Izzi Rosenstark, 22, says her new role as IACT Team Coordinator at Towson Hillel was “the piece of the puzzle that I felt was missing.”
Rosenstark attended Montclair State University in New Jersey and studied film and television with a minor in mythology. There, she held multiple leadership roles at the university’s Hillel, which she said ultimately led her to take on her current professional role at Towson.
“When I started a few months ago, it was kind of foreign to me because we didn’t have an IACT at my school.” Rosenstark said. “So, I was really really excited to be a part of a school community that prioritized its relationship to Israel.”
IACT (Inspired, Active, Committed, Trained) is Hillel’s program to engage students with immersive Israel experiences, including its Birthright program. As team coordinator, Rosenstark leads Towson’s Birthright trips and the Hillel’s Israel and Jewish learning cohorts.
Rosenstark said at Montclair State, the environment was heavily anti-Israel. “It was like, ‘we don’t even want to hear you say Israel or Zionist,” she said.
“Even within the Hillel, somewhat … I could tell that [the students] wanted to, but they didn’t know how to express interest in, belief and support of Israel,” Rosenstark explained. “It was like, ‘just don’t talk about it, or else you’re going to have a target on your back.’ People were very afraid, very uncomfortable. … They weren’t given a space.”
Rosenstark said that Israel has “truly grounded me in the sense of culture and belonging that I really wanted to have and gave me an identity that I didn’t know was available to me.”
As the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor, Rosenstark said that after visiting Israel’s Holocaust museum, Yad Vashem, “a lot of what Israel gave me was understanding of the Israeli love and emphasis on life that is just so impactful.”
“It really meant a lot to me to experience that firsthand, because the Israelis are not worried about harping on the past,” she explained. “They want to express understanding in a way that makes you motivated to go forward and do great things and educate other people … to make something better of it in the future.”
Rosenstark grew up with the “typical Jewish New Jersey” experience, attending temple every weekend and having a bat mitzvah, but she also said her connection to her Jewish identity doesn’t stem from religious observance.
“My Jewish identity doesn’t really revolve around religious practices, but I definitely want to immerse myself in the culture and the community,” she explained.
Rosenstark said that during her time at Montclair State, she found herself searching for community. But when she saw there weren’t many students participating in the campus Hillel, she took on leadership roles and became Hillel president her second year there.
“It just warms my heart so much and I love being able to provide that for undergrad students who are beginning their Jewish journey, and they’re not sure who they are yet. They’re not sure what they want to believe in,” Rosenstark explained.
Helping to provide a safe space on Towson University’s campus where students can meaningfully engage with their Jewish identities and connect with each other was the factor that drove Rosenstark to join the Towson Hillel staff.
At Towson, Rosenstark is committed to fostering a community and providing the resources that she found to be important in her own experiences.
“The students are so amazing and willing to participate, and they love their community that they’re building,” she added. “It’s just wonderful and I love the perspective that they’re able to provide me, even if it is challenging it.”
