Texas Hillel welcomes new team members
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Rabbi Will Hall and Aviva Mangista
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Ahead of the 2021-’22 school year, Texas Hillel Foundation is welcoming Rabbi Will Hall to the position of rabbi/senior Jewish educator and Aviva Mangista to the position of Jewish Agency Israel fellow as part of its Jewish Student Life team.
These staff positions are central to Texas Hillel’s mission of enriching the lives of Jewish students. Rabbi Hall and Mangista will provide meaningful opportunities for students to engage with both Judaism and Israel in ways that feel authentic to each of their unique and individual Jewish journeys.
Rabbi Hall, originally from Houston and a graduate of The Emery/Weiner School, was ordained in May by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. A UT graduate, Rabbi Hall served on the Hillel Student Executive Cabinet and was an active member of the Forty Acres Jewish community.
Prior to beginning his rabbinical studies, Rabbi Hall spent a year in Jerusalem at the Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies. He also has studied at the Shalom Hartman Institute and the iCenter for Israel Education. He served as a Jewish educational consultant for BBYO and spent time working with congregations in Ohio and Texas.
Mangista grew up in Netanya, Israel, and has just completed her studies in diplomacy and strategy at the Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya. During her studies, she completed a two-month internship at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.
In the course of her time at IDC,
Mangista partook in a number of clubs, including the Language Club, the Ambassadors Club, Women’s Entrepreneurship and the Forum for the Advancement of Political Students. She is a graduate of the Bnei Akiva Youth Movement and worked for the organization as a young adult. Mangista credits many of her values, especially for Zionism and Judaism, to the movement.
Mangista’s penchant for traveling and meeting new people will serve her well as she joins Texas Hillel and begins developing connections with students from diverse backgrounds.
Rabbi Hall is excited to return to Austin, looking forward to “Friday nights at Texas Hillel, Texas football, and to finally be back in a city that understands the importance of breakfast tacos,” he said.
Mangista said she is “getting excited to meet the people and to be a part of the Austin family” and for the “start of something new and big.”
Rabbi Hall and Mangista both are looking forward to becoming part of the Texas Hillel team this summer. The community is invited to welcome them.
These staff positions are central to Texas Hillel’s mission of enriching the lives of Jewish students. Rabbi Hall and Mangista will provide meaningful opportunities for students to engage with both Judaism and Israel in ways that feel authentic to each of their unique and individual Jewish journeys.
Rabbi Hall, originally from Houston and a graduate of The Emery/Weiner School, was ordained in May by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. A UT graduate, Rabbi Hall served on the Hillel Student Executive Cabinet and was an active member of the Forty Acres Jewish community.
Prior to beginning his rabbinical studies, Rabbi Hall spent a year in Jerusalem at the Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies. He also has studied at the Shalom Hartman Institute and the iCenter for Israel Education. He served as a Jewish educational consultant for BBYO and spent time working with congregations in Ohio and Texas.
Mangista grew up in Netanya, Israel, and has just completed her studies in diplomacy and strategy at the Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya. During her studies, she completed a two-month internship at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.
In the course of her time at IDC,
Mangista partook in a number of clubs, including the Language Club, the Ambassadors Club, Women’s Entrepreneurship and the Forum for the Advancement of Political Students. She is a graduate of the Bnei Akiva Youth Movement and worked for the organization as a young adult. Mangista credits many of her values, especially for Zionism and Judaism, to the movement.
Mangista’s penchant for traveling and meeting new people will serve her well as she joins Texas Hillel and begins developing connections with students from diverse backgrounds.
Rabbi Hall is excited to return to Austin, looking forward to “Friday nights at Texas Hillel, Texas football, and to finally be back in a city that understands the importance of breakfast tacos,” he said.
Mangista said she is “getting excited to meet the people and to be a part of the Austin family” and for the “start of something new and big.”
Rabbi Hall and Mangista both are looking forward to becoming part of the Texas Hillel team this summer. The community is invited to welcome them.