UMass Amherst alum lead next generation of Jewish students By Rachael Dahlben AMHERST - So, what has happened to the graduates of the University of Massachusetts Amherst who were involved in the Hillel House on campus? Many of them have gone on to work for Jewish organizations, including Hillel, and they have become leaders in their Jewish communities. From UMass to the rabbinate Rabbi Barry Krieger attended UMass Amherst from 1974-1979, and became involved at Hillel with the encouragement of the UMass Hillel director, Rabbi Saul Perlmutter. Krieger's experiences at Hillel helped pave the way to his current position as the rabbinic facilitator at the University of Maine in Orono, Maine. "My experience with UMass Hillel encouraged me and led me to go on to rabbinical school," he explained. Krieger graduated UMass Amherst with a degree in environmental studies, but was also interested in teaching. During his years at UMass, Hillel did not have a building. Instead, the organization operated from a small office in the Student Union building. "The room was always busy," Krieger remembered. At first, Krieger was not interested in participating in Hillel activities. After growing up in an Orthodox family in Providence, R.I., with formal Jewish education at a day school and yeshiva, he said, "When I got to UMass, I was sick of the Jewish stuff." His initial involvement at Hillel began in his sophomore year, when he asked Perlmutter about what Hillel had planned for Purim. Perlmutter then asked Krieger if he would read a chapter from the Megillah since he knew the proper trope. From then on, Krieger began doing more chazzanut for the holidays, and in his junior year, he led holiday services as a cantor. "Being involved as the cantor at the High Holiday services was an amazingly wonderful experience, and at the same time, I was one of the few bar/bat mitzvah tutors in the Amherst area. I was also involved in the Jewish Community of Amherst, and helped a lot of the kids while I lived in Amherst with their bar/bat mitzvah study. Since there were no rabbis there at the JCA at that time... I conducted Shabbat services during those bar/bat mitzvahs... Those experiences led me to feel very warm in terms of my involvement with Jewish work," and Perlmutter's encouragement led Krieger to apply to Reconstructionist Rabbinical College He didn't go to rabbinical school right away. After teaching fifth and sixth grade for a short while, he realized that his true calling was to be a rabbi. He attended rabbinical school from 1980-1985, and was ordained. Krieger has been working part-time for the University of Maine Hillel for about five years. He explained, "It was a good opportunity for me to continue my rabbinic work at a nice environment at a university setting. And it also involved a part time position, something I was interested in. And it was a change from congregational work," which he had done for 13 or 14 years as a rabbi. As the rabbinic facilitator, Krieger's job involves Hillel meetings, teaching Hebrew and Bible studies, leading a monthly Shabbat service, and celebrating the Jewish holidays. However, he laments that "We're a small group. We're not nearly as active as UMass." Krieger has very fond memories of the Hillel at UMass Amherst. He said, "I feel as though UMass has a great Hillel program, especially now with a new building and offering so much more like a living center... Saul has always set a wonderful tone, a very diverse tone, a very accepting tone, and I think that's critical for a Hillel environment to be broad based, diverse and accepting of the range of Jews wanting to maintain the involvement in Jewish life." Hillel is still their world Beth Meltzer also did not anticipate becoming very involved at UMass Hillel, but ended up doing just that. She attended UMass from 1982-1986, and graduated from the School of Management with a degree in marketing. She currently works as the director of Northeastern University Hillel in Boston. Originally from Andover, Meltzer was involved in the North American Federation of Temple Youth (NFTY) and her Reform congregation. Upon deciding to go to UMass, she admitted, "I knew that there was a Jewish community, but it wasn't a top priority when I was looking at it." She eventually became an active member at Hillel. She started the Five College Reform group on campus, went to social events, helped out with religious services, and just "hung out" around the Hillel office at the Student Union. Meltzer recalled that an important factor of her involvement at Hillel was Perlmutter. She said, "I just remember study time with Saul. He was the glue for the whole organization." Before joining the staff at the Northeastern Hillel, Meltzer first worked for the Jewish Community Relations Council in