Meet the Staff

Tzvi Raviv
 Rutgers Hillel Center for Israel Engagement founding director, Tzvi Raviv, was born in Ashkelon, Israel, to a family who made Aliyah from Argentina. Motivated by their experiences under the oppressive military regime that ruled Argentina, Tzvi’s parents impressed upon their children a great appreciation of Israel's freedom of speech and civil liberties. Following graduation from Haifa University, Tzvi was named the first Israel Fellow at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), a campus known for anti-Israel and anti-Semitic activities. For his work as a shaliach at UCI, Tzvi was cited by the Jewish Agency for Israel for his advocacy on behalf on the State of Israel and the Jewish people.

Tzvi holds an MBA from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management and a Master’s from The Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program, both at Brandeis University. Tzvi and his wife, Ariella, met at Brandeis and were married this past spring.

Lihi Rothshild

 Lihi Rothshild is the Israel Program Coordinator at Rutgers Hillel. Lihi brings to Rutgers Hillel a proven track record in leadership development and excellence. Lihi was born and raised in Bat Yam, where her grandfather, Menachem Rothshild, served as the mayor. Lihi served in the IDF as an officer in the IDF’s officers school, helping to train the next generation of IDF officers. After her army service, Lihi went to work for the Israeli government, where she was part of Israel’s counter terror intelligence. Lihi was awarded excellence awards from both the IDF and the Israeli government. While working for the Israeli government, Lihi completed her Bachelor's degree in psychology and sociology.

Lihi recently completed her Master’s degree in diplomacy and security studies at Tel Aviv University. After completing her first semester at Rutgers Hillel, Lihi is proud of RHCIE’s achievements in community organizing, reaching peak attendance numbers, including record participation in Rutgers University Birthright-Taglit.

 Next semester Lihi will focus more on leadership development and Zionist education.