Creating Spaces for Real Connection – Reflections From Your New Israel Fellow

Dear Harvard Hillel Community,

I’m Mahran, your Israel Fellow here at Hillel, and I wanted to share a bit about my journey with you – both how I got here and what these past few weeks have meant to me.

My role is all about creating spaces where students can connect with Israel in ways that feel real and personal. Sometimes that’s a Hebrew conversation over coffee, sometimes it’s cooking shakshuka together on a Tuesday night, and sometimes it’s just sitting in the lounge and talking about life.

Coming to Cambridge has been an adventure. This actually isn’t my first time navigating American culture – I spent a year in Michigan as a high school exchange student back in 2015, which (hopefully) prepared me for the upcoming Boston winter. But settling into a new community always brings its own unique challenges and surprises.

What’s made me feel most at home here is getting to know all of you. To the students I’ve had the privilege of meeting: every conversation we’ve had has left me energized – your curiosity, your questions, your willingness to engage with complexity. I learn as much from you as I hope you learn from me. Your perspectives challenge me to think differently, and your warmth makes this feel less like work and more like building friendships.

People often ask what it’s like being a non-Jewish Israel Fellow. For me, it’s a profound honor. I’m Druze, part of a minority community in Israel that’s built on values of loyalty, connection, and coexistence. Sharing my perspective here reminds me – and hopefully those I come into contact with – that Israel isn’t a single story. It’s a living tapestry of cultures, traditions, and voices. My hope is that through our conversations and programs, you’ll see Israel’s beautiful complexity and humanity.

These recent weeks have held some particularly powerful moments. When we attended Eden Golan’s concert (organized with United Hatzalah), it wasn’t just about the music – though her performance was incredible. Watchingher transform art into action, with tour proceeds funding ambulances and EMT training in Israel, was moving. But what struck me most was her conversation with Temple Israel’s head rabbi about facing antisemitism at Eurovision and choosing to keep creating anyway. When she closed with “Hurricane,” I looked around at our students and saw how deeply it resonated.

Even more powerful was standing with you all at the October 7th vigil in Harvard Yard. Seeing Israeli flags raised high, watching Jewish and Israeli students walk proudly through campus – in that moment, surrounded by this community’s strength and unity, I was reminded exactly why I’m here.

These experiences – the difficult ones and the joyful ones – keep bringing me back to what matters: building bridges between worlds, creating understanding across differences, and helping everyone at Harvard Hillel feel both rooted in who they are and curious about who others are.

I’m grateful to be on this journey with you. Shabbat Shalom.

With appreciation,

Mahran Yosef

Israel Fellow