Hillel at Davis and Sacramento Impact Report and Donor Honor Roll 2021 - 2022
Table of Contents
"Hillel has made my freshman year
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Cover Page
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Table of Contents
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Letter from the Leadership
Hillel, all of whom I now work with
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Your Impact
now look forward to going to Israel
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Student Story, Leila Adatto, '24
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Student Story, Nik Chupkin, '25
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Student Story, Ari Taryle, '24
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Student Story, Rivkah Keith, '23
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at UC Davis truly memorable. I met all three of my very best friends at and will be lifelong friends with. I with my Hillel family this coming winter for birthright." -Nikolai Gurtuvoy, '25
Bodega Bay Retreat and Birthright 2022 Board of Directors, 2021 - 2022
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Life and Legacy Society Members, Bequests, Endowments, and Institutional Donors
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Donor Honor Roll
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Hillel Staff
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A Letter from the Leadership We had another remarkable year at Hillel at Davis and Sacramento! It was filled with joyous holiday celebrations, inspiring student-driven programs, and impactful Jewish learning opportunities. Despite the continuation of the pandemic, we adapted and rose to the challenge to find innovative, exciting, and engaging ways to continue to uplift the next generation of Jewish leaders. As you read through our first Annual Impact Report, we hope you feel a sense of pride and satisfaction knowing that you played a role in providing a home away from home for the hundreds of college students we serve at Hillel. We hope you enjoy reading our student stories and seeing photos from our Shabbaton at the Bodega Bay Marine Lab and from our first Birthright trip in over two years! We are beyond grateful to you, our dedicated community, for ensuring we fulfill our mission of enriching the lives of our Jewish students so that they may enrich the lives of the Jewish people and the world. Thank you for your ongoing dedication to supporting the Jewish students in the Davis and Sacramento region! With deep appreciation, Rachel Darling, Executive Director Simone Naftulin, Board President
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Your Impact Over Seven Hundred Students Engaged! Six student interns served in specialized roles Thirty-three students participated on our first Birthright trip in over two years
Eight food drives and donations made to Davis Community Meals and Housing and the UC Davis Food Pantry
Twenty-six Shabbat dinners organized with unique, educational themes Thirty student participants in the Israel Learning Fellowship (ILF) and Jewish Learning Fellowship (JLF)
Seven student groups operating through Hillel with a reach of over 200 students Fifty student participants at our Passover Seder Twelve unique cultural programs that celebrated the Russian, Persian, and LGBT Jewish communities
"Joining Hillel after two years online allowed me to find a community and make connections that I know will last far beyond college. Now, as an intern at Hillel, I am able to give back to an organization that means so much to me." -Téa Kaiser, '25
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Student Story Leila Adatto, '24 When I moved into the dorms at UC Davis my freshman year, in the midst of COVID with no roommates and no in-person social opportunities, Hillel played a significant role in making me feel welcome at Davis. The Hillel interns were so kind and welcoming towards me during our wonderful coffee dates. Members of the Hillel student board helped me integrate into the Jewish community by introducing me to other Jewish freshmen, giving me opportunities to form friendships while I was struggling with isolation and loneliness in the dorms. Through Hillel, I was able to find my place of belonging at this huge university. I found an incredible tight-knit community of wonderful people, and I met all of my best friends through Hillel. During my sophomore year of college, I knew I wanted to become more involved with Hillel, so I decided to become an intern. Because Hillel had such a significant impact on me, I wanted to give back to Hillel and make incoming freshmen and new students feel as welcome and included as I did. Being an intern was a very meaningful experience for me because I was able to take on a bigger role in the behind the scenes of Hillel, and share my ideas and give my creative input to enhance Jewish life on campus. I loved collaborating with my Jewish peers and playing an active role in planning fun activities and events for the students of Hillel. Through my specific role as the communications intern, I helped manage the social media pages for Hillel, which allowed me to engage with many people and build meaningful connections. In addition, through Hillel, I discovered Nazun (previously known as Challah for Hunger), a club that bakes challah every week to sell to the community and then donates the profits to food hunger charities. I was immediately drawn to joining this club because I love to bake, and I wanted to be part of the mission to combat food insecurity and use my baking skills to give back to the community. After joining the club, I very quickly took on my first position on the board as the social media coordinator. I loved managing the clubs social media pages, and after being part of the club for over a year, I was elected president of the club. Being president has been an amazing way to develop my leadership skills and contribute to an important cause. Being part of Hillel has been the best part of my college experience, and I can’t wait to continue my involvement with this special organization.
