Executive Director Debbie Yunker Kail
As I enter my tenth year here at Hillel at ASU, the most accurate thing I can tell you is that Hillel at ASU has never been more ready to connect with every single student at ASU. In all that we do, we align ourselves with ASU’s charter to be measured “not by who we exclude but by who we include and how they succeed”. Our new tagline, “Find Yourself Here”, says it all. College is a time of growth, and Hillel is the special, safe, supportive environment to dive right in. With new staff focused on first-year students, the Greek Leadership Village, ASU Downtown, and Barrett, The Honors College, opportunities to connect to Jewish life will be almost as plentiful as chances to shop at that coffee shop with the green logo.
The following pages highlight some of our largest communal moments of the year. They also share some student reflections on what I might call Hillel’s “special sauce”. Our talented staff is the reason we are able to continue growing as a student-led organization. Our staff lead from behind, nurturing students' ideas, dreams, and leadership skills. Many pressures of day-to-day life, from peer pressure to academic pressure, can melt away when
a student is with a staff member who is there just to listen.
Our staff team is also our largest program cost, and I truly thank all of our supporters as well as Hillel International for the resources that have allowed our team to grow to nine professionals who are here for students day in and day out. As everything changes around us, the generous support from parents, alumni, community members, and foundations has allowed Hillel at ASU to be a reliable constant for ASU students. We are their constant support, a constant place to make sense of the world’s events and life experiences, and a consistent home base. As we remain a constant, the coming months will bring the opportunity to share some exciting announcements that will enhance our ability to support students. Stay tuned—we are just getting started!
With deep appreciation,
Board President Ed Ober
Thanks to you, our generous supporters who continue to invest in our Jewish future, our wonderful staff, led by our tremendous Executive Director, Debbie Yunker Kail, and our talented and engaged students, Hillel at ASU is thriving. There are so many accomplishments to appreciate.
First and foremost, Hillel is the center of Jewish life on the ever-expanding ASU campuses. It is where so many of the more than 3,500 Jewish students gather to celebrate Shabbat and holidays and share a meal together, receive a well-rounded Jewish education, develop as leaders, and engage in a variety of social activities. Hillel at ASU has created an environment and culture that is inclusive, diverse, and welcoming and honors our Jewish tradition and values. The wellness of our students is always a priority. It is a place to be yourself.
There are far too many highlights from this past school year to include in this letter; however, I must brag about a few of them. This past spring, 60 students, the largest ASU contingent
ever, went on a Birthright Israel trip, filling two full buses. Hillel’s Eco Shabbat program was recognized by the University as a 2022 Outstanding Innovative and Creative Program. The LAUNCH Professional Development Series, supported by a generous grant from the Jewish Community Foundation (now the Center for Jewish Philanthropy), was created to provide a semester-long program of career development and mentoring. And, thanks to a second Strategic Growth Grant from Hillel International, Hillel at ASU has greatly expanded its student engagement efforts. During this next school year, there will be nine Hillel staff members.
Thank you again for your support. Together, we are nurturing the future leaders of our Jewish community.
Ed Ober
Resuming Travel to ISRAEL
Israel travel promotes Jewish exploration, connects students to Israel as the Jewish homeland, and builds strong relationships students can bring back to ASU and the Phoenix community. In May, we resumed travel to Israel for the first time since December 2019! Our group of 60 students was the largest we have ever taken on a Birthright Israel trip, showing that even as the pandemic temporarily changed circumstances, student interest in travel to Israel has never been higher. Even better, 30% of this group was brand new to Hillel. The trip also included 29 students from AEPi and AEPhi and individuals from eight additional Greek chapters, deepening the relationship between Hillel and Greek life on campus. Following the experience, eight students stayed in Israel for summer internships, and two students were later selected to participate in a highly selective student leadership trip run by Hillel International. The two students had such positive experiences on Birthright Israel that they will now continue to develop their relationship with the Jewish homeland and gain valuable leadership skills to bring back to campus.
Jewish homeland, many for the first time, facilitating the development of new and meaningful friendships that will only deepen upon their return to campus. Additionally, we had the privilege of welcoming 15 Israelis to the Hillel at ASU community as they joined us for the entirety of the Birthright Israel experience. These phenomenal Israelis gave our ASU students a glimpse into Israeli life and introduced Zionism as a Jewish value. Upon arrival back in the States, participants said they felt validated in their own unique Jewish experiences, the peers they traveled with, and Israel. After two years of pandemic life, these connections are invaluable. We’re excited to welcome our summer participants back to campus and continue expanding our Birthright Israel program in the coming seasons!