Boston Hillel and then later at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for two and a half years. Although she enjoyed it, she "felt something was missing." Meltzer has been at Northeastern Hillel for 10 years. "It's grown a lot while I've been here," she said, "We're in a different building... It's a three-story building that we own." The programming has also expanded: There are now various different denominational services to attend on Shabbat, instead of having only one Reform service once a month. Meltzer is very committed to making changes happen when needed. Reminiscing about her experience at the UMass Hillel, Meltzer said, "I think it was just a great environment that Saul created there." Cindy Spungin is another UMass Amherst alum who has eventually found herself working for Hillel. After working in the residence life departments of SUNY Stony Brook and the University of Connecticut, she is now the director of student activities at Brandeis University Hillel in Waltham. Spungin also has a master's degree in higher affairs and student affairs administration. "I wanted to continue to work in a university setting with undergraduate students, but I was finding too much of my work in residence life was focused on the crises - putting out fires, literally and figuratively. I wanted to be more involved in campus programming and student leadership development. I thought it would be interesting and challenging if I could do this work in the context of the Jewish community, and I knew Hillel had begun hiring staff from a variety of disciplines, not just rabbis, social workers, and Jewish communal service professionals, so I thought I would explore the possibility of working for Hillel," Spungin explained. Originally from Newton, Spungin attended UMass Amherst from 1986-1990 and graduated with a bachelor's degree in psychology. Her decision to attend UMass Amherst was based on its affordability, and she knew nothing about the Hillel on campus. However, after coming to a meeting at Hillel with a friend, she became more involved. "I was most involved in the Holocaust Remembrance Week Committee and the National Student Lobby for Soviet Jewry. I chaired the HRW Committee my junior year and was Hillel's vice president my senior year. Coincidentally, the National Student Lobby for Soviet Jewry was coordinated at Brandeis University Hillel in what is now my current office!" said Spungin. Spungin recalled positive memories at UMass Amherst Hillel, such as practicing Hebrew with the program Director, and trying to remember to address Perlmutter by his first name. "Through my freshman year, I would address him as 'Rabbi Perlmutter' and he would always reply, 'Cindy, Call me Saul!' I think it was already May when I broke the habit!" said Spungin. "Hillel at UMass is so vibrant, it not only allows students to explore their Jewish identity through a variety of avenues, it also models for students that there are many different avenues to develop and grow and learn in a Jewish context. Second, UMass Hillel staff are wonderful role models for how to be a successful Hillel staff member, and they put such a genuinely positive face to working for Hillel," Spungin stated. At Brandeis Hillel, she is responsible for advising the student board, the student programming groups, and student leadership development. "One way my experience at UMass Hillel helped prepare me not only for my current job, but also for my career in higher education in general, is that it was through my involvement in Hillel that I first learned how to implement programs on campus and how to navigate university systems to maximize the success of student programming," she said. Campus life coordinator Chanel Dubofsky also felt that UMass Amherst Hillel helped prepare her for her current job as the Jewish campus life coordinator at Oberlin College Hillel in Oberlin, Ohio. Dubofsky is originally from Springfield, and graduated UMass Amherst in 2001 with bachelor's degrees in English and Jewish studies. She became involved in Hillel in order to find a niche within such a large school. "I was kind of worried if I would find anyone who was like me... where I ended up living at UMass was where there were tons and tons of sorority girls... that really wasn't my scene," said Dubofsky, who eventually went to Hillel after a suggestion by her mother. After her mother's death during her sophomore year, she received encouragement from Hillel students to come and say Kaddish. Afterwards, Dubofsky became involved in the Jewish Women's Collective, a group for female Jewish students which was previously not very active. The collective which attracted Dubofsky because it was "a women's symposium: Jewish women and healing." Dubofsky also enjoyed leading religious services. She