FEATURED ALUMNI

BRIANNA KRAMER
2013-2014
COLLEGE ATTENDED: United States Air Force Academy
CURRENT CITY: Washington DC

Where are you currently working or what are you currently doing? What is the mission/purpose of the organization? I’m currently a helicopter pilot flying the VIP transport mission in DC.

What is a fact/interesting piece of information you’d like to share about you since you were on Kivunim? I’ve lived in six different states since getting back from Kivunim in 2014. After a year of international travel, Kivunim made me more aware of all the places I had never visited in the US. This led me to make the most of each new military assignment by taking advantage of traveling in my own backyard. 

In what ways did Kivunim influence your path? Day-to-day life? Career? Kivunim continues to influence my life daily in many different ways from the books that I read to the people I talk to. In the most obvious ways, Kivunim influenced my undergraduate major in Middle Eastern studies and minor in Arabic which led to continuing to speak Arabic for the Air Force. After college, Kivunim gave me the comfortability to seek out a new Jewish community in each small town I moved to even if their ways of practice were different from my own. Most of all, Kivunim instilled in me that a person’s education is never over. There is always something to learn about someone or something around us. Everyone has a story, their own background, and events that framed them but that we should focus on commonalities instead of divisions in order to teach and grow together. 

NOAM SOHN
2011-2012
COLLEGE ATTENDED: Hunter College
CURRENT CITY: Fort Lee, NJ

Where are you currently working or what are you currently doing? What is the mission/purpose of the organization? I’m a software-engineer at Bluecore, an email marketing startup. The company enables retailers to use first-party data to make better marketing decisions; high-level similar to many other tech companies. 

What is a fact/interesting piece of information you’d like to share about you since you were on Kivunim? Last year, I met Pete Buttigieg and got to briefly discuss civic-tech and how technology could help solve issues of transportation, climate-change, and inequality. Little did I know that he would become the Secretary of Transportation, but I am excited to see what he accomplishes. 

In what ways did Kivunim influence your path? Day-to-day life? Career? Kivunim challenged me to re-think my role in sustaining or addressing injustices. Before Kivunim, I had a very narrow understanding of the relationship between Jews and the rest of the world; often-times, this narrative included a mentality of victimhood. As a result, I did not see myself or my community as capable of influencing positive changes. Fortunately, Kivunim expanded my perspective on the world and introduced me to the potential that we have when we engage with communities that are different from our own. Kivunim taught me that rather than assume I am helpless, I have an obligation to pursue opportunities to become helpful. KIVUNIM helped me transform fear into compassion, ignorance into curiosity, and anger into action. In the next five years I hope to join the United States Digital Service to help the federal government use technology to improve their services, such as signing up for veteran benefits.

RACHEL BUONAIUTO
2007-2008
COLLEGE ATTENDED: Connecticut College- BA, Lesley University- M.Ed
CURRENT CITY: Boston, MA

Where are you currently working or what are you currently doing? What is the mission/purpose of the organization? I just started a new role at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Center for International Studies. I coordinate MIT’s Israel program and match students with internships, research opportunities and teaching experiences in Israel. I work with students to prepare them for their travels and I support the group throughout their time abroad. In a typical year we send over 100 MIT students to Israel! My favorite part of my job is working with students but it’s also really exciting to build relationships with prominent entrepreneurs and researchers in Israel. 

What is a fact/interesting piece of information you’d like to share about you since you were on Kivunim? In 2017 my husband and I spent 10 months traveling around the world. We visited 11 countries, took 22 flights, passed through 21 airports and slept in 51 different beds!

In what ways did Kivunim influence your path? Day-to-day life? Career? Thirteen years after I returned home from Kivunim, the program continues to shape my professional vision. Kivunim taught me the importance of experiential education and confirmed what I always knew: we learn best by doing. My experience on the program inspired me to focus my graduate work in education on international and multicultural learning. Kivunim ignited my passion for providing immersive, cross-cultural experiences for young people. On a personal level, Kivunim helped frame the way I think and the way in which I approach the world--engaging in a continuous process of inquiry and reflection to further my understanding of myself and those around me. 

DAN ROSEN
2008-2009
COLLEGE ATTENDED: Cornell
CURRENT CITY: Upper West Side NYC because I’m a stereotype

Where are you currently living? Upper west side NYC because I’m a stereotype. 

