The NorthView Hillel building opened at the University of Central Florida in the 2015–2016 academic year; this shows one angle of the building with (inset) L-R: Alan Ginsburg, Hank Katzen, Russell Goldberg and Executive Director & CEO Aaron Weil, 2016.
Founded nationally in 1923 and adopted by B’nai B’rith in 1924, Hillel has grown into the world’s largest Jewish campus organization. From 2001 to 2013, Central Florida Hillel bounced between apartments, living rooms and rented buildings. Then the generosity and creativity of Alan Ginsburg, Marc Katzen and Hank Katzen came together to create NorthView, a state-of-the-art facility across from the UCF stadium. In addition to housing Hillel, NorthView is also home to the Catholic Campus Ministry and is a 600-bed residence hall for UCF. Now home to the Jeffrey and Diane Ginsburg Center for Jewish Student Life at Central Florida Hillel, the Jewish students at UCF no longer have to be the wandering Jews.
Central Florida Hillel
Central Florida Hillel student leaders L-R: Ben Sack, Rebecca Solomon, Noah Saposnik and Amy Schwartz pose with Bubbe, 2004.
This JFGO agency, founded in 2001 under the leadership of President Nina Oppenheim and Treasurer Burt Brown, quickly became the center for Jewish life on UCF campus. Students regularly come to Hillel for a weekly bagel brunch, to watch TV, spend time with other Jews and to find their home on campus. Recognizing that no good Jewish home is complete without a loving Jewish grandmother, in 2005 Hillel created a cardboard cutout of a Jewish bubbe to greet students when they came to programs, and these students love her so much, they are still in Orlando today!
Central Florida Hillel
Every Wednesday during the fall and spring semesters, students fill Hillel for Hump Day Nosh, the weekly midweek meal, 2015.
For many students and young adults, Hillel is more than their home away from home. It is where they go to study, to relax, and hang out with other Jews their age. Here, students are enjoying kosher Mexican food and learning about Jewish life in Latin America. In addition to Nosh, Hillel also offers weekly Jewish education (called “edJEWcation”) classes, Shabbat services and dinners, and Israel programs.
Central Florida Hillel
Central Florida Hillel is proud to take students on 10- day trips to Israel through a partnership with Birthright International, summer 2016.
While on Birthright, students get to experience what life is like for the average Israeli. Participants visit sites that are central to Jewish history, which are the foundation stones for a Jewish future. In this photo, Central Florida Hillel students are visiting a Jewish National Fund (JNF) underground playground in Sderot in the western Negev of Israel. The playground is reinforced to protect the children and their families from the constant threat of rocket attacks from neighboring Gaza.
Central Florida Hillel
UCF Hillel students Shana Medel, Michelle Weisz and Janice Weiner volunteer over spring break to plant a vegetable garden at Camp Ramah Darom in Clayton, GA, 2015.
A core value of Central Florida Hillel is tikkun olam. In addition to alternative spring break programs, Hillel offers students opportunities to give back to their community, including road and water cleanups, food and clothing drives and holiday programming for the elderly or young children. Through partnerships with host institutions and the surrounding community, Central Florida Hillel aspires to be a truly indispensable partner and teach Jewish values for the future lives of its students.
Central Florida Hillel