About « hillel.com.au

Hillel’s Vision

Hillel’s vision is to inspire university-aged young adults to have ownership over their Jewish identity, to desire to participate in Jewish and to lead within the Jewish community

This vision is realised as:

Engagement with Jewish customs/rituals/traditions;

Connection to the State of Israel, her people and culture;

Identification with the Jewish past. We believe a generation of Jews cannot exist in isolation for its history; the past informs the present, and future;

Mindfulness of the wider world and a respect for all of its inhabitants;

Transmission of Jewish culture to future generations; in a way that is personally meaningful for the individual and may be inclusive of a variety of perspectives.

Hillel’s Mission

Hillel’s vision is achieved by providing a space that is both meaningful* and relevant** to Jewish university-aged young adults in order for them to develop an understanding of why they value their Jewish identity and how they want to express that identity

*Meaningful is defined as: in line with their individual interests, passions and aspirations.
**Relevant is defined as: using means that they currently relate to, i.e. through music, art, comedy, social media etc.

Accordingly, Hillel professionals are:

Customer focused: we value and respond to the wants and needs of our constituents

Invested consultants: we personally mentor and empower university-aged young adults to achieve their potential and to see their ideas come to fruition.

Informal Educators: we infuse our programming with Jewish values and leadership.

Jewish critical analysts: we constantly question and assess the needs and wants of our target demographic as well as the best means in which to meet them.

Advocates of a do-it-yourself attitude: we encourage our constituents to actively participate in designing their own way of being Jewish.

Inclusive: we strive to be a place where all Jews feel welcome and comfortable by being genuine, approachable, and reducing barriers to Jewish engagement and expression.

A University Student Support: we are available for Jewish university students who encounter problems on campus where support is required.

Output

Hillel adopts a flexible and organic approach in its operations to ensure that its output meets its vision and mission.

This is achieved through:

• Australasian Union of Jewish Students (AUJS) Empowerment:
Hillel empowers AUJS leaders through mentorship, training and development.
• The ‘Why Be Jewish’ (YBJ) Internship:
Hillel trains, mentors and develops engagement interns to build relationships with their peers and connect them with opportunities to participate in Jewish life.
• Grassroots Initiative Support:
Hillel supports ideas and initiatives that are aligned with its vision and which are developed by individuals within its target demographic. It does this in partnership and collaboration with the individual(s) through guidance, logistical support and financial assistance.
• Partnership Programming:
Hillel acts as a conduit for the Jewish Community (institutions and organisations) to access university-aged young adults for the purpose of education, training or development, for example training Israel advocates in partnership with the NSWJBOD and the ZCNSW through The Advocacy Project.
• Initiatives that reflect current needs and wants via the YBJ interns, partnerships and grassroots support.