accompanied 60 U-M
students on a Birthright Israel
trip and will travel to Ukraine
with another group of students
in August.
Rabbi Martin, a newly
ordained Reconstructionist
rabbi, will begin at U-M Hillel at

the end of the summer. He has
become a Goldman Fellow
an undergraduate degree from
for the American Jewish Joint
Stanford University in California, Distribution Committee in New
a master's in international stud-
York City.
ies from Johns
Lori Hoch Stiefel,
Hopkins University
Berman Fellow
in Baltimore and
at Hillel, will be
eight years of
moving to San
experience as a
Francisco, where
senior researcher
her husband will
for energy effi-
be doing historic
ciency policy at the
preservation. Hillel
Lawrence Berkeley
Program Associate
National Laboratory
Jacob Kander will
at the University of
join Rabbi Miller at
Rabbi Mart in
California.
Agudas Achim as
Rabbi Martin and
the synagogue's pro-
his wife, Abby, will
gram director.
arrive in Ann Arbor
"I think the
in September. Their
changes at U-M
first child is due next
Hillel are positive:'
month.
Rabbi Miller said.
U-M Hillel will
"And, as for the
continue to be run
departing staff, we
by Executive Director
all worked very well
Michael Brooks, who
together and are all
has been with the
doing great things
organization for 26
that draw on our
years.
experience at U-M
Hillel — especially the mentor-
Departing staff include U-
M Hillel Program Director
ship of Michael Brooks."
Alexis Frankel. She will

International Hillel Leader

A youthful insider takes over the Jewish student organization.

Sue Fishkoff
Jewish Telegraphic Agency

New York

A

fter a three-year
search, the larg-
est Jewish student
organization in the world has
a new president.
Wayne Firestone, 42, a
former attorney, academic
and longtime Jewish com-
munity professional who has
been executive vice-president
of Hillel: The Foundation for
Jewish Campus Life since
last September, was tapped
to replace the group's interim
president, Avraham Infeld.

Firestone will take the helm
such as the "student percep-
tion of clique-iness, a lack of
of Hillel, represented on 500
openness" at Hillel.
college campuse, on Sept 1.
Hillel needs to
While the organi-
abandon "self-
zation's focus used
defeating atti-
to be getting Jews
tudes," Firestone
together, "now the
said, such as
emphasis is more
assuming religious
universal — on
and secular kids
helping students
won't hang out
develop Jewish
together, or not
identities within
finding interests
the context of
their larger society
that students can
rally around while
— and non-Jews
Wayne Fir estone
maintaining their
are welcome to
diversity.
participate."
"We need to say, 'We're this
Firestone says his greatest
colorful, loud, challenging,
challenge will be "breaking
innovative place on campus.
through the stereotypes,"

Come be a part of us.' It's the
exact opposite of when I was
in college, when everyone was
trying to look less Jewish, to
assimilate," Firestone said.
Noting that today's college
students are proud of their
Jewish identity but leery of
organizational life, Firestone
pledged Hillel would evolve to
meet their needs, rather than
"impose an agenda."
"We're not asking them to
be a member of anything.
We're saying, 'Here we are,
ready to listen and be part of
your lives,' " he said.
It's all part of the group's
new five-year plan, which
Firestone helped develop as

staff director of the organi-
zation's Strategic Planning
Committee. Major goals are
doubling the number of stu-
dents Hillel reaches and creat-
ing a $100 million endowment.
Firestone joined Hillel in
2002 as executive direc-
tor of the Israel on Campus
Coalition, a partnership
of Hillel and the Charles
and Lynn Schusterman
Family Foundation. The ICC,
formed at the height of the
Palestinian intifada, was
tasked with improving Israel's
image on campus and combat-
ing anti-Israel agitation.

HMO Leader on page 29

June 22 a 2006

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