As the school year begins, Jewish students at this university have been introduced to three new staff members at the Maryland Hillel. Leah Bregman, the new development associate, Hilary Rappaport, the innovation springboard fellow and Mawa Eyov, the Israel fellow, joined the Maryland Hillel staff over the summer. 

These new additions to the Maryland Hillel staff complement the existing team by bringing different past experiences, Dawn Savage, Maryland Hillel’s assistant director for student life, explained. 

Bregman began working full time for Maryland Hillel upon graduating from this university. Bregman brings four years of experience as the development intern for Maryland Hillel while she was a student, where she learned her passion for fundraising. Bregman was also the president of the Jewish Student Union and the Gift of Life chapter at this university as a student. 

In her role, Bregman is mainly responsible for fundraising. In that capacity, she maintains relationships with alumni and parents and oversees fundraising events like Giving Day, family weekend and the new Hillel building’s groundbreaking.

Bregman is most looking forward to Giving Day, a 24-hour fundraiser usually in the spring, where different departments within this university compete for the most successful fundraising.

“I’m really excited for giving day, it’s always what I’m excited for. I like to try new things and get new people involved and see how much money that we can raise. It puts a number on the things that I’m doing,” Bregman said.

Bregman also noted that she’s working towards raising funds for the new Hillel building, with construction already underway.

“We’re growing out of this building,” Bregman said.

As a recent alum of this university, Bregman brings a unique perspective to the Maryland Hillel team. 

“She’s bringing a lot of institutional knowledge and knowing how it is to be a college student here. And as she works with alumni, she’s also an alum, so she knows kind of what they’re thinking,” Savage said. 

Rappaport, the innovation springboard fellow, is focused on engagement with seniors and Greek life on campus. 

Rappaport grew up in a reform family, where she was both very involved in the Jewish world  and also exposed to the outside world. 

“I’ve been involved in the Jewish world for literally my whole life: Jewish preschool, Jewish sleep away camp, grew up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan – a very Jewish area – but also always very exposed to the non-Jewish world.”

At Muhlenberg College, her alma mater, Rappaport was deeply engaged in campus life, both through Muhlenberg Hillel and Greek life.  

Rappaport served as a member of the senior programming board and was an engagement intern at the Muhlenberg Hillel while she was a student there. She was also the president of the panhellenic council, where she oversaw the sororities on campus and she was her chapter’s secretary. 

“Hillel was a huge part of everything I did, even things that were not Jewish related, Hillel still somehow became a part of, so that to me was very important,” said Rappaport.

In her job search, Rappaport was looking to join a Hillel with a “robust, thriving Jewish community” and a “big school with a lot of spirit,” ultimately leading her to Maryland Hillel.

Rappaport is most looking forward to staffing a birthright trip and attracting new students to get involved with Hillel by maintaining a consistent connection between Greek life students and Hillel. 

Elle Schanzer, a Jewish sophomore who is an undecided major, is a member of this university’s Sigma Delta Tau chapter. 

“I’m really excited to have her and I think she’ll do a great job of bringing more Greek life Jewish students into Hillel and make it stronger,” said Schanzer.

Rappaport was an appealing candidate for this role because she was both involved in Greek life and Hillel while she was in college. 

“We’re always continuing to try to engage people that aren’t coming to Hillel, which tends to be our Greek life and seniors, who are checked out because they’re doing other things, and bringing them back to Hillel,” Savage said. 

Eyov, the Israel Fellow, is responsible for overseeing Israel-related clubs, holiday programming and bringing Israeli culture to campus. 

Eyov was born in Ethiopia and moved to Israel with her family at three years old. She lives in the city of Lod.

In the Israeli Defense Forces, Eyov was a simulator instructor in the Moran Unit.

She also has experience working with college students. Eyov was a project coordinator for excellence at Ruppin College in Israel, where she engaged with students and worked in logistics.

“I worked a lot with teenagers. I have the knowledge to know how to approach the project and how to pass my message that I want to pass,” said Eyov. 

Eyov was motivated to work for a Hillel following the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack in Israel.

“So after October 7, I saw on TV how it affects us as the Israelis, and I saw on TV how it affects the students in the campuses. So I want to be here, and even if I will not have all the answers, sometimes to be here to give you guys a hug or to be there, it’s enough.”

Einav Tsach, a junior majoring in journalism and marketing and president of this university’s Israeli American Council – Mishelanu is excited to work alongside Eyov. 

“Mawa has been incredible in the sense that she’s gotten to know each and every one of us beyond the surface level. She’s made sure to check in with every person, and she’s become a really, really close member of our community very quickly.I think the support she gives us students is extremely important in this time.”

Savage explained that Hillel saw an increased presence of Israeli and Israeli-American students since last year.

“I think with Mawa’s background and her ability to connect well with others, I think that will continue to grow,” said Savage.