August 10, 2025
College can be a challenging experience for anyone at any time. But for Jewish students, whether entering their first year or returning to campus, rising antisemitism and anti-Israel protests can threaten their ability to learn, thrive and even exist. With partners including Hillels of Georgia, American Jewish Committee, the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta’s JTeen initiative, the Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish Community Relations Council of Atlanta, the Atlanta Rabbinical Association, RootOne, the Atlanta Israel Coalition and SHIELD, CIE is providing a free gathering, in person and online, from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 10, to help students prepare for the fall semester and beyond. From Jewish professionals working on campuses and from current students and recent graduates, engage in insightful conversations about what you can expect at college, what you need to know in the face of hatred of Israel and Jews, how to recognize and respond if your rights are violated, what support and community you’ll find, and how to make the most of your college years. It’s all free. To register for in-person or Zoom attendance, visit https://rb.gy/6kzb20. For more information, contact Rhonda Povlot at rhonda.povlot@israeled.org.
View the Flyer as a PDFScheduled speakers include:
• Emma Davis, junior, Kennesaw State University — Emma Davis is a KSU junior majoring in political science with a minor in international affairs. She grew up at Temple Kol Emeth and taught in the religious school. At KSU, she has served as engagement vice president and Israel chair on the Hillel board. She was a StandWithUs First-Year Intern and a member of the Israeli Leadership Network and is serving as a StandWithUs Emerson Fellow. She is the founder and president of Owls for Israel, a Zionist student group focused on education, activism and community safety. She has attended several national conferences, including the Israel Summit twice. She’s passionate about helping students feel confident and supported in expressing their Jewish identity, whatever that looks like for them.
• Zoe Rosenberg, graduate, Queens University — Zoe Rosenberg recently graduated from Queens University in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she was the Hillel president for two years and was active in the Charlotte Jewish community as a Hebrew school teacher and through involvement with the temple. She worked with the local FBI office to research antisemitism on college campuses around the country, from Georgia to Hawaii, and thus learned extensively about antisemitism and hate crimes.
• Max Weiskopf, sophomore, Indiana University — Max Weiskopf is a graduate of Atlanta’s Weber School, where he learned what it means to be Jewish and why supporting Israel is so important. He got involved with Chabad at Indiana University and now is in student government representing Chabad and every Jewish student on campus. He also is a member of Jewish fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi.
• Bella Potash, campus director, Hillel at Georgia State University — Bella Potash empowers GSU students to explore their Jewish identity and relationship with Israel through nuanced, inquiry-driven education. An Atlanta native and proud GSU alum with a degree in political science, she brings a unique blend of local insight and national experience to her work. She is a former Hillel student leader and Birthright staffer and is an alum of Masterclass: Israel and the iCenter’s “Conflicts of Interest” program. Passionate about creating spaces for courageous conversation and connection, she is committed to helping students and professionals alike navigate the complexities of Jewish life and Israel engagement in a post-October 7th world.
• Rabbi Chase Foster, senior rabbi, Temple Kol Emeth — Rabbi Chase Foster, a native of Cincinnati, has been the senior rabbi at Temple Kol Emeth in Marietta, GA, since July 2024. He previously was the rabbi for engagement and learning at jHUB in Cleveland. He is the Hillel board chair at Purdue University, his alma mater, and is married to the Hillel director at Kennesaw State University.
• David Hoffman, interim regional director, Anti-Defamation League Southeast. David Hoffman has worked for the Southeast Region of the ADL, based in Atlanta, for more than seven years. Previously, he led BBYO in metro Atlanta through the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta.
• Dr. Ken Stein, president and chief content officer, Center for Israel Education — Ken Stein is an emeritus professor of Middle Eastern history, political science and Israel studies at Emory University, where he taught for 47 years and established the first permanent U.S. institute for the study of modern Israel in 1998. He founded CIE, an independent nonprofit, in 2008 and has led it in engaging with educators, rabbis, adult learners and teens on every continent but Antarctica. He was the founding director of the Carter Center and has written five books related to modern Israel.
• Maya Rezak, research assistant, Center for Israel Education — Maya Rezak earned her Emory University B.A. with honors in political science with a minor in Middle Eastern studies in May. She served as the president of Emory Hillel and was deeply engaged in Jewish and Israel program initiatives. Fluent in Hebrew, she taught several elementary grades in an Atlanta congregation.
• Rhonda Povlot, senior Israel curriculum writer and teen program manager, Center for Israel Education — Rhonda Povlot administers CIE’s teen and young adult initiatives. She has decades of experience in Jewish and Israel education in congregational and experiential settings, focusing on middle and high school students, adult programming, and family education. She worked at Temple Beth Tikvah in Roswell, GA, for more than 20 years. In 2007 she was one of Atlanta’s Jewish Women of Distinction, and she was a Teacher of the Year in 2018.
• Michael Jacobs, vice president for communications, Center for Israel Education — Michael Jacobs has worked in journalism for the most of the past 35 years, including two stints as editor of the Atlanta Jewish Times. He is a member of the board of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Atlanta, serving as its president since July 2023. He prepares multimedia educational materials for CIE.
• Ricky Kirby, chief experience officer, Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity — Ricky Kirby is based in Memphis, where he was the student government president and the ZBT chapter president at the University of Memphis. He pursued his master’s and doctoral degrees in higher education administration at the University of Georgia. He worked at several universities in housing and student affairs before joining ZBT.
