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. 

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Rebekah Steinfeld
​Assistant Director

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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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Lawrence Klein
Director of Advancement

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​Email Lawrence HERE

Lawrence Klein, Esq. (he/him) was born and raised in Rockland County, NY. Lawrence went to Clark University and received his JD from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.  He started his career as in-house counsel for high-tech companies. In 2001 he founded the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art and in 2002 the MoCCA Arts Festival. For 13 years prior to his role with UMass Hillel, Lawrence worked at Darrow School in New Lebanon, NY, most recently serving in the roles of Assistant Head of School for Institutional Advancement and General Counsel. He lives in Western MA with his wife, two kids, and two rescue cats.  Outside of UMass Hillel, he volunteers on the boards of several local nonprofits, and curates comic art exhibits around the globe. As a fun fact, Lawrence is also a character in the “Dick Tracy” cartoon strip.

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Rabbi Raffi and Ariella Leicht 
OU-JLIC Educators

413-549-1710 x206                  413-549-1710 x206
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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Alyssa Kristek
Director of Administration
​and Finance

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Email Alyssa HERE

​Alyssa (she/her) joins the dynamic team at UMass Hillel serving as the Director of Administration and Finance. She obtained both a BA and MBA from UMass Amherst and has nearly two decades of finance experience within academia finance as well as research sponsorship grants and projects.  A strong believer in the notion of “never stop learning,” Alyssa is also a certified EMT, notary public, and an experienced Realtor® in the Pioneer Valley and beyond.  She lives in Palmer with her husband, Brian, and their daughter, Mackenzie.  In her free time, she loves to read, watch movies (all things Harry Potter!), go hiking, and just spend time with her amazing family.  ​

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Sapir Ben Zvi
Jewish Agency Israel Fellow

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Email Sapir HERE

Sapir (she/her) is starting her second year at UMass Hillel as an Israel Fellow. She is from Kibbutz Amiad in the north of Israel. Sapir is a social worker with a degree from Tel-Hai College where she 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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Sarah Schuminsky
Springboard Fellow, Intrapreneurship Specialist

413-549-1710 x213
Email Sarah HERE

Sarah (she/her) comes to UMass Hillel from Florida State University where she recently graduated with a degree in Interdisciplinary Social Science. After spending her whole life in the South, she is excited (and a little nervous) to experience winter in the Pioneer Valley. In college, she was heavily involved with service and Jewish life on campus. She loves meeting students and working alongside them to create meaningful experiences. In her free time, you can find her at the farmer’s market, trying out new coffee shops, catching up with friends, or hanging out with her handsome cat, Henry.

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Leah Eve Jezer-Nelson
IACT Birthright Coordinator

Email Leah HERE

Leah Eve (she/her) is thrilled to join the UMass Hillel team for the 2022-23 school year! After spending the last year teaching English in underserved communities in areas of Tel Aviv and Ramla, Israel, she's excited to be back to the snow. Originally from Syracuse, New York (the Golden Snowglobe of the Northeast), she graduated magna cum laude and with honors from Wells College with a degree in Anthropology and Sociology. She looks forward to meeting and engaging with students from diverse backgrounds and with diverse thoughts. In her time off, Leah Eve loves going to dog parks, reading through science fiction novels, armchair researching the orca whales off Puget Sound, and engaging with politics on a national and international level. Come say hi, or meet me at a coffee shop! ​

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Rich Kassirer
​​Office Manager/
​Development Associate

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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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Missy Goldstein Gleisser
​​Marketing and Development Manager

Missy (sher/her) joined UMass Hillel in 2021 as our Marketing and Development Manager. In this role, she spearheads grassroots campaigns and tells the stories of our incredible students. Missy previously worked as a Fellow at the Institute of Southern Jewish Life in Jackson, MS and in the Young Adult Division of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati. She is a graduate of the University of Florida and received her master's degree in Jewish Nonprofit Management and Jewish Education from Hebrew Union College. Missy lives in State College, Pennsylvania with her husband (the Senior Jewish Educator at Penn State Hillel), son AJ, and pup Gertie.

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Nathan Krevolin
Resident Advisor

Nathan Krevolin (class of 2023) is majoring in History with a minor in Biology, with his eye toward eventually become an educational administrator. Since normal college life returned to UMass in Fall 2021, Nathan has become deeply involved with Hillel. He has helped to lead egalitarian Friday evening Shabbat services, helped plan events for JewTalk and will be co-president of the club in the upcoming school year. He also lives at the Hillel and serves as the Residential Advisor. He also traveled with UMass Hillel on their May 2022 Birthright trip to Israel. He was recognized by Rabbi Fine as part of the Jewish Leadership Collective for his extraordinary commitment to Jewish life on campus. He serves on the Hillel Board of Directors during the 2022-23 school year.