Ilya Bratman
llya Bratman holds the position of the Executive Director at the Hillel at Baruch College since November 2013.
In 1992, Ilya immigrated from Moscow, Russia to the US. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1999. Upon his graduation, Mr. Bratman enlisted in the United States Armed Forces. He served honorably for over four active years and four reserve, including deployments to Korea, Germany and Iraq. After returning from his tour in Iraq in 2004, Ilya Bratman received a Master’s Degree in Applied Linguistics and Education from the University of Pittsburgh in 2006.
In 2006 Ilya ‘immigrated’ to New York. He worked as a Real Estate agent and in 2008, he began to work in the Jewish community including as an instructor at the Sinai Academy in Brooklyn, Director of Jewish Programs at the Kings Bay Y in Brooklyn, and as the Project Manager of Limmud FSU USA, before becoming the Executive Director at the Hillel at Baruch College.
In his spare time, Ilya enjoys long-distance running, playing soccer and other sports, writing, playing guitar and watching the Steelers. Ilya speaks Russian fluently and is proficient in Hebrew and German. Ilya lives with his wife, Sonya, son, Gabriel and daughters, Miriam and Sima, in New Jersey.
Yael Brenner
Yael Brenner has been a part of the Hillel at Baruch, City, John Jay, Pace, SVA, Fordham, FIT, and New School team since 2016. Originally from Livingston, New Jersey, Yael began her involvement with Jewish leadership in the Zionist youth movement Young Judaea, serving as National President and spending a gap-year in Israel after high school. While studying for her undergraduate degree in Judaic Studies from Binghamton University, among other leadership roles, Yael served as Hillel student president. Upon graduation, Yael began her Master’s degree in Public Administration at Baruch College while starting her career as the Engagement Associate at Hillel. Now in the role of Assistant Director, Yael looks forward to continuing to serve students across our eight campuses. In her free time, Yael loves picnicking in Central Park, eating Italian food, and watching Israeli TV shows. Yael lives in New Jersey with her husband and daughter.
Director of Engagement
Email: Ryan@baruchhillel.org
Ryan Siegel
Originally a Staten Island native, Ryan is excited and committed to promoting Jewish life at Baruch, John Jay, City College, Forham, Pace, FIT, SVA and The New School campuses as the Director of Engagement. Having started staffing Birthright trips to Israel in college, and working previously as an engagement professional at Rutgers University Hillel, he cannot wait to help more students share in these amazing trips and develop those same connections. Ryan attended CUNY Brooklyn College for his undergraduate degree and studied both Political Science and Philosophy. He also recently obtained his Masters' degree from Reichman University in Israel, where he studied Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution with a focus in Contemporary Middle East Politics.
Ryan loves going to the gym, learning languages and is an avid traveler taking as many trips as he can. To date, he has staffed 17 trips to Israel and Europe for Jewish highschool and University students and can't wait to complete more.
Senior Social Worker
Email: raphi@baruchhillel.org
Raphi Cooper
Raphi Cooper is over the moon to be joining the Hillel staff as the Senior Social Worker! Originally from Long Island, Raphi completed his Masters in Social Work from the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College after previously studying Economics as an undergrad at Queens College. Before joining Hillel, Raphi spent a number of years working at Yachad, running programs for individuals with all levels of abilities in the Jewish community.
Outside of Hillel, you can Raphi cooking healthy recipes, taking his goldendoodle to the dog park, playing basketball, and exploring the best hikes around.
Engagement Associate
Email: rikki@baruchhilllel.org
Rikki Feldblum
Originally from Philadelphia, Rikki is a recent graduate of George Washington University, and comes to Hillel with a love of community building and growth. During her undergrad, Rikki became involved in her college’s small Jewish community where she was able to have an active role in enhancing social opportunities for Jewish students. Rikki looks forward to helping students build and strengthen their Jewish identity while helping them find and create the Jewish experience they want.
Rikki loves spending her free time trying new farmers markets, exploring flea markets, baking cookies, and trying to remember to drop off her compost.
Engagement Associate
Email: talias@baruchhillel.org
Talia Salamatbad
Talia hails from Great Neck, New York, with a major in Law and Society and a minor in Speech and Media from John Jay College. Throughout her college years, Talia has been dedicated to the Hillel community, participating in trips, shabbatons, speakers, and so on. Talia actively engages in creating an inclusive environment for students. Her genuine desire to help others experience Judaism in their own unique way is a driving force behind her commitment. Talia is excited to create new memories with our students and faculty, fostering an environment where Jewish experiences thrive.
