Job description
Associate Director of Israel Education
Hillel International
Role Overview
The Center for Jewish and Israel Education (CJIE) at Hillel International envisions a world in which Hillel is the central meeting point for inspired learning about and lasting engagement with Israel. In line with the best practices of education and the deepest wisdom of Jewish thought, we adopt an approach that centers on authentic inquiry, multivocality, and personal reflection. When we do this well, we embody an approach to Israel education that resonates with emerging adult learners and welcomes every student to explore their relationship with Israel in a meaningful way. CJIE primarily supports, trains, and provides resources for campus professionals to guide their students along this journey, while also offering direct-to-student Jewish learning and leadership programming.
The Center for Jewish and Israel Education (CJIE) has been pioneering this work across a suite of programs and, more broadly, influencing the ways Israel education manifests in the Hillel movement. The core guiding principles of our work have been the Inquiry Centered Model for Israel Education, the Explorer/Defender paradigm, and multiple narrative approaches to Israel education. We continue to innovate around the field of Israel Education, responding to the changing needs of campuses, professionals, and students. Our work includes designing interventions such as Masterclass: Israel (MCI), a year-long fellowship that supports Hillel educators in developing greater pedagogical and content knowledge and skills, and Sipurim, trips to Israel to help Hillel professionals better understand a post-October 7th Israel.
The Associate Director of Israel Education will be a key thought partner in shaping this body of work to continue to support Hillel educators as they, in turn, support their students.
What You’ll Do
The CJIE Associate Director of Israel Education will co-develop and oversee a series of interventions designed to increase nuanced and engaging educational Israel programming for Hillel professionals. These opportunities will happen through multiple modalities, including travel to Israel, cohort learning, in-person intensive gatherings, and online training seminars.
The Associate Director for Israel Education will:
- Help build and support a robust Israel education platform for Hillel professionals across the movement
- Co-develop and co-staff curricula, cohorts, seminars, and travel opportunities that support the growth of Hillel professionals, including Israel content knowledge, facilitation, teaching skills, and other competencies to be determined
- Collaborate with Schusterman International Center colleagues, field professionals, and organizational partners focused on Israel education, travel, and advocacy in order to build dynamic relationships and to serve as an educational resource and consultant to campus professionals building Israel educational efforts
- Co-development and implementation of a strategic learning process, including a broad range of Hillel professionals and academic advisors.
- Deliver content as a leading educator, in both formal and informal settings, including through a range of modalities (e.g., curricular resources, online educational content, and in-person training)
Some examples of programming that the Associate Director might develop include:
- Fellowships designed to build facilitation skills for field professionals, culminating in a trip to Israel for approximately 20 mid- to high-level field professionals.
- “Train the trainer”-type programming for campus professionals to lead fellowships on their campuses.
- Teachings for Regional gatherings focusing on specific skill areas and pedagogy training related to Israel education.
- Online learning opportunities and resources that provide access points for field professionals, including Hillel U-based sessions, educational materials, and curricula, will be housed on the Hillel Hub.
- Immersive Israel travel seminars for Hillel executives, educators, and field professionals.
