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The MIT Hillel Office is located on the basement level of MIT building W11 (Religious Activities Center), at the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Amherst Street. Please note that the entrance to the building is on Amherst Street.

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Rabbi Michelle Fisher - Executive Director

Rabbi Fisher is the first alumna rabbi from MIT, and describes her return to MIT in 2009 as "the mother ship calling her home."  Rabbi Fisher earned her undergraduate degree, in chemistry, from Princeton University, and her Masters in Chemistry from MIT. Ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary, she has served as the Associate Rabbi of Congregation Har Shalom in Potomac, MD and the Rabbi of Congregation B'nai Shalom in Walnut Creek, CA. She is an alumna of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship, a veteran of the US Naval Chaplain Corps, and a former student at both the Pardes Institute and the Hartman Institute in Jerusalem.  She enjoys fantasy and science fiction, cycling (and unicycling), oenology, exploring the nexus of science and religion, and, especially, meeting with students, faculty, and alumni. In 2014, Rabbi Fisher was awarded Hillel International's highest individual award, the Richard M. Joel Exemplar of Excellence Award.

Rabbi Fisher's HillelTalk at Hillel International Global Assembly, on self-care (December 2017)

MIT Hillel interview (2009) with Rabbi Fisher

Invocation at MIT Commencement 2020

rabbif@mit.edu

Marissa Feinman Freed - Assistant Director

Marissa has worked with students at MIT since 2012. She helps students learn, live, and lead Jewishly. Marissa has created Jewish community, empowered student leaders, and built relationships through her work as a JCSC Fellow at Rutgers University and as a Program Director for BBYO in both Orlando and Boston. She studied Psychology at UC Santa Barbara, and earned an MBA from Indiana University. She has also studied Judaism and Informal Jewish Education at Pardes in Jerusalem and Hebrew College in Boston. In 2020, Marissa was awarded Hillel International's highest individual award, the Richard M. Joel Exemplar of Excellence Award.

In May 2022, Marissa celebrated 10 years at MIT Hillel! See how students, colleagues, and friends congratulated her.

mfeinman@mit.edu

Shoshana Gibbor - Director of Programming

Shoshana Gibbor brings passion to the position of Director of Engagement and Immersive Experiences by fusing together her love for Judaism and Israel with outreach and engagement programming. Her philosophy is all about meeting the student where they are at and walking side by side on their journey of discovery. Shoshana seeks out students interested in exploring more about their Jewish heritage, while connecting them with the opportunity of participating in a Birthright trip experience. Shoshana received a Bachelor's degree in Psychology, Community Health, and Dance from Hofstra University. She hails from Toms River, New Jersey, and some of her favorite things when spending time in Israel include: hiking in the Golan Heights, eating sabich, Fridays in Jerusalem, and swimming in the Dead, Med, and Red Seas! In 2015, Shoshana received Hillel International's highest individual award, the Richard M. Joel Exemplar of Excellence Award.

In June 2021, Shoshana celebrated 10 years at MIT Hillel! Watch the expressions of gratitude from her students.

Read Shoshana’s reflections on outside-the-box education in a virtual/hybrid world.

sgibbor@mit.edu

Rabbi Joel Dinin - Director of Education/Orthodox Rabbi

Originally from West Hills, CA, Rabbi Dinin received ordination (Semikha) from Yeshivat Chovevei Torah in 2015. He is a lifelong learner and has teaching experience with every age from 9-93! He brings his personal passions for art, history, science, philosophy and music (jazz, folk, rock and more!) into his rabbinic life, having served as both a pulpit rabbi and part time day school teacher for nearly a decade! Without his amazing experiences as a student at Hillel and Jewish summer camp he wouldn’t be where he is today! Whether he was living in Prague, Israel, or Milwaukee, his heart has always been in New England. He has three wonderful children, Meira, Michael, and Jacob, with his beloved wife Sarah.

 

Sarah Kaplan - Engagement Associate

Originally from Cincinnati, OH, Sarah is thrilled to join MIT Hillel as an Engagement Associate. After graduating from Tufts in 2023 with degrees in Sociology and Civic Studies, she is excited to be closer to the Charles at MIT. Sarah has always been fueled by Jewish community building and getting creative about ways to engage with the Jewish tradition. Last year, she worked in Chicago at Beyond Legal Aid as an Avodah Service Corps Member. You can ask her about all things communal living and cooking Shabbat dinners for 12+ people. Outside of Hillel, you can find Sarah hiking in the Fells, jumping in Mystic Lake, or listening to Beyoncé.
 
sarahkap@mit.edu

Rebeccah Lipson - Engagement Associate

Rebeccah Lipson is a dedicated social justice educator and community organizer based in Boston, MA. She is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Nonprofit Management at Northeastern University. Rebeccah holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she was awarded the W.E.B. Du Bois Outstanding Sociological Achievement Award for her academic excellence. In her role as a Fellow with Repair The World in Boston, Rebeccah has supervised and recruited over 675 volunteers, facilitating numerous service learning programs through Hillels, Moishe Houses, and synagogues. She has organized impactful programming for young adults, including meal preparation for hundreds of individuals, assembling household supply kits for refugees, and providing post-abortion care kits. Rebeccah has also taught ESL classes to recent refugees and tutored incarcerated men at Hampshire Jail to prepare them for the Hi-Set exam. Fluent in Spanish, Rebeccah is passionate about empowering diverse communities and fostering social change through education and advocacy.
 
rlip01@mit.edu

Marla Choslovsky - Director of Development

Marla's affiliation with MIT goes back to her graduate school days at the MIT Sloan School, where she earned her SM in 1988. In her role as Director of Development at Hillel, she extends that connection through her relationships with current and future supporters of MIT Hillel. When she's not schmoozing in person or on e-mail, she can often be found doing a crossword puzzle.

marla360@mit.edu

Leah Kaplan - Administrative/Development Assistant 

Leah Kaplan is an alumna from the University of Rhode Island, and graduated with a BA in Public Relations. She spent her senior year interning at URI Hillel, and made the smart decision to apply to MIT Hillel! A Saugus, MA native, she loves going to Sox games, concerts, and hanging out with her dog, Max.

 

leahkap@mit.edu

 

MIT Hillel

Phone: 617-253-2982
Email: hillel@mit.edu

MIT Hillel
Muriel and Norman B. Leventhal
Center for Jewish Life
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
40 Massachusetts Ave, Building W11
Cambridge, MA 02139

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