Where are you currently working or what are you currently doing? What is the mission/purpose of the organization? Currently I’m the VP of Creative at Hubble Contacts, a direct to consumer vision company that’s doing the classic “disruptor” thing of making everyday items more affordable by like, cutting out the middleman... you know the spiel. My other more interesting “career” is as a comedian, making videos for places like Comedy Central and The New Yorker and performing stand up every night around the city (except for the last year obviously). 

What is a fact/interesting piece of information you’d like to share about you since you were on Kivunim? I’m not sure if this is common for other years as well, but I have stayed in remarkably close contact with many of the students from my year. Nearly a dozen people who I see and talk to every week, whose weddings I go to or whose lives and life events I follow closely, who are among the most important friends in my life. Maybe I just got lucky with having so many smart, thoughtful and warm people my year but I am extremely grateful for that good fortune and wouldn’t be the person I am today without them. 

In what ways did Kivunim influence your path? Day-to-day life? Career? I actually did my first open mic in Jerusalem during Kivunim at an English language club I think still exists. My bits were absolutely terrible but my fellow Kivunimers were very supportive and pretended I wasn’t a complete embarrassment. Who knew that that over a decade later many of them would still be forced to come to see my shows, albeit in my legitimate establishments.

ERICA MINDEL
2011-2012
COLLEGE ATTENDED: University of Michigan
CURRENT CITY: Washington DC

Where are you currently working or what are you currently doing? What is the mission/purpose of the organization? I am currently working at AJC, a Jewish advocacy nonprofit dedicated to combatting antisemitism, ensuring Israel’s place in the world, and promoting pluralism and protecting democracy worldwide. As Assistant Director of Program Development for Project Interchange, an institute within the organization that exposes thought leaders to Israel through personalized delegations, I have the opportunity to introduce our incredible participants to the complexities of Israel, which I learned to love while on Kivunim. I am also currently in grad school at Johns Hopkins University for a Masters in Public Policy and Nonprofit Management.

In what ways did Kivunim influence your path? Day-to-day life? Career? Kivunim had a profound impact on my life path. Growing up at a Jewish day school and then participating in Kivunim, I was used to a small, intimate setting, where everyone knew each other well. I suddenly had to adjust the large, and sometimes overwhelming and unfamiliar new setting. I sought out a community at Michigan, and as a result of Kivunim, was drawn to the Israel oriented clubs at Hillel. I began advocating for Israel on campus, however due to my experiences on Kivunim, also understood the importance of relationship building and finding common ground. These experiences eventually led me to make aliya and enlist in the IDF--serving for two years as an instructor in the armored corps. Now at AJC, I constantly draw upon my experiences on Kivunim, and the Jewish communities we connected with around the world, to continue to serve as a bridge-builder and enhance the work that I do.

BENJAMIN SCHLUGER
2011-2012
COLLEGE ATTENDED: Brandeis
CURRENT CITY: New York, NY

Where are you currently working or what are you currently doing? What is the mission/purpose of the organization? I'm currently a first year internal medicine resident at Columbia/New York Presbyterian!

What is a fact/interesting piece of information you’d like to share about you since you were on Kivunim? The summer after my first year in medical school I worked at a hotel in Ireland!

In what ways did Kivunim influence your path? Day-to-day life? Career? Kivunim instilled into me a desire to understand other people's lives in order to foster compassion in such a way that it shaped my education and profession. I majored in anthropology in college because the field's focus on how other people live their lives and enact their identity through gender, language, sexuality etc. seemed to be an extension of Kivunim's itinerary. In medical school and residency, what I continue to learn is how attending to the physical ailments of individual people allows me the opportunity to witness the happiness they experience if they get better. Since that happiness is usually expressed in their relief to return home to their family, to rejoin their congregation in a religious service, or to be cleared to travel back to their home country (rather than in their relief to having to take another medicine to prevent heart disease, let's say), I am constantly reminded of those aspects of life (family, religion, nostalgia) that bring all people joy no matter their country or origin or disease. Kivunim emphasized how experiential learning is a vital tool to foster understanding and sympathy. This emphasis provided me the foundation with which to reflect on patient encounters in order to utilize them as motivation for practicing humanistic-centered medicine.

