From Unaffiliated Student to Jewish
Professional: My Hillel Story
By Rayna Schaff

Rayna Schaff recently moved to St. Louis to be the new Jewish Student Life Coordinator at St. Louis Hillel.  She coordinates Shabbat and holiday programming, facilitates social justice and community service opportunities, and advises the Jewish Student Union board. She recently graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a BA in English and is certified to teach middle school and high school. Rayna has been working to build one-on-one relationships with members of the St. Louis Jewish community and create many different types of meaningful Jewish experiences for students on campus.

Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to be many things: a marine biologist, a singer, a classroom English teacher. Had you asked me ten, five, or even two years ago, a career with Hillel would have been nowhere on that list.

I grew up in what I like to call a very “culturally Jewish” home in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago. I attended Hebrew school at a Conservative synagogue, I was Bat Mitzvahed, I ate my fill of potato kugel and matzo ball soup, and I smiled as my Jewish grandmother pinched my cheeks and told me I had a shayna punim. As my older brother became President of the local chapter of USY and my younger brother became involved with BBYO, I kept busy with my schoolwork, my friends, and my love for music. The few times a year my parents dragged us to shul, I would think of innovative ways I could pass the time: counting ceiling tiles, getting into thumb wars, and trying to think of clever ways to take passages from the siddur and transform them into song lyrics.

Fast forward about five years. I arrived in Champaign-Urbana, IL on my first day of college eager to make a name for myself. I walked around and signed up with as many clubs as I thought I could, until stumbling upon the Hillel booth. I met some of the friendly staff, told them I was Stu’s little sister (my older brother had designed their website) and moved on. Several weeks later, some of my girlfriends and I decided to give Friday night services at Hillel a try. After all, college was a time for experimentation.

There was no immediate ah-ha moment to be had. We showed up at the Hillel building that had been long outgrown. People were standing around in small groups with their friends, chatting about professors and parties they’d be attending later that night. The services were nice and student-led, and they were nothing like they were at home. We hadn’t planned on staying for dinner, but figured it would make our parents happy.

Before I knew it, the Shabbat services that had turned into dinner became so much more. I met fascinating people from all different types of backgrounds and began learning that there was so much to being Jewish that I had never explored. I met the Rabbi and his wife who invited me to classes and events. I was asked to be a student intern and began to feel invested in the Jewish community. Over the next few years, I would go on to serve on the UIUC (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) Local Board of Governors, the UIUC  Hillel Student Leadership Board, and ultimately, the Hillel International Board of Directors. All were extremely formative experiences that allowed me to grow as a leader, as an individual, and as a Jew.

I was in the heart of my Secondary Education program, on my way to getting my teaching certificate. Every day that I spent in my classes talking about how to teach made me realize that the majority of our education actually takes place outside of the classroom. I grew fascinated with informal education of all sorts, and soon realized there was one place that offered it every day. Hillel had given me so much as a student, and I wanted to be able to give something back.

When I accepted the job as Jewish Student Life Coordinator and arrived in St. Louis, I felt like that wide-eyed freshman all over again. I was new in town and had so much to learn (and still do!). The past three months have been a whirlwind, but I’m extremely passionate about the work I’m doing. I get to work with students who are experiencing their own Jewish journeys right before my eyes. I believe in the work that I do as a Jewish professional and am so proud of the wonderful resources, programs, and initiatives that my colleagues and I are able to share with students and community members alike.

My journey would never have culminated in my becoming a Hillel professional had I not taken that first step and walked through the front door of the Hillel building. But I did take that step. A somewhat scary, intimidating step. But I’m so glad I did.

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