said, "[Hillel] was the place where I learned that not only Jewish cultural identity was important to me but that Jewish religious identity was important to me." Her experiences at UMass Amherst Hillel lead her to continue to work in the Jewish community after her graduation, and signed up for the Jewish Organizing Initiative, a one-year social justice fellowship in Boston. Dubofsky began her current position as the Jewish campus life coordinator at Oberlin College Hillel in August 2002 because she was interested in "being on the other side of the fence." Her job as the Jewish campus life coordinator is to engage students in leadership roles and work with them to develop their leadership skills. She also organizes programs and does community outreach. "It's interesting because I have the perspective of what I would like to do as an undergraduate," said Dubofsky, who feels that her experiences at UMass Amherst Hillel have prepared her for her current job. "[UMass is] such a huge place and there's so much to do," she said, "there's no excuse for saying you went to UMass and didn't do anything for four years." The Riverway Project connects Jewish adults Genessa Trietsch, who graduated UMass Amherst in 2004 with a bachelor's degree in psychology, is currently the program coordinator of The Riverway Project at Temple Israel in Boston. The Riverway Project is an outreach and integration initiative that seeks to connect Jewish adults in their 20s and 30s to Judaism through a variety of programs. Trietsch grew up in Brookline as an active member of Temple Israel, and immediately began working at Temple Israel in July 2004. She was originally interested in pursuing a career in Jewish education at Temple Israel and worked at The Riverway Project part time, but recently began working there full time as the position became more demanding. Trietsch's responsibilities include acting as the main contact person for young adult members and organizing events. "Riverway is a unique model nationally because of the leadership behind it... It's cutting edge and I'm excited to be a part of that," said Trietsch. When Trietsch enrolled at UMass Amherst, she was aware of its strong Jewish environment. "I knew it had an active Hillel, and I was looking for something with a present Jewish body," she said. She got involved in Hillel by attending Reformed services in her freshman year, but was not interested in becoming any more active. She said, "I was really just looking to go to services somewhere partly because I was burnt out from previous Jewish youth group stuff." However, Trietsch's priorities changed after studying abroad during her junior year in Australia, where she was not exposed to any Jewish community. "When I came back to the states I realized how important it is to have a Jewish community... I would have loved to go somewhere for services [in Australia]," she said. Upon her return to UMass, Trietsch then took over leading the Reform Chavurah Shabbat services with fellow UMass Amherst student Wendy Levine, who now works at the Hillel at Rutgers University. In addition, Trietsch co-directed the Jewish drama group at Hillel, where students watched and discussed Jewish films, put on one act plays, and ran the yearly production of the play, "The Vagina Monologues." The role of being a leader appealed to Trietsch, who enjoyed welcoming people at the door before Shabbat services. "Being in a leadership role gave me the confidence to welcome people [to Hillel] and make them feel more comfortable," said Trietsch. Reflecting upon her time at UMass, Trietsch values the experience and skills she has gained, such as "acknowledging the power of warmth when somebody comes to a new place," and "the importance and potential of shared responsibility in order to have a sustainable program." These skills have proved to be very useful in her position at The Riverway Project. "For some people Hillel was a pivotal experience, which made them set in their Jewish identity, and naturally brought them into the Jewish professional world... This is a world we're comfortable in and it's our first job... It's very empowering," said Trietsch. Jewish Campus Service Professionals After Wendy Levine graduated UMass Amherst in 2004 with a degree in sports management, with four years of memorable experiences at the UMass Amherst Hillel, she knew that she wanted to pursue a career working with students in the Jewish community. Levine grew up on Long Island, and immediately wanted to become involved in the Jewish community upon her arrival at UMass Amherst. "I feel that in such a big school you need a sense of community so it was important to me that wherever I went to school... that I would have a smaller community within a larger school," Levine said. Her positive