STUDENT LEADERSHIP & ENGAGEMENT
At Texas Hillel, we believe in helping to develop students into future Jewish leaders through internships, mentoring and training programs, and leadership positions. This includes the Student Executive Cabinet, which consists of a group of student leaders who work closely with Texas Hillel staff members to facilitate Jewish life on campus. Through weekly meetings and a range of activities, the Executive Cabinet works hard to offer diverse programming and build relationships with Jewish students, campus organizations, and the community.
One of our favorite programs is the First Impression Internship (FII), where students serve as the face of Texas Hillel! They greet students, families, and donors with a smile, welcoming them to the building and helping them get settled or taking them on tours of the space. Our staff is dedicated to giving FIIs the tools they need to move forward in taking on more leadership roles at Hillel!
Texas Hillel is also part of Hillel International’s Campus Engagement Internship program. Campus Engagement Interns (CEIs) are trained to identify and build relationships with students who might not otherwise get involved with Jewish life. CEIs work hard to understand students’ interests, passions, and aspirations and connect them to opportunities they may find meaningful and engaging.
View the info packet here or scroll to learn more.
JOBS & INTERNSHIPS
Birthright Recruitment Interns: Meet weekly to work on winter and summer Birthright recruitment strategy, events, and marketing. Meet with students interested in Hillel’s Birthright trips. Attend regular events at Hillel and create hype about winter and summer trips! $250 stipend per semester.
Campus Engagement Interns: Meet weekly with the VP of Engagement to discuss Hillel’s engagement strategy, get coffee with both interested and uninvolved students to share more about Hillel’s resources, attend regular events, and create hype about getting involved. $200 stipend per semester plus A LOT of free coffee.
Communications & Operations Intern: Work with Texas Hillel’s Development and Operations teams to learn more about what nonprofit work looks like. Assist with development events in Austin, communicate with vendors, work on Hillel’s marketing, serve as Hillel’s representative during rental events, and more! $500 stipend per semester.
Development Intern: Work with Texas Hillel’s Development team on fundraising efforts that allow us to provide incredible programs and experiences to students. Assist with development events, communicate with donors, serve on fundraising committees, and more! $500 stipend per semester.
First Impression Interns: FIIs are the first person to welcome people to Hillel and create a welcoming atmosphere from the front desk! Responsible for running the front desk, signing students in, reception, and more. This group is supervised by a Head FII and the Operations Manager, who host monthly professional development meetings. Paid hourly and runs either during the school year or year-round. If you are interested, please email Ayala Huber.
Learning Fellowship Interns: Learning fellowship interns help to facilitate cohorts of Life’s Big Questions and Shabbat Hosting Lab. They discuss room set up, order dinner, and help establish intentions with the cohort to make the group feel comfortable and ready to learn. Supervised by the Rabbi/Jewish Educator. A car is required to pick up dinner when delivery is not available. This position receives the same stipend as the learning fellowship cohort. Prior learning fellowship experience preferred.
Onward Israel Intern: The Onward Intern meets weekly with the Birthright Coordinator beginning in October to discuss the Onward recruitment strategy, plan marketing and reunion events, and help put together the next cohort’s orientation. The intern’s main responsibility is Interviewing Onward applicants and helping to build out the next cohort of this competitive program. $250 base stipend, plus the potential for bonuses.
Student Executive Cabinet: Together, Student Executive Cabinet serves the overall interests of Jewish students on campus. This group meets weekly and is responsible for a wide array of duties that allow Hillel to serve as many students as possible through outreach, engagement, and leadership development. Each member works with their individual staff point to implement and execute their portfolios. Exec Cab is responsible for Welcome Week initiatives, ensuring that Shabbat runs smoothly each week, and working to create a vibrant and welcoming Jewish community on campus. These positions are competitive and receive a $500 stipend per semester.