Our strategic educational programming encouraged students to explore the complexities of the
Going on Birthright Israel with Hillel was an amazing decision because it allowed me to deepen my relationships with my friends in AEPi, meet new Jewish friends at ASU, and explore my Jewish identity in the most unbelievable environment. I’m going to tell all my friends to go on Birthright with Hillel at ASU!
Max Prushan '23
Our Best-Kept Secret:
The Hillel at ASU Staff
Hiring the right people makes all of the difference in our student engagement efforts. We attribute much of our success to our staff; even through the pandemic, we continued to reach hundreds of students each year. Many of our students have limited Jewish backgrounds and talk about how the staff has positively impacted their lives and Jewish journeys.
Because I’m on the Downtown campus, I don’t spend a lot of time at the Hillel building in Tempe. I think it’s amazing that Hillel staff come downtown to connect with students and create community among the Jews on the Downtown campus. I decided to go on the Hillel Birthright Israel trip because I know and love the staff at Hillel at ASU and I’m so glad I did!
Zev Black '25
I came to Hillel because I love the staff. I met incredible friends at Hillel but kept coming back because the staff deeply cares about me as a person.
Rebecca Rockmaker
'22
The staff at Hillel is so supportive and never pressures us to attend events or be involved; but rather, they simply encourage us to come and always make us feel welcome. I bring my non-Jewish friends to Hillel because Hillel creates community for everyone. I feel so comfortable coming to the Hillel staff and can always count on their support when it comes to my Jewish identity, academics, references, advice, or when something comes up and I need someone to talk to! I’ve been provided with so many opportunities through the staff at Hillel including Jewish learning, leadership opportunities, and Israel travel. I participate in Hillel because the staff has made Hillel my home!
Emma Plattner
'23
New grant means Hillel at ASU is
GROWING for the FUTURE
We are honored to have received a significant Strategic Growth Grant from Hillel International that will give us the resources to expand our student engagement efforts over the next two years and bring our staff total to 9 in the 2022–23 school year and 10 in 2023–24. This grant builds on a pre-
Facility unfit for student population. Currently, we have 1 square foot per student, which is substantially lower than comparable schools with 5–10 sq. ft. per student. With only one social hall for programming and classes, we are limited in how many students and activities we can accommodate on any
SIGNATURE SOCIALS Bringing the Jewish Community Together
296
unique students attended a Signature Social in 2021–22
27%
of whom had never engaged with Hillel at ASU
Large social events provide students with the opportunity to connect to Hillel while fostering Jewish pride, connection, and energizing the community. During the 2021-22 year, Hillel launched our Signature Social initiative focused on creating four large social events per year. Fall 2021 featured the Hillel Street Fair and Food Truck Fest. The Hillel Street Fair welcomed new and returning students to ASU by featuring tables that highlighted our partner organizations on campus, including AEPi, AEPhi, and Students Supporting Israel. In November, Food Truck Fest allowed Hillel to partner with three local food truck vendors, providing students with a taste of the Phoenix community and the ability to connect with 200 Jewish peers at ASU. By creating space for students to engage in the Jewish community in a fun and low-barrier way, our fall Signature Socials informed the Hillel at ASU student engagement strategy for the remainder of the year. Come spring, we had already connected hundreds of students to new friends and the Jewish community.
I attended all of Hillel’s signature socials last year. These fun, social events were clearly intentionally planned and so well executed. Signature socials allowed me to hang out with the friends I don’t see regularly and meet so many new Jewish students I had never seen at ASU!
Nate Eisenberg '25
Spring 2022 brought back Casino Night, a Hillel at ASU staple, and also featured Tel Aviv in Tempe, an Israel trivia night hosted at a local Mill Avenue venue. Hillel Signature Socials not only provide a welcoming social scene: they also serve as a protective factor against loneliness and help students meet friends with whom to explore their traditions. ASU is one of the biggest universities in the country; through Signature Socials, we help students see how many Jewish students there really are at ASU, and for students with limited Jewish backgrounds, we provide an opportunity for students to be in a safe Jewish community for the first time. By branding Signature Socials as THE place to be, Hillel saw a significant increase in first-time engagement throughout the spring.
Fostering community is not just what we do at Hillel: it’s who we are. By creating large-scale social events, Hillel at ASU has cultivated countless friendships and brought joy to Jewish life throughout the entire academic year.
Hillel at ASU is dependent on the generosity of parents, alumni and friends. We sincerely appreciate every individual who supports Jewish life on campus.
We apologize for any errors or omissions; please contact mikayla@hillelasu.org with any corrections.
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Anonymous (5)
The mission of Hillel at ASU is to enrich the lives of Jewish undergraduate and graduate students so that they may enrich the Jewish people, Israel and the world .