Rabbi Aaron Fine
​Executive Director

413-549-1710 x207
Email Rabbi Aaron HERE
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Aaron (he/him) is very excited to have returned to his hometown of Amherst to serve as UMass Hillel's Executive Director. Previously, he served as Rabbi of Temple Sinai of Marblehead on the North Shore of Boston. He received rabbinic ordination at Hebrew College in Newton, MA as well as a Masters in Jewish Education. He met his wife Emily at Oberlin College. Some of the things he loves to do are to explore the outdoors, garden, play music, study Jewish mysticism, and play with his children Emet and Saphira. My doors are open, come say hi!

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Rebekah Steinfeld
​Assistant Director

413-549-1710 x208
Email Rebekah HERE
  
​Rebekah (she/her) joined the staff of UMass Hillel in 2014 after two years teaching at a Jewish Day School in Northampton, MA. Some of her other work experiences have been in Jewish environmental education at Teva and directing the arts programs at Seeds of Peace International Camp. Originally from the Pacific Northwest, she holds an MA in Performance Studies from NYU and a BA in Theatre from Willamette University. She lives in Northampton with her partner Erik and his 2 children. In her free time she likes to hike, read, cook, travel, and develop her ukulele skills.

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Melanie Gerard
Director of Advancement

413-320-4162
​Email Melanie HERE

Melanie (she/her) has more than ten years of Jewish communal fundraising experience and was recently the Development Director at Camp Yavneh and was responsible for all philanthropic initiatives, alumni engagement activities and served as the liaison to the camp board of directors. She is currently on the executive board of the Hadassah Boston Chapter and has held previous lay-leader positions with Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Boston, the City of Newton Creative Arts Council, and Camp Yavneh. Previous to joining Hillel, Melanie worked as the Associate Director of Business Development at MIT Horizon to help established key strategic partners across the Institute, while creating workflows to successfully target Fortune 500 clients. Melanie launched her early career in marketing and development for high-tech SaaS startups and has her MBA in Marketing from Bentley University, BS in Economics-Finance, and minored in gender studies. She and her husband Michael live in Newton and have three kids.

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Rabbi Raffi and Ariella Leicht 
OU-JLIC Educators

413-549-1710 x211                  413-549-1710 x204
Email Raffi HERE                      Email Ariella HERE

​Following their marriage and sojourn in Park Slope, Brooklyn, Raffi (he/him) and Ariella (she/her) headed up to the Pioneer Valley to forage for souls and sparks of light as the new JLIC couple at UMass Hillel. Raffi, who studied neuropsychology at the City University of New York, has shared his love of Torah, Tefilla, and Chevra in different educational and communal environments, both here in the US and abroad. He has built conscious communities and has studied under some of the most renowned leaders and thinkers in the Jewish world today. Ariella, born and raised in prime suburbia of Great Neck, NY, is a graduate of Bernard Revel Graduate School of Judaic Studies with a Master's degree in (and love for) Medieval Jewish History. Ariella worked as a Curatorial Assistant at the Herbert and Eileen Bernard Museum of Judaica in New York City. They are always available, stop by their office in Hillel to say hi!

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Ashley Nalven
​Senior IACT Birthright Coordinator  

413-549-1710 x202
Email Ashley HERE

Ashley (she/her) grew up in Indialantic, Florida and is very excited to now be in the Northeast working as the IACT Birthright Coordinator at UMass Hillel! During her time at Florida Atlantic University (Go Owls!), she was heavily involved as a member of Phi Mu Fraternity and her Greek community. After graduating, she took a flight to Israel as a participant on Masa Israel Teaching Fellows in Rishon Lezion. During her 10 months in Rishon, she taught English at an elementary school, which is one of her most rewarding experiences to date. Ashley loves to help students find their Jewish identities and share her love of Israel!

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Sapir Ben Zvi
Israel Fellow 

413-549-1710 x201
Email Sapir HERE

Sapir (she/her) is starting her first year at UMass Hillel as an Israel Fellow. She is from Kibbutz Amiad in the north of Israel. Sapir recently graduated from Tel-Hai College where she studied for a B.A in Social Work and specialized in Policy Change Practice. During her army service, Sapir served in the IDF Spokesperson Unit at the Northern Command, where she oversaw foreign affairs. Before her army service, she volunteered for a one-year service in a children's village for kids who were taken out of their homes. Sapir was a part of the “Kav Hazinuk” Leadership Program which trains Israelis to become the next generation of Israeli leaders to promote professional social action. She also worked there as a group leader.
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Emerson Finkle
Social Justice
​Springboard Fellow

413- 549-1710 x213
​Email Emerson HERE

Emerson (he/him) grew up pretty sure that being Jewish meant eating matzo and lighting menorahs in addition to Easter eggs and Christmas trees. He reconnected with Judaism in a serious way during his time as a student at the University of Rochester. There, Emerson studied religion and anthropology and developed a passion for fostering conversation across lines of difference. He also believes deeply in breaking down the barriers between universities and their surrounding communities. Emerson is happiest when he is spending time outdoors, playing the mandolin, or writing slam poetry. ​

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Emily Kopka
Innovation
Springboard Fellow

413-549-1710 x213
Email Emily HERE

Emily (she/her) grew up in the Chicagoland area and went on to attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she graduated from in May of 2019. She is so excited to be headed to the East Coast to work as an Innovation Springboard Fellow at UMass! With a background in both education and Jewish programming, she loves working and creating with students to help them find their passions. In her free time, you're most likely to find Emily at a concert, binging comedy TV on Netflix or at a mall somewhere.

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Rob Kaufman
​Director of Operations

413-549-1710 x205
Email Rob HERE

Rob (he/him) is responsible for all things related to the Hillel building's operations and maintenance, in addition to some budget and financial planning tasks. His background has been in the areas of energy management, conservation, and business operations. Having lived in the Valley for over 15 years with his wife and three sons, he enjoys coaching soccer, playing tennis and golf, and hanging at the ocean. Be sure to stop by his office and say hi!

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Rich Kassirer
​​Office Manager/Development Associate

413-549-1710 x201
Email Rich HERE

Rich (he/him) moved with his wife, Sue, to Leverett two years ago from the Boston area to escape the unending traffic and city sprawl. After working for many years as an editor for Boston newspapers, he is excited about his new second career, getting involved in the community and delving further into his Jewish heritage. He spends his downtime kayaking, walking in the woods, and in his vegetable garden. He also volunteers at the Amherst Survival Center and at local music venues.

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