Hillel Council of New England

What Hillel Council of New England does

Hillel Council of New England (HCNE) is a Massachusetts-based non-profit organization founded in 1983 that operates as the regional affiliate of Hillel International serving Jewish campus life on smaller-population colleges and universities across New England. Headquartered at 202 Washington Street, Suite 343, Brookline, MA, the organization employs 1-10 staff and reaches over 2,000 Jewish students across 7 campuses with professional presence (Bentley, Berklee, Boston College, Curry, Emerson, Simmons, Suffolk) plus 5 student-led affiliate campuses (Lesley, Salem State, Wheaton, WPI, UMass Boston). HCNE's service portfolio is organized into three pillars: (1) Israel engagement via Birthright Israel, Boston Onward Israel summer internships, and the $600 Alternative Spring Break mission; (2) cohort-based Jewish learning programs (Jewish Learning Fellowship, Kol Yisrael, Shabbat Hosting Lab, Four the Moment); and (3) campus support services including the Shabbat Home Hosting Initiative, the Jacobson-Banks Scholarship ($500-$750), and student-led campus consultations.

Delivery is fundamentally in-person and on-campus: HCNE staff are embedded within college Spiritual Life and Student Life offices, supplemented by regional events and travel logistics coordinated through partners Birthright Israel Foundation, Israel Outdoors, and Hillel International. There is no proprietary technology platform; the organization runs a Squarespace website and uses Hillel International's engage.hillel.org event system. The business model is philanthropy-driven: revenue is generated through individual donations, monthly giving, memorial/honor gifts, corporate matching, donor-advised fund grants, IRA qualified charitable distributions (up to $100,000/year tax-free), and core institutional support from Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Boston. The only direct student fee is the $600 Alternative Spring Break participation charge; Birthright trips are fully externally funded "gifts" and most other programming is free to students.

HCNE is governed by a Board of Directors chaired by Molly Galler (Wheaton College alumna) and led by Executive Director Miriam Berkowitz Blue (since 2021, previously Assistant Director from 2016). The senior team includes Matt Hoffman (Director of Immersive Experiences), Jared Waters (Director of Israel Engagement & IACT Coordinator), Tamar Levy (Manager of Jewish Life & Learning), Rabbi Elisheva Pripas (Jewish Chaplain), Dana Alvarez (first-ever Jewish Agency Israel Fellow), and Joe Frank (Development & Communications Coordinator).

Name

Hillel Council of New England

Legal name

Hillel Council of New England

Website

https://hillelcouncil.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Non-profit regional affiliate of Hillel International serving over 2,000 Jewish students on smaller-population campuses across New England, delivering on-campus programming, cohort-based Jewish learning, and immersive Israel travel experiences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Jewish Student Campus Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAJAD

Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis)

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Religious & Faith-Based Organizations

SECONDARYEDAIAGAI

Faith-Based & Mission Service Programs

Education/International Education & Study Abroad/International Service Learning, Volunteering & Gap Year Programs

SECONDARYEDAIAGAJ

Structured Gap Year Programs (Multi-Sector & Rotational)

Education/International Education & Study Abroad/International Service Learning, Volunteering & Gap Year Programs

SECONDARYEDAIAAAA

Faculty-Led & Custom Group Study Abroad Programs

Education/International Education & Study Abroad/Study Abroad Program Providers (Multi-Country & Multi-Discipline)

Keywords

• Jewish campus programming
• Israel travel programs
• Jewish student services
• Cohort learning programs
• Religious campus engagement

Headquarters

HQ city

Brookline

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Primary revenue stream from individual donors, monthly giving programs, memorial/honor gifts, and corporate matching. Tax-deductible donations in Massachusetts (state income tax deduction as of January 2023).
2. Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) Gifts: Accepts grants from donor-advised funds. Tax ID: 04-2688997.
3. IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions: Accepts QCDs from donors age 70.5+, up to $100,000/year tax-free from IRA.
4. Program Participation Fees: Alternative Spring Break program charged at $600 per participant (including flights, lodging, most meals). Other programs such as Birthright Israel and Boston Onward Israel are provided at no cost to students as they are funded by external gifts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hillel Council of New England is a nonprofit organization that delivers Jewish campus life programming, cohort-based learning, and immersive Israel travel experiences to over 2,000 Jewish college students across 12 New England campuses. Its service portfolio includes weekly Shabbat dinners, holiday services, the Jewish Learning Fellowship and other cohort programs, Birthright Israel trips, Boston Onward Israel summer internships, Alternative Spring Break volunteer missions, the Shabbat Home Hosting Initiative, and the Jacobson-Banks Scholarship Fund. Programming is delivered by professional staff embedded within college spiritual life offices and supplemented by regional events across New England.

