MEET THE TEAM
Jillian Juni
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
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Jillian (she/her) was born and raised in New City, New York. She received a BA in sociology, with a minor in Jewish Studies, from Rutgers University where she was an involved HIllel student and leader. Growing up Jillian spent her summers at URJ Eisner Camp, and following college she worked for Eisner year round. While working, she received a MA in human rights from Columbia University, focusing on women and religion. Jillian met her husband, Mordechai, at Hillel and together they moved to Santa Barbara in 2012. She worked at Santa Barbara Hillel for seven years and in 2017 was awarded Hillel International’s Richard M. Joel Exemplar of Excellence Award. Jillian has been leading the amazing team at Syracuse Hillel since 2019. She has two children, Lev and Aviva, who love Hillel, Otto, and Syracuse. Jillian is passionate about Judaism, women, singing songs for fun, and making the world a better place.
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Jared Stern
jmstern@syr.edu ​
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Jared Stern (he/him) comes to Syracuse Hillel after serving for the past three years at Ohio
University Hillel, including the past year as the Director of Jewish Student Life. He graduated with a BA in Political Science from Florida Atlantic University, where he was involved as a student leader in Hillel and Student Government. Jared graduated with a MA in Jewish Nonprofit Management from Hebrew Union College Zelikow School in May of 2024. Jared was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and raised in South Florida. He is very excited to come to Syracuse Hillel and to get to know all of the amazing people in the community. Jared is passionate about leadership, all things Philadelphia sports, and being in nature.
Tamar Levy
SPRINGBOARD SOCIAL JUSTICE FELLOW
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Tamar (she/her) was born and raised on Long Island, New York. Growing up, she was an active member of her BBYO chapter and spent many summers at Perlman Camp, where she made lifelong friends. Tamar recently graduated with a BA in History Education with a minor in global studies from the University of Delaware. At UD, Tamar was a part of Hillel and the World Scholars Program, which allowed her to study abroad in Lisbon, Portugal, and Madrid, Spain. Tamar was also actively involved in undergraduate research and worked to design more equitable learning experiences for K-12 students in Social Studies classrooms across the state. She collaborated with other educators throughout Delaware to create culturally a relevant curriculum, and even designed a website for teachers. Tamar loves working with students at Syracuse University Hillel and continues to learn how she can help them tackle issues that they are passionate about resolving within the local community.
Melanie Halbert
SPRINGBOARD INNOVATION FELLOW​
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Melanie Halbert(she/her) grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia and attended Muhlenberg College, where she majored in Mathematics and Music with a concentration in vocal performance. At Muhlenberg, she was an active member of Phi Mu sorority, serving as Treasurer in 2023. Melanie showcased her artistic talents by dancing in various performances, playing viola in the Chamber Orchestra, and singing classical and musical theater pieces. She honed her relationship-building skills as a Mathematics Tutor at Muhlenberg’s Academic Resource Center, a member of the Cardinal Key Society (Muhlenberg’s Alumni Engagement Network), and a First-Year Engagement Intern at Hillel. Melanie also spent a semester abroad in Milan, Italy, where she refined her vocal performance skills in Italian opera, volunteered at a local soup kitchen, enjoyed daily cappuccinos, and embarked on numerous adventures. In her free time, Melanie loves spending hours at the beach, singing and dancing to Taylor Swift songs, and drinking Matcha or Boba Tea. She is thrilled to bring her creative thinking, love for Judaism, and passion for meeting new people to her new role as the Innovation Fellow at Syracuse Hillel. Go Orange!
Haviv Rahamin
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Haviv Rahamin (he/him) is an Israeli native who grew up in the city of Jerusalem. He has a BA in Architecture from Ariel University. Most recently, he lived in Tel Aviv and worked in urban planning in the field of urban renewal of old neighborhoods. Haviv volunteered for three months in Nepal with “Tevel Btzedek,” an organization that works with community development worldwide. Haviv is a big sports fan and enjoys running, playing soccer and frisbee. He also loves traveling and getting to know different types of people with interesting life stories.