Rabbi Aaron Fine
​Executive Director

413-549-1710 x207
Email Rabbi Aaron HERE
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Rabbi Aaron Fine (he/him) was born in Bloomington, Indiana where he was raised with two religions, Judaism and Indiana basketball, both of which he continued to observe after moving to Amherst at the age of 10.  Aaron went to Oberlin College where he majored in Jewish Studies with a minor in Studio Art.  He went to rabbinical school, and acquired a Masters in Jewish Education, at Hebrew College in Boston.  He served for five years as the rabbi of Temple Sinai in Marblehead, Mass., and during this time founded an intercommunal Jewish learning program, Torah Hub.  Rabbi Fine has served as the Executive Director of UMass Hillel since 2014, and lives in Northampton with his wife, two kids, and Israeli dog Fox.  In his spare time he loves to fish, explore the nature of Western Mass, and do ceramics. 

Rabbi Fine’s work at Hillel includes supervising senior staff, fundraising, grants, strategic planning and budgeting, working with the Hillel Board of Directors and campus and organizational partners, leading the Rabbi’s Fishing Club, and advising Mizmor and Ruach student groups.

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Meredith Lewis
​Managing Director

413-549-1710 x202
Email Meredith HERE

Meredith Lewis is the new managing director at UMass Hillel. In that role, Meredith supports finance, operations, and strategy. Most of her career has been at the intersection of philanthropy and non-profit management. She previously worked for the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, as the Senior Director of Community Impact and Partnerships. She also was the Director of Content and Education for PJ Library and the Director of Operations and Managing Editor at MyJewishLearning/70 Faces Media. She attended Northwestern University as an undergraduate and received an MA and MPA from New York University. 
Meredith is a faculty member at the Brandeis University Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership program and a Wexner Field Fellow. She’s lived in the Northeast for more than two decades, but still holds on to her Texas roots. Meredith enjoys vegetable gardening, reading murder mysteries, playing tennis, and spending time with her family. 

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Rabbi Raffi Leicht 
Campus Rabbi and Director
​of Education

413-549-1710 x206
Email Raffi HERE 

Raffi (he/him) was born in New York City and raised on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, in Los Angeles, CA and in Riverdale, NY.  Raffi studied in Israel and Yeshiva University for his Rabbinical education and studied neuropsychology at The City University of New York Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies and Hebrew University’s Rothberg International School. He has conducted research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and traded on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, led Passover seders in Katowice, Poland and Flensburg, Germany, written for Tablet Magazine, created, edited and published Jewish literary journals, organized concerts featuring Israeli musicians in New York City, and served as gabbai to chassidic rebbes. He is an alumnus of The Stollel and the University of Purim.
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Raffi works with students and community through one-on-one conversations, Jewish learning, Shabbat and Holiday experiences, advising Degel, prayer services, supporting religious infrastructure and student advocacy.

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​Melanie Gerard
Director of Advancement
​and Special Projects

413-406-3131
Email Melanie HERE
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Melanie (she/her) oversees the advancement portfolio for UMass Hillel, including fundraising activities and special projects to help drive the strategic growth of our Hillel. As a native Bostonian, she works remotely and often frequents the UMass Amherst campus. As a UMass parent ('24 & '25), Melanie wears two hats in our community and enjoys meeting parents and alumni to talk about 'all things Hillel'.

Melanie currently serves on the Hillel Council of New England Board and has also held various leadership roles at Hadassah Boston, Camp Yavneh, and Solomon Schechter Day School.  She has an MBA in marketing and a BS in Economics & Finance from Bentley University.