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Student Story Nik Chupkin, '25 Before I applied to college, my mother told me about Hillel. She told me it was a safe community for Jews on campus. She was right. One day, I would come to call it home. After settling into my dorm, the first thing I did was go to Hillel. An upperclassman gave me a tour of the building, where I met other first-years who would later become close friends.
During my first visit to Hillel, I learned about Jewish campus organizations including Challah for Hunger, Aggies for Israel, and Hillel Student Board. I left with stickers and honey sticks. Later that week, I returned for Yom Kippur services and Shabbat. Never before had I been in the presence of such a large group of Jewish students my age, all coming together as a community. Week after week, I kept returning to the beige brick building, and it has become an integral part of my college experience. Connecting with a strong community of Jews my age at Hillel events has helped me develop pride in my Jewish heritage. I came from a culturally assimilated diaspora family and did not know many Jewish prayers, traditions, and practices. Hillel events taught me regular Shabbat traditions such as kiddush and indigenous harvest traditions such as Sukkot. When I first came to college, I was afraid to wear Jewish-themed clothes in public and speak audibly about my ancestry. After spending my first year in a nurturing community, I have become unafraid of proudly displaying my heritage. The bonds I made with Jewish ethnic, cultural, and spiritual identity, and with my Jewish peers and allies, in a space that made me feel safe expressing my genuine self emboldened me to fight harder to protect Am Yisrael, starting in my local community at Davis. Although my parents are assimilated, they raised me with the value of tikkun olam. In high school, I engaged in community service, journalism, education, and activism. I desired to continue expressing my desire for improving the world, and Hillel became my outlet. I joined the student board and started planning events for the Jewish community. Among the events we organized were a Russian-Jewish cooking night, socials for LGBT students, a Lag B’Omer bonfire, and a formal dance dubbed “The Matza-Ball.” Starting next Fall, I will be Hillel’s Tzedek intern. I will be responsible for engaging Jewish students with Hillel, helping run Shabbats, and planning events focused on mental health and food insecurity for UC Davis students. I am excited to have been accepted to this position, in which I will continue building the Jewish community I call home.
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Student Story, Ari Taryle, '24 I came into UC Davis looking for a place where I can be part of a tight-knit community. Coming from a small Jewish highschool in LA, being at a large university like Davis was a big change. I was glad to make Hillel my home away from home! As a second year student, I had the opportunity of being the Shabbat and Holidays intern for Hillel, and I had the fulfilling job of helping to lead Shabbat services and religious discussions, plan out various events at Hillel, and engage with students by taking them on coffee dates where we talk about Hillel and so much more. I am happy to say that I have met many of my closest friends in college through Hillel. I’ve been able to bond well with fellow Hillel interns as well as making friends with many other members of the Hillel community! Many great memories from the past year have been at Hillel, including the Shabbat events each week, the various other events that go on at Hillel, and even just coming by to study and then getting distracted by my friends. Getting involved with Hillel was one of the best decisions that I have made in college, and I’m grateful that I had the opportunity to get involved and be part of this community!
