Staff

Liz Donaldson has served as the Office Manager since 2007. She handles the administrative and financial needs of the office. Liz has been working within the Jewish Community since 1999. Prior to working at Maryland Hillel, she was the Office Manager at the Bernice Rabovsky Religious School at Congregation B’nai Tzedek in Potomac, MD. Liz grew up in Maryland and went to UMUC. She looks forward to helping and interacting with parents, students and staff. Students enjoy her positive personality and friendly demeanor. In her free time, Liz enjoys quality time with her husband Jason, their two children and two adorable dogs.

Maddie is a recent graduate of The University of Texas at Austin (Hook ‘Em), where she received her B.S. in Public Relations with a Business Minor. Born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, she spent her time involved in the local Jewish community, as well as her summers at URJ OSRUI. Maddie is excited to be joining the team at Maryland Hillel as the Special Events and Catering Coordinator. Maddie previously served as a Public Relations Intern at Beck Media & Marketing, working with technology clients on media outreach and awards nominations. In her free time you can find Maddie in the aisles of Trader Joe’s, front row at a country concert, or looking up plane fares for her next big adventure. Maddie looks forward to becoming a part of the Maryland Hillel community, and cannot wait to see what being a Terp is all about!

Avital made Aliyah with her family at the age of 10, from Baltimore, MD to Bet Shemesh. At the age of 15, her family moved once again, this time to Neve Daniel. After high school, Avital chose to do Sherut Leumi, a National Service program for religious girls. Avital worked with holocaust survivors in Jerusalem as a friend and companion. The following year Avital studied at Midreshet Nishamt, and went on to study at Bar Ilan University, where she received her BA in Logistics and Management. Avital has been studying at Matan, a Women’s Institute for Torah Studies in Jerusalem and is a certified Kallah Teacher. She enjoys being outdoors, finding interesting recipes on Pintrest, DIY projects, and spending time with her husband, Yonaton, and their two precious girls, Nava and Tamar. Avital always keeps her door open for students, enjoys meeting new faces, and is always excited to plan the next big BBQ!

Rabbi Ari Israel is in his twenty second year as a Hillel Executive Director in College Park.  In addition to Rabbinic ordination, Ari has Masters Degrees in Medieval Jewish History as well as Secondary Education.  Ari is an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland, teaching Jewish Leadership, and also teaches for the Acharai Jewish Leadership Institute in Baltimore.  He is married to Suzy and their six children reside in Silver Spring, MD.  He is also an amateur photographer trying to pick up golf to avert a mid-life crisis.

Annie is thrilled to join the team as the Springboard Education Fellow, exploring and getting excited about Jewishness with Terps of all backgrounds. A Philly native, Annie moved to Rhode Island to attend Brown University where she was deeply involved with the Jewish community via Brown RISD Hillel and developed a passion for crafting accessible, fulfilling, and community-driven Jewish experiences. A lover of language, experimentation, justice, and pluralism, Annie knows that coffee milk, water ice, and identity—like Torah—always have deeper meanings.