Staff
Naftali Brawer, PhD
Neubauer Executive Director & University Jewish Chaplain
Pronouns: he/him/his
Rabbi Brawer cares deeply about the Jewish community of the future, and believes that it is being shaped on the college campuses of today. The excitement of supporting Jewish students as they experiment with, and discover a Judaism relevant to them, is what drives his work at Hillel.
Lauren Bloom
Rosen Family Associate Director
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Lauren loves helping students take a kernel of an idea and turn it into something that can make a real impact on campus and in the wider community. She enjoys helping students learn to lead, manage large programs and initiatives, and build skills they will carry with them long after college. Just as important is being part of their Jewish lives, helping students see the many ways Judaism can be meaningful to them, whether through social justice, community, relationships, tradition, or something entirely their own. More than 25 years into her time at Tufts Hillel, Lauren still loves hearing from alumni about the impact Hillel had on their lives, supporting staff in their own growth and successes, and having the chance to keep creating, growing programs, and trying new things.
Before coming to Tufts Hillel, Lauren earned her Master's in Social Work and worked with children in foster care who had experienced abuse and neglect. She later served as a synagogue youth director before bringing her background in social work, youth development, and Jewish communal life to Tufts.
Outside of work, Lauren is the proud solo parent of an incredible 17-year-old and a wonderful dog named Sadie.
Marilyn Goldman
Director of Operations & Finance
Marilyn joined Tufts Hillel in June 2022 as the Director of Operations & Finance. She has spent her career working in the Boston Jewish Community in various organizations as well as working for many years at a private family foundation who supported local and national Jewish organizations. Marilyn has extensive experience in nonprofit management, specifically in the areas of operations, finance and human resources. Marilyn has also spent much of her career working with college students and high schoolers and is excited to return to campus through her work at Tufts Hillel. Marilyn cares deeply about the Jewish community, in future generations, and is energized by her work with young adults. In addition to overseeing Tufts Hillel operations and finance, Marilyn is responsible for our dining and catering (including weekly Community dinners), works with Challah for Chesed and created our new Intergenerational Program.
Marilyn lives in Newton with her husband and is the proud mother of two young adult sons both of whom are married and live in the Boston area. Marilyn also enjoys spending time with her new grandson. When not working, Marilyn enjoys experiencing the many sights and wonders of Boston, the greater New England area and traveling in general. Marilyn is also an active volunteer in her synagogue.
Alyssa Frank
Director of Development
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Alyssa Frank is proud to serve as the Development Director of Hillel at Tufts University, where she leads fundraising strategy, donor engagement, and community partnerships to support Jewish life on campus. Since joining Tufts Hillel, Alyssa has focused on deepening relationships with alumni, parents, and friends of the university, while also working closely with students and staff to ensure they feel supported in bringing their ideas, initiatives, and goals to life. Alyssa brings experience in development from her previous roles at Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF) and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to Tufts Hillel, where cultivating meaningful connections remains at the center of her work. Alyssa is a Syracuse University alum where Hillel was a meaningful part of her college experience, becoming her “home away from home”. She lives in Charlestown with her husband, their three-year-old son, and goldendoodle. In her free time, she enjoys walks in the neighborhood, reading, and being by the ocean.
Ilan Persing
Communications and Marketing Manager
Pronouns: he/him/his
Ilan brings creativity and storytelling to work that helps Jewish life thrive. As Tufts Hillel's Marketing & Communications Manager, he leads communications, marketing, digital strategy, and social media, finding creative ways to share the stories of the people and programs that make up Jewish life at Tufts.
Before coming to Tufts, Ilan worked across the Jewish nonprofit world in teen engagement, experiential education, communications, and community building, including roles with Diller Teen Fellows at the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, YouthFirst at Jewish Family and Children's Services, Midrasha Teen Education, and the Jewish Community Center of the East Bay. He is a graduate of UMass Amherst with a degree in Communication and a minor in Film Studies.
Outside of work, Ilan enjoys spending time with his family and finding new creative projects to work on.
Natalie Lopez
Student Life Coordinator
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Natalie believes in learner-centered education and loves helping students make meaning to content and meaning to one another in their collegiate lives. As Student Life Coordinator, Natalie upholds our “student led, staff supported” motto by providing supervision, mentorship, and leadership development to our students as they implement fun and valuable programming for the community.
Natalie is a proud Jumbo and graduated from Tufts with her BA in Classical Studies and International Relations. She also holds an MA in Education and Human Development in Israel Education from George Washington University. Passionate about her role as an experiential educator, Natalie enjoys supporting the growth of all students throughout their time with Tufts Hillel!
Outside of work, Natalie is a certified personal trainer, avid gym go-er, and is currently training for a marathon!
Ariel Hekier
Springboard Innovation Fellow
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Ariel is passionate about helping students find community and empowering them to explore their Jewish identity on their own terms. As Tufts Hillel’s Springboard Fellow, Ariel develops programs for students who are looking to deepen their connection to Judaism. Her favorite part of her job is taking students on coffee chats and building meaningful relationships with them over a matcha, latte, or hot chocolate. She also loves cohort learning and teaches the Jewish Learning Fellowship at Tufts Hillel.
Before working at Tufts Hillel, Ariel attended Duke University where she studied Sociology and Statistics. In her free time, she is a competitive weightlifter and enjoys hiking, reading, and trying new restaurants in the area.
Rabbi Jeffrey Summit
Emeritus Neubauer Executive Director
Pronouns: he/him/his
Rabbi Summit stepped down from the position as Executive Director of Tufts Hillel after serving for 39 years. He is currently a Senior Consultant for Hillel International directing a national project entitled “Living our Values.” He continues in his position of Research Professor in the Department of Music and the Judaic Studies Program at Tufts and also holds the appointment of Emeritus Jewish Chaplain at Tufts. Rabbi Summit is an ethnomusicologist and his CD "Abayudaya: Music from the Jewish People of Uganda" was nominated for a GRAMMY award. He also recorded a CD for Smithsonian Folkways Recordings on the music of the Jewish, Christian and Muslim Fair Trade coffee farmers in Uganda and is the author of two books on music and identity in the American Jewish community. He is passionate about hiking, guitars, and Jewish music.