What You’ve Accomplished
- 6+ years of professional experience and hold a degree in a related field
- Experience with curricular and educational design
- Experience teaching and facilitating
What You’ll Bring to the Job
You will excel in this role if you:
- Are an educational and strategic thinker
- Enjoy managing complex programs and systems
- Love to work with a variety of Jewish professionals from all different types of backgrounds and positions
- Have an expansive understanding of what we mean when we say, “Jewish and Israel education”
- Hold a deep sense of commitment and connection to Israel, as a central and inspiring commitment of the Jewish people, while also holding a broad understanding of the various ways our constituents relate to it
- Have an understanding of campus and Jewish college students today, with a particular understanding of the challenges related to Israel on campus
- Deeply understand the history and culture of Israel, Zionism, and the Jewish people
- Are comfortable presenting a multi-vocal approach to Israel and its conflicts while embracing ambiguity and complexity
- Have an understanding of the challenges of teaching about Israel with nuance, passion, and openness
- Solve problems with curiosity, resilience, and the ability to find new, well-thought-out approaches to challenges; are highly collaborative, and a great team player who can also work independently
- Enjoy teaching and facilitating in large and small group settings, in person and online
The skills you will need to bring to this position:
Required
- Deep familiarity with the social, political, and cultural landscape(s) of Israel (including Palestinian experiences/narratives)
- Passion and commitment to the field of education, especially college-age and early career professionals, born out of a love of learning
- Tech savvy and eager to use new platforms and technologies
- Team player excited to innovate and scale while managing multiple projects and relationships at once
- Ability to work with tight deadlines, independently, and with an attention to detail
- Committed to question-centric, nuanced Israel education, in line with the Inquiry-Centered Model, the Explorer/Defender Paradigm, and Multi-narrative Israel education.
- A passion for traveling to Israel, with the potential for multiple trips to Israel per year, is required. While it is difficult to accurately predict due to the dynamic nature of the work, travel is expected approximately once a month, or 8-10 times a year, including both domestic and international opportunities.
Desired
- Experience working in the field of Israel education, or Jewish education more broadly
- Ability to navigate large organizational relations, Israel’s tourism, and NGO environment
- Lived experience in Israel
- Professional or academic training in Israel education, Israeli politics, Israeli history, or Israeli culture
- Experience working with emerging adults, specifically college students and early career professionals
- Familiarity or experience within the Hillel movement
- Professional training in education and/or facilitation
- Hebrew proficiency
What You’ll Receive
- Competitive salary in the nonprofit marketplace. The salary range for this role is $75,000-$95,000
- A comprehensive benefits package, including health insurance, retirement plan, Life, AD&D, and Long Term Disability (LTD) insurance, Flexible Spending accounts, generous vacation/sick time, and parental leave.
- Great professional development, mentoring, and skill-building opportunities
- Travel regionally and abroad, particularly to Israel
Time Zones and Workplace
Hillel International’s headquarters are in Washington DC. We are a mostly remote team, open to hiring anyone based in the United States with eligibility to work in the United States, though we have a strong preference for professionals to be in or near our headquarters (Washington DC) or in one of our Hub cities (Chicago, LA, NYC, Austin). We offer a flexible work schedule that aims to support our employees in maintaining a maximally successful professional and personal life. That said, we expect our employees to keep regular hours that are mutually agreed upon by the employee and their supervisor. While this position is remote, there are semi-regular in-person gatherings, trainings, and conferences that we expect our team to fully participate in. Regular travel is an expected part of this job, including travel to Israel. Team members can expect to travel at least eight to ten times a year.
A note for current Hillel professionals
Current campus professionals are eligible to apply. If a current Hillel professional is selected as a finalist, we will work with them and their campus/supervisor to facilitate a smooth transition on a mutually agreeable timeline. We are prepared to share time and resources during the transition so that a field colleague can wrap up their work on campus as they transition to a position at the SIC. We are open to considering other options that best support your campus while working towards filling this important role for the Hillel Movement as a whole.
Reporting Line
The Associate Director of Israel Education reports to the Senior Director of Israel Education, Rabbi Melissa B. Simon, and will work collaboratively with other members of the CJIE and Meyerhoff teams.
#LI-REMOTE
About Hillel International
In 1923, Rabbi Benjamin Frankel started Hillel with humble means, a noble mission and a breathtaking vision: to convey Jewish civilization to a new generation. Today, Hillel International continues to enrich the lives of Jewish students and is the largest Jewish campus organization in the world at nearly 1,000 colleges and universities across North America and around the world. As Hillel evolves as an organization, the mission remains steadfast: to create lasting connections with every Jewish student that foster an enduring commitment to Jewish life, learning, and Israel and train them to become the next Jewish leaders.
Hillel is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to creating an accepting and inclusive environment for all.
