About
The History of UM Hillel
The first mention of a Hillel at the University of Miami is in December 1940 and the first B’nai B’rith Hillel Foundation at UM was started in 1941. Originally located in a storefront on Ponce de Leon Blvd in downtown Coral Gables, the original Hillel Building was built in 1953.
Six decades later, in 2015 a brand new Braman Miller Center for Jewish Student Life opened its doors doubling the footprint of the original building.
“We are incredibly fortunate to have a great team that are committed to supporting UM’s Jewish students and strengthening Jewish engagement in Miami.”
The University of Miami Hillel strives to provide the best possible Jewish education to students and community members, in doing so, it engaged the most talented professionals and lay leaders to serve on the Board of Directors and in professional capacities.
Our commitment to the highest standards of quality did not go unnoticed, and we were honored to receive:
- 2020: Ally of the Year award by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee
- 2019: Best of Coral Gables Awards - Religious Organization
- 2019: Ally of the Year award by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee
- 2018: The Outstanding Campus Award by Hillel International - the highest award among 550 Hillels around the Globe.
- 2016: Exemplar of Excellence Award presented to Karem Sandgarten, Director of Finance and Operations
- 2015: Outstanding Restoration project Award by the City of Coral Gables
UM Hillel is committed to students at the University of Miami. Everything we do as an organization is aimed at providing meaningful Jewish life to students, and the larger Miami community.
Our vision is to inspire every Jewish student to make an enduring commitment to Jewish life, learning, and Israel.
Officers of the Board of Directors
- Mycki Ratzan, Chair
- Garett Grossberg, Vice Chair
- Adam Korenfield, Treasurer
- Robb Steinberg, Immediate Past Chair
Board of Directors:
- Nancy Cohen
- Karen Jusko Diamond
- William Green
- Simon Kaminetsky
- Alice Lash
- Elizabeth Leight
- Allen Levitt
- Naomi Nixon
- Sidney Pertnoy
- Noreen Sablotsky
- Alan Serure
- Larry Spiegelman
- Nancy Tuchman
- Debi Braman Wechsler
UM Hillel Staff
We are fortunate to have assembled the best team of professionals to serve at UM Hillel. We represent a diverse, highly educated and experienced team, that brings together their expertise and vision to achieve the mission of the University of Miami Hillel.
Meet Briana Schwarz
Briana joined the UM Hillel team in July 2022 bringing over 15 years of experience in community outreach and development. A graduate of the University of Florida, Briana previously held positions at Sharsheret: The Jewish Breast and Ovarian Cancer Community, Hillel of Broward and Palm Beach, and Alpha Epsilon Phi. As a Miami native, Briana knows the University of Miami is a major part of local culture and Hillel is an important portal for Jewish experiences both on campus and within the greater community. Briana lives in Hollywood with her husband and three daughters and enjoys baking challah, SoulCycle, and spending time at the beach.
Meet Karem Sandgarten
Originally from Cordoba, Argentina, Karem moved to Miami in 2013 and joined the Hillel team. She has a background in Jewish youth movements in Argentina and she is a certified accountant. In addition to Karem’s financial oversight, she also advises UM Hillel’s student group for Latin Americans called “Hola Hillel”.
Meet Rabbi Lyle Rothman
Rabbi Lyle comes to Miami with seven years of Hillel experience. During rabbinical school he served as a rabbinic intern at Columbia/Barnard Hillel and most recently as the Director of Jewish Life and Learning at Hofstra University Hillel. Rabbi Lyle was ordained and received a MA in Religious Education from Hebrew Union College-JIR in May 2012. He earned an undergraduate degree from Hofstra University in 2004 and graduated with a B.A. in Jewish Studies and a double minor in Philosophy and Religion.
Tamara Zishuk
- tamara@miamihillel.org
- (305) 284-1800
Meet Tamara
Tamara is joining the University of Miami Hillel team after working for 3 years at North Carolina Hillel. She grew up in the Orlando area, so moving to Miami to join this team feels like a return home for her. Tamara received her Masters in Hospitality and Tourism Management from the University of Central Florida in 2018, and is currently pursuing a Masters in Jewish Nonprofit Management from HUC-JIR’s Zelikow School of Nonprofit Management. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Central Florida with a B.S. in Psychology and Minor in Leadership Studies. In her free time, Tamara loves to cook, take cruises around the world, bake challah, and practice Hebrew. She loves working with Jewish students and is excited to integrate her passion for leadership development and innovative Jewish life on campus as Director of Strategic Initiatives
Meet Jonah
Jonah is a Miami native who is returning to his home town after graduating from the University of Florida Honors College with Bachelor’s degrees in Sustainability Studies and Business Administration. Jonah found his passion for Israel after spending the summer in Tel Aviv where he participated in an internship and immersed himself in the local culture. At the University of Florida, Jonah was a trip leader and wilderness guide where he led students and teachers on multi-day backpacking, surfing, and canoeing trips. He is hoping to continue his passion for trip leading and student engagement as he coordinates and leads our Birthright program.
Rachel Gordon
- rgordon@miamihillel.org
- (305) 284-1800
Meet Rachel
Since 2016, Rachel has expanded the digital marketing space within Hillel International. Joining the Springboard Fellowship (Aleph/1st Cohort) as a Social Media Specialist at the University of Delaware Hillel, her accomplishments included launching a successful rebrand for the Birthright Israel program and the creation of tracking digital student engagement. Since then, Rachel has been involved with strategizing fun and innovative daily content for Hillel: Birthright Israel program and Hillel International. Rachel currently resides near the Jersey shore with her cockapoo, Drake. In her free time, Rachel enjoys taking pictures, eating ice cream, and staying up to date on all social media trends.
Meet Chris
My name is Christian, born in Massachusetts, where I lived the first 4 years of my life and then moved to Medellin, Colombia for 17 years. In 2017 I moved to Miami looking for new opportunities to grow in every aspect of my life and accomplish all my goals and very fortunately I was able to start working in the Jewish community. In 2019 I became the Building Manager for Hillel at University of Miami and everyday I do my best to keep all of our installations functioning properly and be as helpful as possible for any team member or students in need of any assistance. Always committed to learning, keeping our installations running smoothly and making all our guests happy.