Hillel Staff
Rabbi Saul Perlmutter, Executive Director
413-549-1710 x207
saulp@external.umass.edu
Rabbi Saul Perlmutter has been the Director of UMass Hillel for... many years. Under his leadership UMass Hillel has grown from an office in the Student Union to owning its own three story building with more students than ever making UMass Hillel a home away from home. Working closely with the Hillel Board as Executive Director, he spends much of his time fund-raising so that our doors can be open to all Jewish students at UMass. He also teaches a one credit course and leads the Alternative Spring Break Community Service Trip to Israel, two of his favorite things to do. His door is always open to students. Saul enjoys biking to work and biking for fun, like doing a one-day 100 mile ride! He also enjoys hiking, canoeing, kayaking and gardening.
Kate Rafey, Assistant Director for Programming
413-549-1710 x208
umhillelad@gmail.com
Kate graduated from Clark University with a Masters in Public Administration. She spent two years working as a Massachusetts Campus Compact AmeriCorps*VISTA at Stonehill College. She loves to read, watch netflix, travel, and LARP. As a native and most likely Massachusetts lifer, Kate has lived in four different regions of Masschusetts, Amherst now being her fifth. Her door is always open to students, staff and the community to discuss ideas, dreams, social justice-related topics.
Matt Cohen, Engagement/Outreach Coordinator
413-549-1710 x202
mcohen07@external.umass.edu
Matt is very excited to be joining the Hillel staff as the new Engagement Coordinator. Just last spring, he received his Bachelors degree in History with a minor in Jewish Studies from Kent State University. During his time at Kent, Matt was involved in a multitude of campus events and initiatives through his connections to Greek Life and other campus groups. Originally from Pittsburgh, PA, Matt is an unabashed baseball fan (read fanatic) (surprisingly enough, right?), and enjoys writing short stories, making mix discs, and watching movies in his spare time. Whether it's just to stop in and say hello or if you want to hang out and grab a bite to eat, Matt's door is always open!
Keren Hatkevitz, IACT/Israel Fellow
413-549-1710 x210
khatkevitz@external.umass.edu
Keren is a huge basketball fan cheering on the Maccabi Tel Aviv team as well as the Boston Celtics. At age 4 she and her family lived in Andover, MA and when they returned to Israel, they took back a love for the Boston team. Keren's interests include going to the gym, dancing and reading. She is also into
extreme sports like snapling (rappelling) , sky diving, and rock wall climbing.
Her B.A is in Journalism, Communications, and International Relations and she has an M.A is in International Relations. Her thesis was about the militant and how the social activity of terrorists groups is used as a tool for raising their legitimacy.
In 2009 she participated in EMME 09' - Europe Meets Middle East - a delegation of Israeli, European and Palestinian students traveling to Austria to volunteer in the community. Also in 2009 Keren was awarded The Menachem Begin Heritage Center Research Prize for her seminar paper entitled: "The Decision-Making Process Prior to Operation "Opera" - the Israeli Airstrike on the Iraqi Nuclear Reactor in 1981."
Rabbi Yosi Eisen &
Sheera Eisen
The Seif Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus Staff co-educators.*
413-549-1710 x203
jlic@external.umass.edu (Yosi) seisen@educ.umass.edu (Sheera)
* The Heshe and Harriet Seif Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus
(JLIC) is a program of the Orthodox Union in partnership with Hillel.
Rabbi Yosi Eisen grew up in Memphis, TN and holds a B.A. in both Math and Economics from Yeshiva University in NYC. He completed a Masters degree from Columbia University in the area of Quantitative Methods in the Social sciences (2005). Yosi received rabbinic ordination from his Rebbe, Rabbi Efraim Greenblatt, a student of Rav Moshe Feinstein, upon completion of 1:1 study while in Memphis, TN, in 2005. Recently, Yosi received additional ordinations from Rabbi Michael Broyde of Atlanta GA, and Rabbi Gedlaya Dov Schwartz Av Bais Din of the Beis Din of America, in Chicago IL. Yosi was also recently accepted as a chaver of the Rabbinical Council of America.
Sheera Eisen grew up in Brookline, MA and attended the Maimonides School and Bais Yaakov of Boston before going on to study in Jerusalem at Michlelet Mevaseret Yerushalayim (MMY) for two years (1999-2001). She then returned to the US and completed her BA at Stern College for Women in the areas of Psychology and Jewish History (January 2004). Sheera began her Masters Program in Educational Psychology at Fordham University in NYC (MSEd, Februrary 2007). Sheera is a certified as a school psychologist by the National Association of School Psychology and holds educational certifications in School Psychology in the states of Wisconsin and Massachusetts. Sheera is the doctorate program in School Psychology at UMASS Amherst.
Yosi and Sheera spent nearly 2 years working on the UW-Madison campus, facilitating the development of community among the Jewish students, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels with education and programming prior to coming to UMass Amherst.
Rob Kaufman Director of Operations
413-549-1710 x205
rkaufman@external.umass.edu
Rob
is responsible for all things related to the building's operations and
maintenance. plus some budget and financial planning tasks. His
background has been in the areas of energy management and conservation
and business operations. Having lived in the Valley for 13 years with
his wife and three sons, Rob enjoys coaching soccer, playing tennis,
golf and hanging at the ocean. Be sure to stop by his office and say hi!
Courtney Pupkin Development Director
781-857-2911
cpupkin@external.umass.edu
Courtney
works to raise funds for Hillel. She works from her home near Boston
but is in Amherst at least once a week. A native of Gross Pointe, MI,
Courtney received a degree in Sociology with a minor in Criminal Justice
from Western Michigan University. She and her husband, Avi, have a one
year old son, Alex, who keeps them busy. When she has time, she enjoys
reading, traveling, tennis, and photography.
Cindy Pollsen Administrator/Development Support
413-549-1710 x201
cpollsen@external.umass.edu
Cindy joined the Hillel team in June 2010. Originally from New York state, she graduated from UMass Amherst with a degree in Art History, and decided to stay in the beautiful Pioneer Valley after living in France for 7 months as an English language assistant. In addition to working in the Hillel office, she enjoys singing, playing the guitar and viola, and leads worship for a church up the street called MERCYhouse.
Melinda Williams Graphics/Publicity
413-549-1710 x211
melindaw@external.umass.edu A native New Englander, Melinda is our go-to person for any printing needs such as brochures, calendars, postcards, and many of the posters. She maintains the website, weekly email, and general publicity needs. Though her degree is in Music Education (piano and voice) she studied at Montserrat College of Art and found her love for Graphic Design. Her interests include photography, music, her two dogs (Aussie and Beagle mix), knitting, The Red Sox, softball, gardening. Her favorite book is The Brothers K by David James Duncan. Her favorite movies include Enchanted April, Benny & Joon, & Danny Deckchair. Her favorite artists are Van Gogh, Klee, and artists from Solentiname, Nicaragua. She has a son at the School of Visual Art in NYC studying film.
Zippy Goldberg - JLLC Resident Staff