JCLP Students & Alumni
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Class of 2021
Hilary Forrest
Jewish Communal Leadership Program Class of 2021
Hilary Forrest is currently a Synagogue Partnership Outreach Social Worker at DOROT in New York City. While in JCLP, she pursued an MSW concentration in Interpersonal Practice and completed field work at Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County and OneTable. Originally from Albany, NY, Hilary previously worked for ExecOnline, an EdTech startup which partners with top global business schools to deliver online leadership development programs. She graduated in 2016 from UM’s Ford School of Public Policy and worked at the Jewish Federations of North America and the International Institute of Education at the United Nations before teaching English in Israel through the Masa Teaching Fellows program.
Kayla Kapen
Jewish Communal Leadership Program Class of 2021
Kayla Kapen (she/her) is the Senior Development and Event Associate at the Bender JCC of Greater Washington in Rockville, MD. Before working at the Bender JCC, Kayla worked at Hillel Day School of Metropolitan Detroit as their Advancement Associate. She graduated in May 2019 from Ohio University (OU) with a dual Bachelor of Arts degree in Music and Psychology. Prior to JCLP, she worked at OU Hillel as an engagement intern, planning and leading student activities that promoted Jewish life on campus. Throughout her time in JCLP, she completed her field work at The Well and Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor. A highlight from her time in JCLP was visiting New Orleans and learning about the impact that the Jewish organizations there made after Hurricane Katrina. She is thankful for the meaningful and challenging discussions that she engaged in during her time in JCLP. Outside of work, she enjoys playing the cello, being involved in Jewish communal life, and spending time with her family, especially her niece Sydney.
Meredith Berlin
Jewish Communal Leadership Program Class of 2021
Meredith Berlin is currently a School Social Worker with Troy School District, serving students in Kindergarten through Fifth Grade. Meredith did her field placements at Jewish Family Service of Metropolitan Detroit and Burton Elementary in Huntington Woods. She studied Interpersonal Practice with a focus in Community and Social Systems and the School Social Work Specialization. She is originally from Huntington Woods, Michigan and graduated from Western Michigan University in April 2019 with a Bachelors of Science in Interdisciplinary Health Services with minors in gerontology and human resource management. During her undergraduate years, she held many leadership positions on campus with being an administrative resident assistant for two years and serving on Hillel @ WMU’s board all four years of her undergrad. Meredith’s formative Jewish experiences stem from an extensive background as a camper, counselor, supervisor, and social worker at Tamarack Camps in Ortonville, MI. Meredith is passionate about leadership, Jewish identity, and education.
Rebecca Belkin
Jewish Communal Leadership Program Class of 2021
Rebecca Belkin is the New York Program Director at Avodah, where she previously served as an Avodah Justice Fellow in 2018-19. During her MSW program she completed her field work at Detroit Jews for Justice. Becca is originally from Providence, RI, graduated from New York University in 2014 with a BSW and a minor in Studio Art. She completed her undergraduate field placement at an agency that provides social, academic, and mental health support to high school students at risk of dropping out. Following graduation, Rebecca worked as a preschool teacher, where she emphasized fostering an inclusive classroom community that instilled a sense of wonder in her young students, supporting their natural curiosity, and encouraging a love of learning.
Simi Adler
Jewish Communal Leadership Program Class of 2021
Simi Adler, originally from Boulder, CO, is currently a school-based clinician at a high school in Denver, CO. During his MSW program he concentrated in Interpersonal Practice with a minor in Management of Human Services and completed field work as a Management Intern at Jewish Family Services of Metro Detroit where he worked on program development, evaluation, and assessment projects as well as non-profit strategic operations. After graduating from the University of Colorado in 2009 with a BA in Psychology, he held many positions working with youth and young adults including as a Mental Health Worker at a residential treatment center, a Youth Director at a Synagogue, the Assistant Director the Maurice B. Shwayder Camp and most recently as the Director of Student Life at the University of Denver Hillel. Simi has also had the opportunity to pursue his passions of youth development and social justice when he spent a year abroad studying and volunteering in a social justice and coexistence program in Jaffa, Israel. As an avid lover of the outdoors Simi has worked as an adaptive ski/sports instructor with the National Sports Center for the Disabled in Winter Park, CO.