Summer Interns: Summer Interns have the opportunity to help to create a welcoming environment for incoming students who are visiting campus during summer Orientation sessions. These interns work with the Jewish Student Life team on proactively reaching out to incoming students to be sure they know about all Hillel has to offer. Summer interns also table each week at campus org fairs, plan a weekly Tuesday dinner for new and returning students, and help run the Hillel building during summer hours. $500 stipend.
Do you need internship credit for a class? Talk to us! We’re happy to see if we can make it work.
LEARNING FELLOWSHIPS
Israel Learning Fellowship: A six-week fellowship that brings together students to take a deep dive into Israel and to provide them with the tools and knowledge for their future Israel conversations and experiences. Each meeting is 90 minutes and dinner is provided. This fellowship is taught by the Jewish Agency Israel Fellow; students who complete the series earn a stipend.
Kol Yisrael Diversity Course: A six-week fellowship that explores how ethnic minorities balance “becoming Israeli” with maintaining an identity rooted in their particular historical narrative. Exploring six of Israel’s ethnic groups, we will dive into questions of identity and inclusion to ignite conversations about how the values of diversity and uniformity animate the public sphere in Israel and in our own Hillel spaces. Each meeting is 90 minutes and dinner is provided. This course is taught by the Jewish Agency Israel Fellow; students who complete the course earn a stipend.
Life’s Big Questions: A ten-part fellowship that provides a semester of discussion-based learning for students looking to deepen their understanding of Judaism on their own terms in a cohort of others hoping to do the same. Each meeting is 90 minutes and dinner is provided. This fellowship is taught by a Rabbi/Jewish Educator; students who complete the series earn a stipend.
Shabbat Hosting Lab: A ten-part fellowship that invites students to develop confidence and knowledge surrounding Shabbat rituals, to design and execute a Shabbat skill set, and to become hosts capable of facilitating a table experience in their own spaces informed and inspired by Jewish wisdom and tradition. Participants attend a Shabbat hosted by the facilitator and host two Shabbat meals on their own. Each meeting is 90 minutes and dinner is provided. This fellowship is taught by a Rabbi/Jewish Educator; students who complete the series earn a stipend.
Social Justice Organizing Cohort: A three-part fellowship meeting once a month led by the Springboard Social Justice Fellow and an organizer from the Religious Action Center of Texas (RAC). Together, you and your cohort will learn the fundamentals of organizing, what it means to build power, and connect social change to Jewish identity. These sessions will culminate in an opportunity to volunteer with RAC-TX on a statewide campaign. Each meeting is 90 minutes and short pre-readings will be assigned for each one. Dinner is also provided.
Wellness Learning Fellowship: We are planning to pilot this ten-part fellowship over the course of the 2023-2024 school year. Students will be able to build the connections between wellness and Jewish values by exploring relationships to self and others, compassion and mindfulness, and more. This will be co-facilitated by the Springboard Social Justice Fellow and Hillel’s Mental Health Counselor.
OTHER WAYS TO GET INVOLVED
Texas Hillel serves as a home to a number of student organizations. As an org leader, you are passionate about getting students involved in learning more about what your org does! Every org is different and we encourage you to speak with a current leader or a staff member if you’re interested in getting involved or taking a leadership position. Have an idea for an org that doesn’t exist yet? Let us help you make it happen!
Current Clubs, Organizations, and Informal Leadership Roles: Chai Tea, Challah for Hunger, Hillel Running Club, Jewdle, LGBTJew, Mishelanu, We Talk Feminism, University Interfaith Council
Students also serve in leadership roles to plan Texas Hillel’s annual Israel Block Party event. Israel Block Party is the premiere and largest pro-Israel event on a college campus in North America, hosted in the heart of campus each year. IBP is overseen by two event chairs as well as a team of leaders who work in programming, fundraising, marketing, logistics, and volunteer recruitment. Students work with the Jewish Student Life team to ensure the event runs smoothly while showcasing Israeli culture, innovation, values, and more.
Texas Hillel
2105 San Antonio Street,
Austin, TX 78705
P: 512.476.0125
F: 512.476.0128
E: info@texashillel.org