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Student Story, Rivkah Keith, '23 Hillel has truly enriched my college experience, and I am so grateful to the amazing staff and donors for supporting this incredible organization. I’ve been involved in Hillel since my freshman year, when I would regularly attend Shabbat dinners. I made some of my closest friends at Hillel. The community that Hillel provides to UC Davis is very special, extremely welcoming, and exceptionally friendly. Everyone here is so kind and open to starting a conversation. The friends I have made here helped me feel that I have a community here at Davis that supports and accepts me. I also appreciate how Hillel offers a place for students to explore and connect to their Judaism. Without Hillel, I probably would not celebrate any Jewish holidays or Shabbat. It is very comforting to know that I have a place to share a nice meal with friends every Friday night where I can say prayers and be reminded of this important holiday. I also appreciate the learning programs that I participated in, like the Jewish Learning Fellowship and Israel Learning Fellowship, that helped me connect more to my Jewish identity and to Israel. It is so helpful to know that there are other Jewish students on this campus. Hillel makes me feel less alone in the large university and it helps me stay connected to my Judaism, which is a very important aspect in my life. Finally, it has been a true pleasure to serve as the current Hillel Student Board President. I love getting together with my board every other Friday to discuss our upcoming events and how we can support the Jewish community on campus. We have planned so many fun events, from a formal to a LGBT party to a Lag B’Omer bonfire. It feels really great to know that I helped plan and execute these events that the Jewish students got to enjoy. Overall, Hillel has strengthened my connection to Judaism, led to so many friendships, and has brought a sense of community and support to the Jewish students of UC Davis.
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How did we spend spring break?
Bodega Bay Retreat March, 2022 We would like to thank Richard and Helaina Kravitz for generously sponsoring this educational retreat "Hillel held a very important role in my growth at a pivotal stage in my identity development. The Bodega Bay Retreat and Spring Formal felt like magical experiences. I enjoyed learning more deeply about my cultural roots and celebrating Jewish traditions." -Michaela Neal, '22
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We made it to Israel!
Birthright Summer 2022
"Birthright was an amazing and memorable experience. It was my first time exploring this beautiful country, and I loved learning something new every day about the history of Israel." -Julia Sasonkin, '24 "Birthright was an incredible experience that expanded my understanding of Israeli culture and what it's like to have a unique sense of home." -Eli Sitzman, '24
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Hillel Board of Directors 2021 - 2022 Executive Board Simone Naftulin President
Barry Klein Vice President
Lisa Breslau Co-Treasurer
Shira Gilbert Co-Treasurer
Louis Gonzalez Secretary
Larry Rappaport Founding Director
Terri Friedman Immediate Past President
Denni Mador Immediate Past President
Board Members at Large Jake Alexander
Jenny Berg
Alan Brodovsky
Sheryl Gutmann
Wendy Hoffman-Blank
Roy Kaplan
Steve Kronick
Steve Lewis
Andrew Mendlin
Steve Orkand
Jacob Rabin
Tami Rabowsky
Shirley Rosenbloom
Jay Rosenheim
Marc Schenker
Bestsy Singer
Hannah Sternberg
