Hillel Student Board

The Hillel Student Board is responsible for formally guiding the Hillel community. The Board is led by a Student President, elected by members of the Emory student community, at the end of the spring semester for a one-year term. The President and immediate past-President work together to appoint officers to the Board.

The Presidential Election

The election for Hillel Student President 2012-13 was on April 11, 2012. The statements of the candidates running for this position are posted below. Only students currently registered on the Hillel at Emory listserv are eligible to vote. For offical regulations concerning the election, please click here. An independent elections committee oversees all elections procedures.

2012-13 Presidential Candidate Statements

Jordan Angel

To the Emory community:

My name is Jordan Angel and I am running for President of Hillel at Emory University for the upcoming year. I am a sophomore in the Business School concentrating in finance and accounting, and currently serve as the Vice President of Engagement for Hillel.

Hillel serves as a thread throughout my Emory experience. As a new student, Hillel was where I first met some of the people who have become my best friends and Hillel continuously provides with memories that define my Emory experience. I see Hillel as more than as a destination for Friday night services and meals. It is a community with outlets for social events, educational opportunities, and leadership, and this is all driven by an Executive Board that continuously reaches out to the student body to engage our members in new and diverse ways. Hillel has provided me with so much, and for this reason I am running as President so that I may have the opportunity to ensure that other students are able to experience the thread of Hillel throughout their time at Emory.

Hillel has seen a lot of change in professional leadership over the past year; nevertheless, our student leaders were able to ensure that Emory’s Hillel remained a stable and viable organization and even expanded many of our programs and initiatives. I believe that through my relevant experience and strong leadership, I will be able continue Hillel’s growth in order while ensuring that Hillel remains a warm community and welcoming resource for all Jewish students. As President of Hillel, I want to provide meaningful experiences for our students – from the day that someone begins to look at Emory, through their days as an alumnus. I want Hillel to be known as an organization that provides a unique Jewish experience for students and a community who strives to better Emory University. My vision for Hillel includes:

• Engage prospective Jewish students by enacting a shadow’s program so prospective students can spend a day with a current undergraduate as well as implementing Jewish Life materials in the admissions office.

• Continue to engage new students through our FYSH program and our previously successful orientation events.

• Connect students with Hillel through large events such as Shabbat, as well as more intimate programs such as Shabbat-to-Go’s and Saturday Morning Bagel Brunches around campus.

• Work to increase funding for large Shabbat dinners so that they can occur more frequently and continue to implement creative ideas in order to support the Hillel community when we are not able to provide a dinner free of charge.

• Increase student involvement by providing an array of creative programming, from secular to religious, and everything in between.

• Strengthen and form connections with other student groups and administrators in order to expand Hillel’s role on campus, and support the Emory community.

• Build upon and improve the interfaith programming that we have done this year and work with even more on campus religious groups.

• Extend our reach to better engage Jewish Alumni in order to help them have a place to come back to, as well as to provide meaningful connections for students to meet with alumni.

I plan to accomplish these goals by putting together a motivated and involved Executive Board and a supplementary Minor Board and Freshmen Council. The implementation of a two-board system will help to involve more students and create greater efficiency. I believe that my leadership qualities, ability to organize, and passion make me the best candidate.

I have been extremely involved with Hillel since I have arrived at Emory. During my freshmen year, I served as the Freshmen Representative to the Executive Board and led the Freshmen Council. Currently, I serve as the Vice President of Engagement; through this role I have been able to work on a variety of projects to increase student involvement at Hillel. Through my role on the Executive Board, I also secured funding through a grant that has allowed for an expansion of our Shabbat-to-Go program, and other initiatives I am excited to continue as President. Outside of Hillel, I give back to the Emory community through my Executive Board positions on the Student Government Association and the Student Alumni Board. My passion for Emory is evident through my involvement as a Campus Tour Guide, Lullwater Ambassador, and Zeta Beta Tau fraternity.

Your vote on April 11th would mean so much to me!

Please feel free to contact me with any questions, concerns, or ideas at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Thank you for your support and trust.

Sincerely,

Jordan Angel

Michael Goldberg

To the Emory community:

My name is Michael Goldberg, and I am running for President of Hillel at Emory. I am a junior from Cleveland, studying Economics and Spanish. I am currently serving my third term on Hillel’s Executive Board and have worked as a student intern since freshman year.

I recognize that we all come from diverse backgrounds and have different levels of exposure to Judaism, which in turn has shaped the way each and every one of us identifies as a Jew. I want Hillel to be a place where all Jewish students can feel comfortable and free to practice Judaism in their own way. Whether you identify as Orthodox or as more culturally Jewish, Hillel should provide a supportive community in which everyone can actively engage.

I hope to bridge together the various organizations that constitute Emory’s Jewish community. I see Hillel as an umbrella organization that has the potential to unite all Jewish students. By working together with other organizations both on campus and off campus, the Jewish community can become more cohesive and do a better job catering to Emory’s Jewish community at large.

My goals to better unify the Emory Jewish community are to:

 Personally work with every student to find a way for everyone to participate in the Jewish community

 Collaborate with Alumni and the Hillels of Georgia Board to continue raising funds to support a wider variety of programming and to ensure our fiscal solvency

 Welcome the incoming freshman class to campus through a variety of orientation activities like the FYSH program and the Hillel Bagel Brunch

 Create a Parent’s Council in an effort to better include our parents and raise funds

 Engage faculty members, community members, and the general administration by including them in our plans for a variety of programming both religious and social

 Provide a smooth transition of professional leadership

 Establish a weekly Shabbat program that is consistent and reflects the needs of the community, including freshly baked challah every Shabbat

 Plan a Shabbat 1000 dinner, bringing all Jewish students together in conjunction with Chabad and Meor

 Restructure the current board system by pairing each member of the Freshmen Council with a board member and shape the board to reflect the community’s needs

For the past three years, I have worked tirelessly to ensure that Hillel continues to move forward. I also have extensive experience with both Jewish communal service and development outside of Hillel. I know that I have a holistic understanding of the organization and what is necessary to continue Hillel on the path of success. Hillel has and always will be my first priority on campus.

My goals are bold and my dreams are infinite for Hillel at Emory. I would appreciate your support in this election. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to me via email ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) or via phone (440.223.9161). Thank you for your support and consideration.

Sincerely,

Michael