Class of 2020
Ashley Schnaar
Jewish Communal Leadership Program Class of 2020
Ashley Schnaar currently serves as a Senior Planning Associate at the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, where she previously worked as a Youth Mental Health Coordinator and Planning Associate. Ashley’s graduate studies focused on the Management of Human Services and the Jewish non-profit sector. She completed her fieldwork at the Cancer Support Community of Greater Ann Arbor and Trotter Multicultural Center at the University of Michigan. Ashley also enjoyed being involved in several evaluation projects where she conducted focus groups and reported on organizational impact. JCLP has given Ashley a deep appreciation of the strengths and challenges of the Jewish community, and she has gained lifelong friends in the process. She hails from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and is a 2018 graduate of Michigan State University, where she received her bachelor’s degree in Social Work with a minor in Religious Studies.
Hannah Berger
Jewish Communal Leadership Program Class of 2020
Hannah Berger works at Jewish Family Services of Metro Detroit as a Family Support Services Social Worker. She is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio. Hannah obtained her MSW from the University of Michigan in 2020. While in the MSW and JCLP program, Hannah spent time working at the Jewish Family Service of Washtenaw County and the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs in Chicago. In her free time, Hannah plays volleyball and rock climbs, works on young adult Jewish programs as a board member of The Well, and volunteers with Detroit Jews for Justice.
Lauren Fine
Jewish Communal Leadership Program Class of 2020
Lauren Fine (she/her) lives in Durham, NC and works as the Alumni Manager at Avodah, where she creates programming, career services, and opportunities for alumni to connect across the network. During JCLP, her fieldwork was with Detroit Jews for Justice and the National Council of Jewish Women in DC. Her career as a Jewish professional began as a Baltimore Repair the World fellow in 2014. She went on to be the Director of Student Leadership at North Carolina Hillel, where she found her love of community engagement. Lauren grew up in the U.S. South, the Northeast, and Midwest and is passionate about southern Jewish life and the strength of small and mid-sized Jewish communities. Lauren believes in the transformative power of Judaism and the power of solidarity movement-building. Lauren is a proud Crohnie and loves talking about IBD, chronic illness, and being temporarily able-bodied. In her free time, you’ll find Lauren organizing with Carolina Jews for Justice, picking mulberries, and taking on overly ambitious baking projects.
Megan Bernard
Jewish Communal Leadership Program Class of 2020
Megan Bernard currently serves as Associate Director of House and Pod Programs at Moishe House, where she previously worked as Mid-Atlantic Community Manager in Washington, D.C. Megan completed her field work at Kutz for its 2019 (and final) summer session, as well as at Hazon Detroit (The Jewish Lab for Sustainability) during the 2018-2019 school year. Megan concentrated in Management of Human Services with a minor in Interpersonal Practice. She is originally from Grand Blanc, Michigan. She graduated with her B.A. in International Studies and a minor in Law, Justice, and Social Change from the University of Michigan in 2016. Upon graduating, Megan worked for BBYO as an Associate Regional Director in the greater DC area, working with teen leaders to strengthen the Jewish future. Megan has been active in the Union for Reform Judaism, specifically its teen leadership camp, URJ Kutz Camp, for 7 summers. Kutz is where she realized her interest in Jewish communal work and started her journey to become a social worker.
Nora Greenstein Jacober
Jewish Communal Leadership Program Class of 2020
Nora Greenstein Jacober, originally from Washington, DC, works as a Program Officer at the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, where she formerly worked as a Program Associate. She graduated from the University of Michigan in May 2015 with a BA in Psychology, and a minor in History.
Prior to JCLP, Nora lived in Los Angeles, where she worked at the University of Southern California Hillel as the Program Manager. Through this role she participated in the Ezra Fellowship, a program through Hillel International working on integrating Jewish education and content into engagement methodology. As a JCLP student, Nora studied Management of Human Services with a minor in Interpersonal Practice, completing her field placement at the William Davidson Foundation. Nora is incredibly grateful to the deep relationships and questions she has been able to explore through her time in this program.