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Hillel at Davis and Sacramento Deeply appreciates its Life and Legacy Society Members Life and Legacy is a program that brings training and resources to help participating organizations grow and maintain planned giving programs with a focus on after-lifetime gifts Gail and Barry Klein Nancy and Alan Brodovsky Barbara and Steve Kronick Beth and Alan Brownstein Julie and Harry Lavine Larry Brownston Judy and Steve Lewis Xochitl Castaneda and Marc Schenker Denni Mador Dr. Michael Schermer Linda and Dr. Harvey Matlof Barbara Dubnick Simone and Dr. Brian Naftulin Davina Dubnick Robin Neuman Anne and Hal Eisenberg Chani Oppenheim Emanuel Epstein Meryl Rappaport and Mark Haffer Robin and Phil Fine Norma and Larry Rappaport Gayle and Edward Fishkin Tammy and Michael Rochman Dalia and Lawrence Frank Shirley and Skip Rosenbloom Terri Friedman and Mark Urban Devorah Samuels and Alla Gamarnik and Joel Blank Daniel Yoshpe Shira and Don Gilbert Janet Saunders and Roy Kaplan Janie and Frank Gumpert Monica and Scott Shapiro Laurel and Eric Hassid Betsy and Michael Singer Wendy Hoffman-Blank Sandy and Al Sokolow and Rabbi Bill Blank Sue and Harry Sperber Judy Kahler and Rabbi Reuven Taff Hannah and Sherman Stein Veronica Kaufman Helen and Jerry Suran Dr. J. Daniel Khazzoom Abby Thompson and Joel Hass
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Hillel at Davis and Sacramento Gratefully acknowledges the bequests, endowments, and institutional donors that make this special work possible Bequests Tillie Schiff Endowment
Endowments Endowment for the Benefit of HADAS Leonard V. Finder Hillel Lecture Series Hillel Len Family Lunch Fund Bubbie’s Shabbat Fund Hillel at Davis and Sacramento Fund Hillel Building and Programming Fund Julius and Joanna Kravitz Memorial Fund Benabou-Nelson Moroccan Shabbat Fund Yoshpe Passover Seder Fund FOB Hillel Larry and Norma Rappaport Programming Endowment
Institutional Donors Koret Foundation The Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region The Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund Cecil and Nanette Weintraub Family Charitable Foundation Congregation Bet Haverim Hebrew Free Loan Genesis Philanthropy Group Hillel International The Interfaith Youth Core (now, Interfaith America) The California Wellness Foundation UC Davis Graduate School of Management, MBA Program Nugget Markets Repower Yolo
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Hillel at Davis and Sacramento Gratefully acknowledges all of our generous donors who make this special work possible $2,000 and above Marc Schenker and Xochitl Castaneda Susan and Theodore Goodwin Carol and Lee Tager Denni Mador Cookie Addison Andrew Mendlin and Valli Israels Jane and Steve Orkand Sheryl and Dr. Sidney Gutmann John and Barbara Horwitz Susan and Robert Lauer Shira and Donald Gilbert Dr. Brian and Simone Naftulin Shirley and Skip Rosenbloom Rachel and Russell Darling Robin Sabes Barbara and Steve Kronick Roy Kaplan and Janet Saunders Nanci and Charles Cooper Norma and Larry Rappaport Nancy and Alan Brodovsky Janie and Frank Gumpert Judy and Steve Lewis Betsy and Michael Singer Jay Rosenheim and Shulamit Glazerman Gail and Barry Klein Barbara and Mark Len Barbara Fingernut Beth and Tony Tanke
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Hillel at Davis and Sacramento Gratefully acknowledges all of our generous donors who make this special work possible $1,000 - $1,999 Beulah and Ezra Amsterdam Ralph Lubick and Laura Choate David Siegel and Nancy Lazarus Robert Ruxin Sue and Mike Sabes Steve and Joy Cohan Wendy and Mark Zlotlow Claudia and Allan Leavitt Jack Mador Anne and Hal Eisenberg Marjory Kaplan and Jean-Jacques Surbeck Julie Lavine Sue and Harry Sperber Carl Warsowe Liz and Deon Stein Sandy and Al Sokolow Lisa and Dr. Jonathan Breslau Deborah Hoffman Gonzalez and Louis Gonzalez Joseph Pedott Dr. Vicki Wheelock and Dr. Gerald Schwarz Mark Yafai Wendy Hoffman-Blank and Rabbi Bill Blank Carrie Shepard and Dan Gusfield Amina Harris Cindy and Uri Eliahu Devorah Samuels Tami and Jeffrey Rabowsky Terri Friedman and Mark Urban