Outside of Hillel, you'll often find Talia in the kitchen, exploring her culinary skills. She is mainly known for her challah recipe or her Persian recipes. When she's not in the kitchen, Talia can be found at the gym, or on a plane to different corners of the world.
Israel Fellow
Email: sasha@baruchhillel.org
Sasha Rovnaya
Sasha was born and raised in Ukraine. At the age of 19 she made aliyah to Israel, where she has lived for eight wonderful years. During her time in Israel, she served in the IDF as an Education Mentor of Soldiers, completed her undergraduate degree in photography at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem, worked as an Education Mentor in "Garin Tzabar" with lone soldiers, and worked as a chef in "Sushiya" (she loves to eat sushi just as much as she loves to make it!) Sasha loves to work with groups of different ages and to improve her skills. She recently completed the Leading Informal Education Course at the Jewish Agency for Israel. Sasha is very happy to share her story and Jewish identity with the students at Baruch, City, John Jay, Pace, SVA, Fordham, FIT, and New School.
Engagement Associate
Email: maya@baruchhillel.org
Maya Homa
Maya was born and raised in Livingston, New Jersey, and recently graduated from Binghamton University with a bachelor's degree in Psychology. During Maya’s time at Binghamton University, she fell in love with her Jewish identity and now wants to help other students connect with theirs in a way that's meaningful to them. As a student, Maya was on the Chabad general board as a member of the social committee and was an active member of the OU-JLIC on campus. In the future Maya hopes to get a masters in public health and pursue her passion for mental health education and advocacy. Outside of Hillel, you'll often find Maya babysitting her nephews and niece, dancing, listening to music, going to the gym, playing soccer, and finding new activities to do with friends.
Kayla Hakimian
Kayla was born and raised in Great Neck, Long Island, and graduated from Hunter College with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a minor in Hebrew. While in college, she joined the youth committee board at her synagogue and quickly became involved with planning Jewish learning classes, Shabbatons, and events for the community’s young professionals. Kayla also volunteers as an EMT for her local fire department! Kayla believes that the best way to achieve “Tikkun Olam” (repairing the world), is by uniting the Jewish people through education and acts of kindness.
Since her active involvement with her Jewish community, Kayla has now brought her experience to Hillel at Baruch, City, John Jay, Pace, SVA, Fordham, FIT, and New School. She is so excited to be able to connect students with their Jewish identity and build meaningful relationships with every student she encounters.
Engagement Associate
Email: yehuda@baruchhillel.org
Yehuda Wexler
Yehuda grew up in an ultra-Orthodox community in Brooklyn, NY. He Graduated Summa Cum Laude from Baruch College with a degree in Finance. While at Baruch, Yehuda was inseparable from Hillel. Serving as president, among other positions, as well as being active in student government at CUNY.
Following graduation, Yehuda lived in Ohio for 1.5 years, doing sales for a startup. He then decided to backpack through Asia, and spent 5 months in Nepal, India, and Japan.
He is excited to return to Hillel and pass on the lessons he learned through his time at Baruch and afterwards. When not working, Yehuda enjoys training Krav Maga, volunteering to secure Jewish events, and playing video games.
Rhodondo Jeraman (Rj)
Born in Trinidad and raised in Midwood Brooklyn, Rhodondo (Rj) Jeraman graduated from the City University of New York at Hunter College where he double-majored in history and Jewish studies. Rj’s involvement with Jewish life at Hunter led him to take on leadership roles in numerous Jewish organizations including Hillel International and Be’chol Lashon. In these capacities, he helped organize and run in-person and virtual projects aimed at amplifying diverse Jewish identities and communities while catering to student needs. Rj is passionate about pro-Israel advocacy, combating antisemitism on campus, and orchestrating interfaith student-led events. He wants to help students share their own stories and explore their Jewish identities/communities in new and creative ways.
As an undergrad, he was a Nachshon Project fellow, HISC cabinet member, ICC fellow, and an engagement intern. He also worked closely with USG student government and was a participant of the interfaith student leader trip to the West Bank and Israel in 2019. These experiences with Hillel, guided Rj to rethink, redesign and reimagine what Jewish student life could look like in the future. You can almost always find Rj shooting hoops, playing the trumpet, or hitting tennis balls in his downtime.