ALEX RUBIN
2011-2012
COLLEGE ATTENDED: Brandeis University, UPenn for grad school
CURRENT CITY: Washington DC

Where are you currently working or what are you currently doing? What is the mission/purpose of the organization? Currently, I am working as the Assistant Director of ACCESS Development at the American Jewish Committee. ACCESS is the young professional division of AJC, currently found in 15 cities around the world, including 4 overseas chapters in Brazil, Israel, Paris, and Berlin. Through hands-on-advocacy opportunities, leadership development training, and a philanthropic mindset, ACCESS leaders are the rising generation of AJC leadership. Our advocates are passionate, bright, motivated, and intellectually engaged with all of AJC’s priorities. If anyone would like to get involved, please let me know! My email is rubina@ajc.org

In what ways did Kivunim influence your path? Day-to-day life? Career? Kivunim has influenced my life in many ways. In college, I majored in politics, legal studies and Islamic and middle eastern studies. After, I worked at a Middle East think tank, The Washington Institute for Neareast Policy,  based in DC and now I am working at the American Jewish Committee. At both my current and my past job, my experience on KIVUNIM and the people that I met along the way have been a common and continuing theme. I have had the opportunity to  build on the connections I made, especially the connection with Mimouna. Recently ACCESS Global and Mimouna signed an official MOU, signifying the importance of our relationship and our continued work. 

LAUREN MINDEL
2008-2009
COLLEGE ATTENDED: Northwestern University for Undergrad, University of Chicago for MSW
CURRENT CITY: Chicago

Where are you currently working or what are you currently doing? What is the mission/purpose of the organization? I currently work for JCFS Chicago (Jewish Child and Family Services) as a therapist in our child welfare department. I provide trauma informed therapy services to children and families in the foster care system.

In what ways did Kivunim influence your path? Day-to-day life? Career? Kivunim was my introduction to a new world view, which continued to evolve and expand to how I engage and interact today. The critical thinking skills I developed and honed during my time on Kivunim built an important foundation that I built upon during my undergraduate and masters degrees. I am grateful for the overwhelming privilege and unique opportunities Kivunim afforded me.

JONATHAN EDELMAN
2011-2012

College: Clark University
Current City: Washington DC

Where are you currently working or what are you currently doing? What is the mission/purpose of the organization? I am currently in a masters program for Museum Studies with a focus on Exhibition Development. I am also working at the Capital Jewish Museum. The museum is currently under construction with hopes to open in 2021. The focus is to show the history of the local Jewish community, and the ways in which American Judaism and American democracy intersect and clash with one another in this place. 

What is a fact/interesting piece of information you’d like to share about you since you were on Kivunim? With the exception of Mexico & Canada, I have not left the country since Kivunim. And I’ve met 8 of the 23 Democratic candidates for president, but none since they have declared for president. 

In what ways did Kivunim influence your path? Day-to-day life? Career? I had no deep interest in the Holocaust before going on Kivunim. As we traveled from one Jewish community to the next around the world, I saw just how broad and deep the impact of the Shoah was on our world. I ended up focusing my undergraduate work in Holocaust & Genocide studies, and went on to work for two years at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in their collections division.

JENNA RUBIN
2017-2018
COLLEGE ATTENDED: Currently a student at Washington University in St. Louis
CURRENT CITY: St. Louis, MO

Where are you currently working or what are you currently doing? What is the mission/purpose of the organization? I am a junior at WashU studying political science and marketing. I am looking to move to Washington D.C. post graduation to work in politics (either political communications or policy)! If anyone needs a summer intern let me know! :)

In what ways did Kivunim influence your path? Day-to-day life? Career? Kivunim led me to my interests in influencing society through the intersection of policy, education and communication. This amazing opportunity allowed me to discover my passions about policy issues both local and global, all with a goal of making the world we live in better.

ARLEN WEINER
2008-2009
COLLEGE ATTENDED: Tufts University (BA), Harvard School of Public Health (MPH)
CURRENT CITY: Somerville, MA

Where are you currently working or what are you currently doing? What is the mission/purpose of the organization? I work for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on the COVID-19 response team. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation uses philanthropy to help people around the world live healthy lives by empowering women and young people, and combating infectious diseases globally.

What is a fact/interesting piece of information you’d like to share about you since you were on Kivunim? When I'm not working, I'm usually up in the mountains backcountry skiing or ice climbing (and in the summer, paddle boarding and rock climbing). My partner and I built a cabin and sauna in the woods with some friends and spend most weekends there.

In what ways did Kivunim influence your path? Day-to-day life? Career? My education and career since Kivunim has centered on social justice, particularly gender equity. Kivunim gave me the tools and global mindset to work in this field and feel confident that I can help tackle big challenges, like poverty and infectious diseases.