experience in Israel on the birthright israel program during her freshman year heightened her desire to be involved at Hillel, and she eventually became a representative and recruiter for the birthright program. She was also a resident assistant for the living area at Hillel, and co-lead Reform Chavurah Shabbat services during her senior year with Trietsch. In addition, she was the coordinator of the recreational group for first year students at Hillel. Levine initially became involved at Hillel with the encouragement of the former UMass Amherst Hillel Jewish Campus Service Corps fellow of her freshman year, Sarah Raffle. "After seeing what she did my freshman year, I decided that's what I wanted to do... I knew that I had such a strong Jewish identity and such a knack for meeting people and the enthusiasm and the energy.... I smile too much. I enjoy meeting people and getting to know them," explained Levine, who admitted that Raffle was responsible for stimulating her interest in participating in the birthright program. "That's why I'm a JCSC - because I love getting students involved." As the JCSC fellow at the Hillel of the University of South Florida Hillel in Tampa Bay, Levine made personal connections with students, ran a promotional table for Hillel, created programming, and worked with student groups. Levine is now working as a JCSC at the Hillel at Rutgers University. "For me I didn't get the experience I wanted in Tampa; it's a different culture," said Levine, who also missed her family and friends. Nonetheless, Levine "wanted to give Hillel another chance," and is very happy with her role as a JCSC at Rutgers Hillel. "I got a warm feeling from the Hillel here. It is an amazing opportunity to try this again," said Levine, who is also happy to be closer to her family and friends in her native state of New York. "The students here are go-getters and self-starters. They are a lot more like the students at UMass... The experience is more fulfilling," said Levine. Currently, Levine is working on several projects at Rutgers Hillel, such as a "Kosher sex week" to promote good health, a Chanukah ball, and a date auction. She also works closely with freshman, graduate students, the Reform Chavurah, and students living in the resident halls. "I am everywhere at once," she said. Her experiences as a student leader at UMASS Amherst Hillel have helped her at both her JCSC positions, as she feels comfortable organizing activities, and taking control of any situations that might arise while on the job. "I feel very lucky that I went to a school with a very active Hillel. It gave me the opportunity to build a smaller community within a larger community... It was a big part of my college experience," said Levine. She added, "It would be a completely different experience [as a JSCS] if I hadn't gone to the Hillel at UMass." Much like Levine, Sarah Hefter was also inspired to become involved at the UMass Hillel by former JCSC Sarah Raffle, and as a result, has taken on the same role at another University's Hillel. After graduating in 2004 with a bachelor's degree in psychology, Hefter became the JCSC fellow at the University of Maryland Hillel in College Park, Md. Originally from Northridge, Calif., Hefter never considered becoming involved at the Hillel when she decided to go to UMass Amherst, even though she was active in her Jewish youth group. However, after she met Raffle during her junior year, she was inspired to play an active role at Hillel. Raffle treated Hefter to ice cream and explained that there are many different ways to get involved at Hillel. Shortly afterwards, Hefter started to work for the Hillel-a-thon, where she requested funding for Hillel from parents, faculty, and alumni. She also began to frequent Shabbat dinners at Hillel with a group of friends. After graduation, Hefter applied to the 11 month JCSC fellowship with the encouragement of the Hillel staff, and is currently in her second year of the position while living in Bethesda, Md. "Sarah [Raffle] had drawn me into Hillel and enabled me to have a positive Jewish experience on campus and I wanted to give that to students as well," said Hefter. As the JCSC Hefter strives "to create a positive Jewish experience for students at the University of Maryland." Her experiences at UMass Hillel, particularly at the Hillel-A-Thon, helped give her the confidence to approach new people without feeling awkward, which has been a very important skill in her job as the JCSC. "UMass has a very positive environment... When I came to Maryland... I was hoping I would come to a campus that was half as good as UMass," said Hefter, who added, "I love UMass and I miss it a lot." Rachael Dahlben is a freelance writer in the Boston area. Tracy Hudak contributed to this report.