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Hillel at Davis and Sacramento Gratefully acknowledges all of our generous donors who make this special work possible $500 - $999 Laurie and Larry Goldman Tye Gregory Dr. J. Daniel Khazzoom Elizabeth Igra Rivkah Isseroff Veronica Kaufman Ina and David Labowitz Sharna Shahcar Dr. Zoey and Richard Goore Lora and David Mallen Deanne Meyer Zach Nelson Ann and David Jolkovsky Jodi and Eric Liederman Arlen Opper Sharon and Dr. Larry Saltzman Monica and Scott Shapiro Ann and Stewart Teal Jeffrey and Irit Winston Dr. Aurora and Dr. Eugene Kellogg Jilian and Jonathan Bar-Or Marsha and Ralph Guggenheim Rabbi Greg Wolfe and Julie Hochman Judith and Steven Turtletaub Joel Hass and Abby Thompson Anne and Steve Factor Jaime and Dr. Amy Siegel Gary Fay and Leslie Gray Stephie and Gary Bregman Hannah and Jacob Alexander Gayle and Edward Fishkin
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Hillel at Davis and Sacramento Gratefully acknowledges all of our generous donors who make this special work possible $100 - $499 Peggy and Michael Agron
Jay Schreider
Donna Balsam and Matt Anderson
JoAnn and Marty Solov
Audrey Bashkin
Hannah and Sherman Stein
Nancy Bernheimer
Rebecca Stein-Wexler and Tony Wexler
Mara Bernstein and Michael Kessler
Linda Sternberg
Michele Boock
Fern Tablin and Arnold Jay Wolfe
Alan Bunnage
Ilya Klebaner
Alma and Mark Drabkin
Babak Davoudian
Maria (Choco Leandro) and Robert Dresser
Maxine and Michael Mantell
Barbara Dubnick
Jackie and Alan Fox
Davina Dubnick
Michael Goodman
Nancy and Alan Epstein
Monica and Ken Oestreich
Kira and Louis Erba
Dalia and Lawrence Frank
Elisa Espley-Jones
Rabbi Michael Lewis
Irving Hellman and Penny Fable
Karen Neuwald
Elana Feinsmith
Karyn Lipman
Kevin Frankel
Robin Lee Neuman
Catherine and Greg Friedman
David Kaplan
Bruce Gilbert
Diane and David Dulberg
Sharon and Sam Goby
Dana and Alan Edelstein
RW and Stephen Gould
Holly and Michael Fahn
Doralee and John Katonah
Kathryn Glatter
Shelby and Joseph Kopecky
Margaret Kane and Rick Frey
Debra and David Kramer
Charlene Kunitz
Dana and Dr. Eric Kurzrock
Francine Levy
Robin and Joth Layton
Carol Loew
Debbie and John Lewis
Susan and Ron Remba
Janice Linver
Linda and Calvin Sachs
Marilyn Lubarsky
Hannah Sternberg
Zoe McCandless-Grossman and Wayne Grossman
Pamela and Benjamin Wald
Fifi and Joseph Mousssa
Rabbi Nancy Wechsler
Diana Perkins
Carol Friedman
Donna Petre and Dr. Dennis Styne
Nancy and Arthur Solomon
Patricia and Anthony Philipps
Dafna and Scott Taryle
Jacob Rabin
Jennifer and Dr. Ben Goldwyn
Nicole Sabes
Jenny and Dr. Gordon Isakson
Charles Schaffer
Jennifer and Michael Kaplan
Terri and Michael Schmier
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Hillel at Davis and Sacramento Gratefully acknowledges all of our generous donors who make this special work possible $100 - $499 Maddie Katz and Michael Sabes
Matthew Eric Kernkraut
Fanny and Neil Levy
Sue and Paul Hoffman
Susan Meyers and Michael Oshan
Elizabeth and Mitchell Siegler
Beth and Scott Miller
Susan and Lawrence Stieber
Carol Moon and Steven Goldberg
Christine and Michael Soto
Lisa and Jon Pearl
Annette Eiselman West
Caren Rubin
Michelle and Howland Gordon
Erie and Charlie Shockey
Rebecca and Dave Thiess
Rabbi Beth and Rabbi Jonathan Singer