MICHAEL BRUNWASSER
2008-2009

College: University of Maryland
Current City: Brooklyn, NY

Where are you currently working or what are you currently doing? What is the mission/purpose of the organization? I lead training and engagement at SeamlessDocs, a company focused on making government more accessible to all. We offer software and services to state and local agencies to digitize their services and simplify how they interact with citizens. This fall I’ll also be participating in the Coro Leadership Fellowship, learning how New York City works to make it better!

What is a fact/interesting piece of information you’d like to share about you since you were on Kivunim? I worked on the Obama campaign with my roommate from Kivunim and have watched the entire West Wing series multiple times over. I currently live with one of my roommates from Kivunim, and used to live with the other. When you’ve spent a whole year living with two people in a single room, having an entire apartment to share with them feels overly luxurious.

In what ways did Kivunim influence your path? Day-to-day life? Career? Kivunim has served me well: I’m a light packer, am comfortable traveling just about anywhere, am interested in tasting the local cuisine, and revel in LFDs (Long Fricking Days), as we called them. Career wise, I’m committed to service. Kivunim pushed me to explore and be comfortable with people and places beyond my comfort zone, to be more inclusive, and the importance of building community. On the day to day, some of my best friends and confidants are from Kivunim. I’ve lived with and attended several weddings of friends from my year. 

ISABEL NELSON
2011-2012

College: Barnard College
Current City: Brooklyn, NY

Where are you currently working or what are you currently doing? What is the mission/purpose of the organization? I am currently in my last year of a Master of Public Health program at Columbia University. My focus is in epidemiology, applied biostatistics, and data science. I'm interested in chronic diseases and hope to eventually do work connecting research and program implementation to reduce health disparities in this area.

What is a fact/interesting piece of information you’d like to share about you since you were on Kivunim? Outside of my public health work I do set design for theatre. Most recently (just before the pandemic) I designed the scenery for one production about a psychological experiment and another about a future crew of astronauts.

In what ways did Kivunim influence your path? Day-to-day life? Career? Kivunim has motivated me to stay connected to my Jewish community throughout college and after, and in particular has pushed me to appreciate the diversity of Jewish traditions and identities and to continue learning. In terms of my career, Kivunim helped me see the importance each community we visited placed on preserving and connecting with their culture and history. This continues to inspire me professionally and I'm excited about working with diverse communities to provide culturally competent health interventions that respect and work with each person's background and lived experiences.

DALIA SHAPIRO
2007-2008

College: The Gallatin School at New York University
Current City: Brooklyn, NY

Where are you currently working or what are you currently doing? What is the mission/purpose of the organization? I have recently started a new position as the Senior Director of Community Engagement for BBYO, the leading pluralistic Jewish teen movement. In this role, I am responsible for identifying and cultivating fundraising opportunities to further support and enhance teens’ experiences.

What is a fact/interesting piece of information you’d like to share about you since you were on Kivunim? My husband and I recently embarked on our own Kivunim-style journey and traveled around the world for five months. We sought out ways to connect with local Jewish leaders, community members, and institutions. We celebrated the first Passover seder of the year in Nelson, New Zealand; attended an underground Shabbat dinner in Ubud, Indonesia (practicing Judaism is illegal in Indonesia); and met with the Israeli ambassador to Japan in Tokyo. 

In what ways did Kivunim influence your path? Day-to-day life? Career? Kivunim continues to impact my life in ways I couldn’t have anticipated. The program inspired me to connect with Jewish peers and community when in college, which spiraled into a career in the Jewish nonprofit world.  Often, something in my day-to-day routine will spark a random Kivunim memory. Like when I start my day early, I remember Tobi Kahn waking the group so that we could photograph Jerusalem in the morning light, giving us a glimpse of the city that not everyone sees. Or when I’m hiking in the evening, I remember how the full moon guided our midnight hike through the Negev, and how we felt like the wandering Jews in our histories. I will always be linked to the friendships, connections, conversations, and memories I made on Kivunim.

AVNIEL JHIRAD
2013-2014

College: Mumbai University
Current City: Jerusalem

Where are you currently working or what are you currently doing? What is the mission/purpose of the organization?
I am a RA for Kivunim 18-19!

What is a fact/interesting piece of information you’d like to share about you since you were on Kivunim?
I came to America for the first time for Kivunim @10 and ended up spending most of my time in Minneapolis, MN!

