KU Hillel announced that two new team members, Ben Novorr and Noa Savir, will join the organization this semester.
Novorr will serve as director of Jewish student engagement, and Savir will be manager of Jewish student engagement.
Novorr’s role will have him overseeing KU Hillel’s student engagement strategy, with an emphasis in diversifying and expanding the networks we are reaching. Savir’s role will focus on growing existing KU Hillel programs like the Jewish Learning Fellowship, Hebrew Roundtable, and wellness-focused initiatives.
Ben Novorr has deep connections with KU Hillel from when he was a student, having served as its Israel intern, engagement intern and strategic team intern. He was part of the Union for Reform Judaism’s College Leadership Team and was a participant in Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City’s Leadership Tomorrow program. He graduated from KU in 2021 and gained additional Hillel experience as a Jewish student life coordinator at Indiana University Hillel. Most recently, Novorr was the director of youth and family programming at Congregation Beth Shalom.
“Ben’s background as a Hillel professional at Indiana and working with youth programming at the congregational level uniquely prepared him to be a strong asset to our organization,” said Bailey Nakelsky, KU Hillel interim executive director. “He brings with him creative ideas from his own experience and a network of colleagues throughout the Hillel movement.”
“My time as an undergraduate student at KU Hillel and my year working at IU Hillel were truly some of the most meaningful experiences of my life,” Novorr said, “so having the opportunity to return to that incredibly rewarding and incredible work was something I couldn’t pass up. I look forward to bringing the same energy and passion to the KU Jewish community.”
Noa Savir, a graduate of Tel Aviv University, worked as a teacher in Israel and co-founded the Teacher’s Movement, a nationwide grassroots initiative aimed at reforming the Israeli education system. While in Israel, she also coordinated a partnership program between highschools in Herzliya, Israel and Los Angeles. Since moving to the United States, Savir has taught Hebrew and Jewish studies to elementary, high school and university-level students, including at the Hebrew Day School of Ann Arbor, Michigan.
“Noa’s experience as an educator will provide our students with strong Jewish and Hebrew learning opportunities,” Nakelsky said. “She was involved at Michigan Hillel prior to moving to Lawrence and brings with her the experience from what she observed and participated in while she was there.”
“I look forward to getting to know the students and building a meaningful community together,” Savir said. “A community where we accompany each other in all ways of life… I am excited to see what student initiatives will come up and wait to be by their side when they fulfill their dreams. I hope to connect with the wider community, from Lawrence to Israel. I am excited by the opportunity to make us a family for each other far from home and to grow another link in the chain of generations of the Jewish people.”
In addition to the new staff, Kansas City Jewish community shalicha Mika Kislanski will now visit KU Hillel twice a week to continue teaching and interacting with the Jewish KU students.