Engagement Associate
Email: jacob@baruchhillel.org
Jacob Zucker
Jacob was born and raised in Queens, New York and graduated from John Jay College of Criminal Justice with a Bachelor of Science in Fraud Examination & Financial Forensics and a minor in Cybercrime. As a student, Jacob would attend almost all Hillel events and made many lifelong friends and connections. Jacob is a currently a Masters student at Baruch College, studying for his Masters in Public Administration with a specialization in social justice. His goals are to become a Certified Fraud Examiner to combat fraud, dive into criminal justice policy and public policy, and to connect with many Jewish students on campus. Outside of Hillel, Jacob enjoys cooking and baking, nature, traveling, and most importantly spending time with family and friends.
Jennifer Aghavian
Social Work and Engagement Coordinator
Email: Jennifer@baruchhillel.org
Jennifer was born and raised in Queens, New York and has recently graduated with her Masters in Social Work from NYU Silver School of Social Work. Jennifer has previously worked at Hillel as a social work intern and is now back as social work and engagement associate, which she is so excited about! Jennifer is very proud of her Jewish Persian identity and is very passionate about supporting others' mental health needs, both of which she hopes to integrate when working with students at the Hillel. She hopes to support and uplift others as they navigate their journey within mental health and their Jewish identity.
Jennifer has been proactive among various Jewish organizations both on and off campus during her time as an undergraduate at Queens College and beyond and also has a background in supporting others in a therapeutic capacity. She hopes to encourage mental health literacy within communities that struggle with stigma around the topic. In her free time, Jennifer enjoys exploring the city by foot, spending time with animals, basking in nature, and trying new foods!
Engagement Associate
Email: cami@baruchhillel.org
Cami Sylvester
Cami is from Calabasas, California and graduated from University of California, Berkeley with a degree in Molecular Environmental Biology. During her time in undergrad, she was involved in Berkeley Hillel as a Director of First Impressions, Challah for Hunger, Meor, and Chabad. Through these organizations, she was able to organize shabbat dinners, to teach other students, and plan other engaging activities on campus.
Currently, she studies at New York University as a graduate student in the Animal Studies program and hopes to be a zoologist in the future. One of her other passions in life is her love for judaism and providing jewish students with a space to grow.
Michael Gaudio
Our Hillel partners with CommonPoint Queens to help students build a resume, write a cover letter, find a job or internship, and nail their interview. Michael is ecstatic to be able to join the Hillel staff every Wednesday in the Hillel Suite, located in Baruch College, room 3-250A. With Hillel’s new campaign, Makin’ Moves with Michael, access to available career advice has never been easier! Come in person on Wednesday days or schedule a meeting with Michael around your own schedule. CommonPoint Queens has always been a great resource for Hillel students and Michael is especially excited to see where their career paths take them.
Can’t make it person? Click here to make a virtual appointment. Or click here for more info out more about our Support Staff and all the opportunities that they have to offer!
Chloe Weinstein
Chloe Weinstein was born and raised in New York City, and currently lives in the East Village. She graduated from Tulane University and double majored in psychology and sociology. As an undergraduate student, Chloe was president of the Feminist Alliance and Mishelanu IAC, and worked as a Hebrew school teacher for various ages. After graduation, Chloe worked as a seventh grade English teacher and advisor in Harlem with Success Academy Charter Schools.
Currently, Chloe is pursuing her Masters at the NYU Silver School of Social Work. She is thrilled to be one of the social work interns at the Hillel, as this position combines her love of Judaism and supporting mental health needs. Chloe hopes to become a powerful force in productively helping others, while centering social justice and marginalized populations.
In her free time Chloe enjoys cooking vegetarian recipes, biking, thrifting, and convincing herself she needs to get back into painting.
Chaviva Liss
Originally from Sharon, Massachusetts, Chaviva recently graduated from Binghamton University with a bachelor’s degree in Human Development. During her undergraduate experience, Chaviva was an active member of Chabad on Campus, having served on the general board and participated in countless incredible events for Jewish life. Additionally, she engaged in her passion for mental health education through her internship with Binghamton’s Health Promotion department. Currently, Chaviva is pursuing a master’s degree in social work from Hunter and hopes to work in the clinical social work profession. She is so excited to join the Hillel team and is looking forward to combining her passions for Jewish life and mental health on campus. In her free time, Chaviva enjoys exploring the city, hanging out with her 4 adorable nephews and 1 (soon to be 2!) niece, and watching her favorite movies.