Dr. Scarlet and Dr. Harvey Edber
Karen Soskin
Robin and Phil Fine
Ann and Barry Steinberg
Hy Kashenberg
Stacy and David Steinberg
Evie and Dr. Larry Lieb
Ernie Weir
Fifi and Alvin Paykel
Debra and Sagiv Weiss-Ishai
Bryan Weare and Naomi Rosen
Ernst Biberstein
Michael Sokolow
Beth and Alan Brownstein
David Yaffe and Sally Mote-Yaffe
Sheila and Ken Budman
Ben Pastcan
Glenda Claremon
Jessica and Joel Birch
Kathy Darling
Robin Berrin and Susanne Leitner
Shauna and Erik Feingold
Julie and Edward Kraus
Carolyn Glaser and Sidney Keith
Satcy Weiss
Pamerla Harlem
Stacy and Harry Stark
Leo Meier
Vida and Gordon Adelman
Danielle Naftulin Debra and Jesse Rosen Marcee and Mark Samberg Paul Schomer Walter Sherwood Kathleen Vaughn and Eugene Bagoon Laura and Richard Weisberg Alana Carol Addison Debbie and Cliff Berg Karen and Dr. James Brandt Jonathan Dunsworth Bruce Frederick Randy and Jeffrey Goldstein Annie and Steve Grimaldi
Sharon and Ricardo Amon Marei Davis and Robert Schneider Lori Good and Marty Thurston Jhanna and Alexander Lazovsky Nathana Lurvey and Jeffrey Horn Michelle and Mark Oplatka Tammy and Michael Rochman Hope and Jeffrey Rabinovitz Galit and Ofer Yaakobovitz Barbara and Gerald August Jack Chapman Marion and Dr. Stanley Leff Dr. Janis and Jonathan Lightman
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Hillel at Davis and Sacramento Gratefully acknowledges all of our generous donors who make this special work possible $1 - $99 Elaine Elkins
Lois and Dr. Marshall Gollub
Rivka and Noel Kaplowitz
Shira and Daniel Adatto
Beverly and Sylvan Karfiol
Karen Kelley
Mark Cohen
Azriel and Ruth Kurlaender
Molly and Bernard Goldberg
Linda Landau
Marilyn Kingston and Harry Cynamon
Cheryl and William Perrell Ariel and Marc Pollack
Naomi Lifschultz and Kenneth Preston
Allyson and Michael Lachman
Michael Rabkin
Cheri and Brian Lopatin
Devorah Lackner
Emily Remba
Jonathon Milanese
Laura and Ira Leventhal
Jack Zorman
Meryl Rappaport and Mark Haffer
Karen and Dr. Steven Polansky
Erin Cohen
Karen Rich
Rosalie and Jerry Roth
Chelsey Toma
Cheryl Robinson
Gwendolyn and Gary Salmo
Shelley Weinstein
Marilyn Ruxin
Lynne and Mark Snyder
Daniel Chalolachvilli Mergener
Pia Spector
Iming and Robert Aron
Lisa and Robert Velazquez
Miriam Steinberg and Ben Glovinsky
Ella Glickman
Emma Voit
Cara and Ronen Vainish
Robyn Lipsky and Jason Jungreis
Mollee Sue and Jack Zoken
Roselyn Weiss
Jenise and David Murray
Bernard Meyers
Linda and Dr. Sidney Yassinger
Melissa Thurston
Michaela Browner
Bernard Backer
Dror Stein and Sigal Argaman
Kerry Wright
Kenneth and Stephanie Cooper
Marily Benson
Darryn Begun
Dawn DeBenedetto Maurer
Jenny Berg
Roy Benson
Laurie Pennington
Jennifer Browner
Katie and Jon Berryhill
Scott Browner
Jesse Browner
Dea and Jonathan Diamant
Seth Browner
Morgan and Bruce Deutsch
Elisabeth Dubin and Todd "TJ" Green
Anne Roth Susan and Robert Abelson
Marla Fields
Anita Fortman
Janna Fond
Eric Weisenthal and Eileen Jacobowitz
Stella Gaber and Alex Chupkin
Jessica Lewis and Charlie Williams
Joan and Marc Epstein
Sheryl and Ronald Gross
Brad Glassman
Susan and Marvin Brienes
Rabbi Dov Elkins Marla Fisher Harriet Gadisman
Lynne and Dr. Leon Kodson
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Hillel Staff 2021 - 2022
Executive Director Rachel Darling Operations Manager Debbie Gritts Israel Fellow Alexandra Zachari
Program Director Seth Browner Office Administrator Adrienne Meredith Head Chef Karyn Lipman Page 20
Thank you for supporting us!
Stay in touch with us!
@hillelatdavisandsac @hillelatdavisandsac
hillelhouse.org
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Hillel at Davis and Sacramento 328 A Street Davis, CA 95616 (530) 756-3708