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Meir Evans
Director of Student Life and Leadership

413-549-1710 x205
Email Meir HERE

Originally from Ohio, Meir (he/him) graduated with a degree in Conservation Biology and Music from Capital University where he also served as the Jewish Student Representative of the Interfaith Student Council. After spending the last few years in nonprofit management, overseeing Field Operations, Community Engagement and Leadership Development, Meir is so excited to be leading the Student Life Team and supporting all our Jewish students on their personal journeys. Meir is also pursuing his Masters Degree in Jewish Professional Studies with the Spertus Institute. In his free time, Meir enjoys camping, music, DnD, and rescuing animals!​

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Danielle Ben Ezer
Jewish Agency Israel Fellow

413-549-1710 
Email Danielle HERE

Danielle (she/her) has a deep passion for dance, yoga, movement, wellness, nature, and cultural exploration. Born and raised in Tel Aviv, she is fluent in English, Hebrew, and Spanish, she brings a global perspective and a strong belief in the power of connection and cross-cultural engagement to create a more vibrant and understanding world. Danielle has worked extensively with youth of all ages—whether in Jewish summer camps, with at-risk students in the Israeli education system, or in multicultural environments within Israel. With a strong commitment for community building,  Danielle is guided by the belief that when cultures connect and learn from one another, everyone grows. 

As a member of Hillel's Student Life Team, Danielle advises student groups Conversations For Peace and Students Alliance for Israel,  supports Israel-related programming and dialogue, and is developing new Wellness Initiatives to support student wellbeing.​

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Rachel Pellis
Springboard Fellow

413-549-1710 x 213
Email Rachel HERE

Rachel (she/her) is excited to be joining UMass Hillel as an Ezra Jewish Education Springboard Fellow! Originally from Mt. Kisco, NY, Rachel grew up steeped in the Conservative and Reconstructionist Jewish communities. In High School she ran her own challah baking business and completed a two year program about how to facilitate dialogue about Israel on college campuses. In 2020 Rachel spent a gap year in Israel with the program Year Course, where she practiced her Hebrew and engaged with feminists organizations. In Spring 2024 she graduated from the University of Maine with a BA in Anthropology, focusing on climate change, with minors in Judaic Studies and Dance. At Umaine she created and led programs to engage UMaine’s diverse spiritual community, serving as the President of Hillel for two years, the Vice President of the Student Heritage Alliance Council, a student leader at the Multifaith Center, as well as a member of the Dance Team. She spent a semester based in Mystic, CT where she traveled to different coastal communities to learn about how they are impacted by climate change and rising sea levels. For the past two summers she’s worked as the Rosh Rikud (head of dance) at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin.

Rachel is part of the Student Life Team at Hillel, focusing on student engagement. She is the advisor for Challah for Hunger and JewMass, and is excited to bring her experiences from different global and religious communities to UMass students. In her free time she loves to dance, swim, hike, and pretend to be the main character of an indie film.

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Rich Kassirer
​​Office Manager/
​Development Associate

413-549-1710 x201
Email Rich HERE

Rich (he/him) moved with wife Sue to Western Mass. after more than 30 years in the Boston area to escape the unending traffic and city sprawl. After working for many years as an editor for Boston newspapers, he is content in his second career at Hillel. He spends his downtime kayaking, walking in the woods, enjoying time with his grown children and weeding his vegetable garden. He also volunteers at the Amherst Survival Center and at local music venues.

Rich supports the fundraising and general administrative needs of Hillel, and plays a key role in making students and visitors feel welcome, answering concerns and questions regarding Hillel and doing whatever is needed to keep Hillel running smoothly.

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Lisa Noss
​​Marketing and
​Development Manager

Lisa is part of the development team, focusing on telling the story of our amazing students and the role Hillel plays on campus, with a particular emphasis on giving days and special campaigns. She sends out e-newsletters, crafts broad communication emails and letters, and helps create a common brand across UMass Hillel. Lisa works remotely from NJ where she lives with her husband. ​

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Greg Hume
Maintenance Technician

​Greg(he/him) was born in North London (U.K.) He has lived in Amherst for over a decade. Working in maintenance,cleaning and various other projects in and on private residences. When not working he spends his free time walking his dog,reading and the upkeep of his historic home and garden.

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Tommy Sanders
Resident Assistant

Tommy (he/him) is from Long Island, New York. He came to UMass Amherst in the fall semester of 2022 and found himself calling Hillel home by the following year. He’s earning a BS in Sustainable Food and Farming and finds himself indulged in plant and soil sciences. He enjoys volunteering in the UMASS Permaculture Gardens, visiting local farms, and working on projects at the on-campus Makerspace. At Hillel he is a board member of Challah for Hunger and loves to chat with anyone around.