As a student at Emory, Joel Frankel was active in Jewish life. He was president of Emory Students for Israel, active in Hillel's JBiz Roundtable, and went with Hillel on an alternative winter break trip to Guatemala. The consumate networker, Joel was always finding ways to bring people together. In short, Joel was a passionate community builder on campus.

Joel graduated from Emory in 2007 to pursue a business careeer in New York, where he worked as an analyst for Nielsen’s Business Consulting Services Group. His journey eventually brought him to law school at Washington University in St. Louis.

Joel has now found a way to mesh his professional aspirations with his personal passions. Joel recently began working for the Jewish Federation of Saint Louis as the Israel Engagement Professional - a job devoted to finding, connecting with, and bringing together young Jews returning from programs in Israel.

“My goal is to get as many young adults as possible involved in the Jewish community in St. Louis, helping to create a vibrant and sustainable community where young adults play a major role,” says Joel.

This is networking of the highest order. Joel describes his approach as "consierge-style service" by getting to know people on an individual basis and helping them plug into existing, appropriate Jewish programming and venues. “After connecting with people individually, I leverage the structures already in place to connect people to each other,” he explains.

Joel's experience at Emory as a leader and community builder no doubt gave him the experience and skills to do an exceptional job in this new role. We wish him continued success and look forward to see the many ways in which Joel will make a valuable impact on the Jewish community.

Dear Parents, Alumni & Friends,

When I visited Emory for the first time, I sat down with the Hillel program director to learn about Jewish life at Emory. I knew I wanted to maintain my Judaism in college and wanted to make sure that I would be able to do that at Emory. Within a few minutes of talking to her, it became evident that Emory was not just a place I could go to maintain my Judaism, but also a place I could cultivate and grow my Jewish connection. This short meeting was a big part of why I decided – that very day – that Emory was the place for me.

It’s amazing how small things like this can mak all the difference – an encounter and conversation that helped set me on a meaningful path. Over the past two years, I have seen how Hillel at Emory harnesses the power of “small things” to inspire hugely meaningful Jewish experiences.

My Jewish journey at Emory started with the Hillel whitewater rafting trip. I bonded with the students who have since become my best friends. I also got the opportunity to meet and learn from student leaders in Hillel. I wanted to be part of that welcoming, warm community. I wanted to help Hillel reach out to other students like me so that the Emory Jewish community could continue to thrive.

I am proud to now be in a position of leadership to help set the vision for Jewish life at Emory and ensure that every student feels as welcomed and as valued as I have felt. This has been an exceptional year so far.

Hillels of Georgia kicked off the start of a new year at the annual board meeting on June 16 by welcoming incoming President Heidi Berger Geller, who plans to boost fundraising efforts and maintain the organization's commitment to building a vibrant Jewish future for students across the state.

The organization also thanked outgoing President Steve Levene ('83MBA) for his years of dedicated service. Steve helped guide Hillels of Georgia as it opened its impressive new Marcus Hillel Center on Emory's campus, and worked to attract funding and attention across the state and nation despite the down economy.

Executive Director Wayne Silverman addressed the challenges to come as Hillels of Georgia works to attract more funding while beefing up the programming opportunities and projects aimed at the thousands of students the organization serves each year. But he expressed confidence in the board, which remains committed to Hillels of Georgia's unique mission.

The highlight of the meeting, though, were the success stories from students and alumni who shared how Hillels of Georgia helped them find a home away from home on campus.

Some students said they were only marginally connected to Jewish life before finding a place at Hillel, while others praised Hillels of Georgia as a rare refuge for Jewish students amid a tumultuous campus.

Congratulations to all of today's Emory graduates!

On Saturday, Hillel at Emory hosted a reception at the Marcus Hillel Center to say "l'hitraot" to all the graduating seniors and their families. It's not "goodbye" but rather "until we meet again." The students and families - nearly 70 people in all - heard from Hillel director Michael Rabkin as well as Daniel Reiser, Hillel's Senior Program Director, who offered a beautiful d'var Torah on how the Jewish holiday cycle helps us recognize - and honor - transitions. (Listen to it here on Daniel's blog.) Also in attendance were Robin Forman, the Dean of Emory College, and Deborah Lipstadt, Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish History and Holocaust Studies at Emory.

Today's commencement ceremony featured benedictions by those who were active in Emory's religious life. David Micley, who has been an active Jewish leader at Emory in developing Hillel's Chevruta program and the Children of Abraham initiative, delivered the Jewish prayer. President James Wagner commended students for bringing back to Emory the tradition of the yearbook, a project spearheaded by long-time Hillel student leader Kenny Liebowitz.

While many graduates are leaving Atlanta to pursue their careers, we are thrilled that many are staying in town. As they leave the Emory "bubble," the Atlanta Jewish community is welcoming them with open arms - from the local synagogues to the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta and other Jewish organizations. Hillel will always be a home for alumni, and we encourage alumni to stay in touch.

Join our Facebook page and keep up to date on new developments with Hillel and Jewish life at Emory.

Photos from the graduation reception after the break.

Since 1997, there have been more than 60 recipients of the Sam Bredow Memorial scholarship at Emory University. The scholarship is distributed jointly by Emory University and Hillel at Emory each year. The 2011 recipients are: Leah Dodell, Michael Goldberg, Alexandra Selby and Erika Reif.

Sam Bredow served as an advisor to Tau Epsilon Phi, Mu chapter, at Emory University for over 35 years. He was a friend and mentor to literally thousands of students, many of whom viewed him as a member of the family. The Sam Bredow Memorial Fund was established to honor the memory of this man who gave so much to the university. Its purpose is to assist Jewish students in the Emory College of Arts and Sciences who are in need of financial aid and who have demonstrated leadership within one or more of the recognized Jewish organizations on the Emory campus and/or within the greater Emory community.

Sam's daughter, Sherry Maziar, hosts an annual luncheon for the scholarship recipients along with the Maziar family. This year, the luncheon was held in the Marcus Hillel Center's Arogeti Chapel. Many thanks to Sherry and Harry Maziar and their children for their support of Jewish life at Emory.

We wish a mazal tov to this year's scholarship recipients, who are each shining examples of service and leadership to their community at Emory.

Pictured here with the 2011 Bredow Scholarship recipients are Sherry & Harry Maziar (far right) and Dean Joanne Brzinski (fourth from right).

For more information about contributing to the scholarship fund, please contact Randy Gorod, Emory College of Arts & Sciences Director of Development for Major Gifts at 404.727.5557 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .