Jewish Inspiration – Welcoming Uzi Pohl

Dear beloved fellow members of Harvard’s Jewish community,

I hope my message finds you, and those close to you, well.

College is a search: for friendship and love, for inspiration and wisdom, for avenues of connection and opportunities to make a difference. There is perhaps no other period when the possibilities are so wide-open, and the resources to choose between so varied and plentiful – as four years at Harvard College.

Our mission is to create a Jewish life that will attract and inspire Jewish students, earning their participation and commitment through loyal friendships, mind- and heart-opening conversations, and joyful celebrations that both evoke the homes they come from and animate the homes they will create.

At the core of that work is people: everything we do with and for students rises and falls on the kindness and integrity, brilliance and wisdom, hard work and passion of the staff who guide our students and provide them with Jewish mentors and role models at this critical juncture in their adult lives. In my first year, the most intensive and extensive area of my focus – though by no means the most visible – was to hone our vision and implementation of a student-facing team equal to this monumental, noble, and holy work.

Over the coming weeks, you’ll get to meet the staff who will be supporting, teaching, and reaching out to every Jewish student. They’re an amazing group, and adequate to the trust and hope our community has placed in them.

So allow me to introduce you to Uzi Pohl, who has just begun as Harvard Hillel’s new IACT Fellow (IACT stands for “Inspired, Active, Committed, Transformed” – a terrific summary of who we want our students to be). Uzi is kindly charismatic, infectiously excited, and profoundly committed to Judaism and Jewish students. We are grateful that he’s decided to build on his remarkable successes last year at MSU by joining Harvard Hillel, eager to work on realizing the vast potential of Jewish life at Harvard. When you are next on campus, please drop by – Uzi and I will be thrilled to see you – and don’t hesitate to reach out to him with an introduction, a question, or an invitation to conversation.

Shabbat shalom,

Rabbi Jason Rubenstein
Executive Director

I am beyond honored to be stepping into this role of IACT Coordinator & Community-Building Associate with Harvard Hillel. I truly cannot wait to start working as a partner with every single person who enters our spaces. I deeply believe in the mission and vision of Harvard Hillel and look forward to creating the future of Jewish leaders in our community.

My passion for Jewish life on campus started as an undergrad at West Virginia University where I was intimately involved in all aspects of Jewish life. In my time at WVU, I was on the Hillel Board, Chabad board, and was Jewish Identity Chair, Philanthropy Chair & Founding Brother of the Mu Lambda chapter of AEPi. After school, I worked as a Jewish Wilderness Educator at Adamah Pearlstone, Videographer/Counselor at URJ 6 Points Creative Arts Academy, and most recently IACT Coordinator at Michigan State University. I feel incredibly prepared to be stepping into my role here.

My eagerness to grow Jewish identity and pride is fundamental to my character. I hope my light will inspire and grow through our interactions. I look forward to leading trips through Birthright, bringing new creative programs to the Harvard Hillel community, and most importantly being a person who supports and fosters visions and aspirations of the student leaders. I welcome meaningful conversations and challenging discourse in our time together. I can’t wait to meet you and find the best places to host “Smoothies with Uzi.”

I am excited to build with students and staff as partners in community building and hosting amazing programs. One of my first initiatives as in my new role is seeking student applicants for a Fellowship Ambassador for Birthright (FAB) Internship. If there’s a Harvard student in your life with a passion for Israel and community building, please send them my way! And if you have any questions about this cohort or any other programs or events happening at Hillel, my door will always be open.

With a full heart and overwhelming pride, I look forward to the journey ahead building a flourishing center for Jewish life on campus. Am Yisrael Chai!

Uzi Pohl