In what ways did Kivunim influence your path? Day-to-day life? Career? While at University, my experiences on Kivunim continued influencing who I was and what I was interested in. Every year I was able to engage with the new groups of Kivunim in India that continued to push me in my understanding of the world. That's why I found it meaningful to come back and contribute in creating this powerful experience to new group of Kivunim students.

SABINA TILEVITZ
2013-2014

College: Johns Hopkins 
Current City: NYC

Where are you currently working or what are you currently doing? What is the mission/purpose of the organization? I’m currently working on the procurement team for a company called Daily Harvest. Our mission is to take care of food so food can take care of you. Essentially, we provide convenient, plant-based, clean-label food for the person on the go with the intention of providing healthier and sustainable options. 

What is a fact/interesting piece of information you’d like to share about you since you were on Kivunim? Since I was a student on Kivunim 13-14, I had the unique privilege of staffing Kivunim as an RA! 

In what ways did Kivunim influence your path? Day-to-day life? Career? Kivunim has completely colored my path professionally, academically, and personally. Participating as a student and then returning as a staff member, after four years of reflecting on my own experience, I see Kivunim as an emotional tasting menu. It exposes you to cultures, histories, experiences, and people that somewhere on the journey elicit certain emotions. In my experience, it was accessing those emotions for the first time that guided me when it came to classes I took, people I was close to, books to read, and now with my career. Having that baseline motivated me, pushing me to ask myself does this inspire me or fulfill me in a similar way. 

LAURA BELINFANTE
2008-2009

College: University of California, Santa Barbara
Current City: Tel Aviv

Where are you currently working or what are you currently doing? What is the mission/purpose of the organization? I am the Director of Digital Strategy at Repair the World where I am combining my passions for social justice and technology. I work with digital tools to grow and scale an audience of changemakers online; we aim to make service a defining element of American Jewish life.

What is a fact/interesting piece of information you’d like to share about you since you were on Kivunim? Since being on Kivunim I have dug deeper into my family history and have learned about the immigration journey my Grandmother’s family took from Syria to New York. It has changed the way I have thought about myself and my ancestors - especially having grown up in a traditional Ashkenazi Jewish community. I have been questioning my own Jewish education and have searched for alternative education models, which allow me to honor my own family’s heritage and story.

In what ways did Kivunim influence your path? Day-to-day life? Career? Kivunim influenced my passion for social justice, which I believe led me to the career I am in today. Through our travels around the world, I experienced numerous cultures and ways of life, and it was unlike what I learned growing up in California. Kivunim challenged me to think outside of what I had traditionally valued and accepted, and look for opportunities to build relationships with people outside of our community and to improve the lives of historically marginalized populations.

DANIEL MAGERMAN
2011-2012

College: The Schreyer Honors College at Penn State University
Current City: Philadelphia, PA

Where are you currently working or what are you currently doing? What is the mission/purpose of the organization? I work in education as a teacher and tutor for English language learners, as well as a school administrator for the Philadelphia School of Languages. The institution’s main goal is to the serve the diverse immigrant community in Northeast Philly by providing practical language classes and a hub for immigrant resources.

Also in line with my work, in August I will be starting a master’s degree in Intercultural Communication at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education.

What is a fact/interesting piece of information you’d like to share about you since you were on Kivunim? Since Kivunim, the longest sustained stretch I’ve spent abroad was 19 months living in Brazil from 2017 to 2018. By way of the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant grant program, I worked in Curitiba, the country’s coldest state capital, supporting various English language projects at the Federal University of Paraná. My home life wasn’t exactly reminiscent of Beit Shmuel and the country is drastically different than Israel; nonetheless, I know our gap-year helped set the stage for this experience.

In what ways did Kivunim influence your path? Day-to-day life? Career?
Kivunim was and continues to be the most influential element of my education. I’m often tempted to throw around superlatives, but I think in this case it’s truly warranted. Kivunim 2011-2012 is the main reason I decided to study linguistics. Those eight months exposed me to languages, people, and ways of thinking that have guided my path through college, undergraduate research, my first post-school job in Brazil, and my current role as teacher and student (again). So strong is the Kivunim gravitational pull that within the last few years I returned to the source, helping to create and design one of the first Kivunim spin-off programs: KIVUNIM Americas. To facilitate a Kivunim-esque tour for high school students - to show others the Kivu-light even earlier than we saw it - is an exhilarating prospect.