Product overview

Hillel Council of New England is a non-profit organization serving as the central hub for Jewish campus life in Boston and Greater Massachusetts. Rather than a unified software platform, HCNE offers a portfolio of educational programs and services organized into three main categories: (1) Israel engagement programs including Birthright Israel trips, Boston Onward Israel summer internships in Tel Aviv, and Alternative Spring Break volunteer missions; (2) Cohort-based Jewish learning programs including Jewish Learning Fellowship (JLF), Kol Yisrael (KY), Shabbat Hosting Lab (SHL), and Four the Moment (4tM) offering structured peer learning experiences; and (3) Campus support services including the Shabbat Home Hosting Initiative, Jacobson-Banks Scholarship, and consultations for student-led Hillel groups. These programs collectively serve over 2,000 Jewish students across multiple campuses in Greater Boston.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Birthright Israel A free 10-day educational trip to Israel for Jewish young adults, exploring Israeli history, culture, food, and communities alongside students from New England campuses. Fully funded by Birthright Israel as a gift to eligible students.
• Boston Onward Israel Immersive summer internship program in Tel Aviv offering resume-building placements across business, finance, sustainability, politics, research, healthcare, and startups, combined with cohort experiences and day trips throughout Israel. Open to Jewish students from New England campuses.
• Alternative Spring Break (ASB) in Israel A volunteer mission to Israel where students spend spring break working on service projects including food rescue operations, public space beautification, and youth programs, with guided tours of Haifa, Jerusalem, and southern border communities. Cost is $600 including flights, lodging, and most meals.
• Jewish Learning Fellowship (JLF) An 8-week conversational cohort experience engaging students in deep Jewish learning with peers, offered at various campuses with themed courses such as 'Life's Big Questions' at Boston College and 'Sex, Love, and Relationships' at downtown campuses.
• Kol Yisrael (KY) A 6-week cohort learning experience exploring big questions and ideas relating to the Jewish diaspora and Israel's relationship with Jewish communities worldwide, offered at Bentley University and Berklee College of Music.
• Shabbat Hosting Lab (SHL) A 10-week intensive program for students to explore and deepen their Shabbat practice through Jewish learning and both staff- and student-facilitated Shabbat experiences.
• Four the Moment (4tM) A 4-week conversational cohort experience engaging students in focused, thematic learning on specific topics such as 'Bridging: Building Relationships Across Difference' and 'Art & Wisdom: Jewish Creativity for the Modern Day.'
• Shabbat Home Hosting Initiative A program that empowers students to host Shabbat and holiday meals in their own spaces, with support from HCNE's Ezra Jewish Education Fellow who helps students plan meaningful Shabbat experiences.
• Jacobson-Banks Scholarship Fund A scholarship supporting undergraduate students of all backgrounds with $500-$750 subsidies to attend conferences, workshops, or leadership institutes focusing on interfaith and inter-group relations and cross-cultural cooperation.
• Student-Led Campus Consultations Consultations and guidance for student-run Hillel groups including assistance with becoming recognized student organizations and chartered Hillels through Hillel International, plus access to regional programs, travel, and leadership opportunities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2,000 Jewish students served in Greater Boston
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hillel InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHCNE operates under Hillel International's framework. Works with Hillel International for student organization recognition and chartered Hillel processes for emerging campuses.
• Birthright IsraelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBirthright Israel provides fully-funded trips to Israel as a gift to eligible Jewish students. HCNE coordinates campus participation and provides trip logistics through partners like Israel Outdoors.
• Israel OutdoorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner travel operator for Birthright Israel trips, handling trip logistics including transportation, guides, and tour programming.
• Lesley UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent-led Hillel campus receiving HCNE consultations and guidance for student-run Hillel groups, with access to regional programs and travel.
• Wheaton CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent-led Hillel campus. HCNE provides guidance and regional programming access. Board Chair Molly Galler is alumna of Wheaton College.
• Salem State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent-led Hillel campus receiving HCNE consultations and guidance for student-run Hillel groups.
• Worcester Polytechnic InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent-led Hillel campus receiving HCNE consultations and guidance for student-run Hillel groups.
• UMass BostonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent-led Hillel campus receiving HCNE consultations and guidance for student-run Hillel groups.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Hillel International: Hillel International is HCNE's parent/affiliate network governing Jewish campus engagement globally; while HCNE operates under its framework, individual Hillel foundations at large flagship universities (Harvard, MIT, Brandeis) serve overlapping audiences with broader resources.
• AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee): AIPAC operates extensive campus engagement programs for Israel advocacy at universities nationwide; comparable as a Jewish organizational presence on college campuses that shares donor constituencies and Israel-engagement messaging with HCNE.
• Jewish Federation of North America: JFNA is the umbrella body coordinating regional Jewish federations including CJP; comparable as a Jewish communal infrastructure organization with overlapping donor and programmatic concerns to HCNE's ecosystem.
• Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP): CJP is HCNE's primary funder and Boston-area Jewish federation; it acts as both a strategic partner and indirect comparable as a large-scale Jewish communal services organization that funds and coordinates multiple Jewish nonprofits in the same geography.

Emerging players

• Birthright Israel Foundation: Birthright Israel Foundation funds and operates the flagship HCNE-coordinated travel program; while not a campus organization itself, it is a direct upstream partner and equivalent in mission-impact for engaging Jewish young adults.
• Interfaith America (formerly Interfaith Youth Core): Interfaith America is a nonprofit promoting interfaith cooperation on college campuses; comparable because HCNE's Jacobson-Banks Scholarship explicitly funds students attending interfaith leadership conferences, putting the two organizations in the same campus interfaith programming space.
• Foundation for Jewish Camp: Foundation for Jewish Camp supports Jewish overnight camps serving youth; comparable as a Jewish educational nonprofit funding immersive experiences and investing in Jewish identity development for younger cohorts before they arrive at HCNE's college programs.

Direct peers

• Hillel at Harvard College: Harvard Hillel is among the largest and best-resourced Jewish campus organizations in the Boston area; while larger and at one campus, it executes the same core mission of Jewish student engagement, Shabbat programming, and Israel travel - the closest single-campus analogue to HCNE's regional model.
• Hillel of Greater Philadelphia: Hillel of Greater Philadelphia is a regional Hillel council serving multiple campuses in a single metro area under the same multi-campus model HCNE uses; structurally and operationally the closest analogue to HCNE outside of its own region.
• Chabad on Campus International Foundation: Chabad on Campus is the largest direct competitor for engaging Jewish college students in North America, operating Lubavitch-based programming, Shabbat dinners, and holiday services at hundreds of universities - directly comparable to HCNE's mission and target audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Hillel_Council
• Facebookfacebook.com/hillelcouncil
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hillel-council-of-new-england

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hillel Council of New England