Hillel provides a foundation for Jewish student life, offering a secure, inclusive and nurturing environment for all Jews who are part of the USC community. Wednesday barbeques, Shabbat dinners and other social, cultural and spiritual programs offer broad opportunities for students to explore Jewish heritage and values.
Dave Cohn, is serving as Executive Director of USC Hillel Jewish Center, which began in the summer of 2019. Prior to returning to USC, Dave oversaw a period of growth and transformation in engagement as Director of Emory Hillel, retooling its Campus Engagement Internship and achieving recognized excellence in breadth and depth of student engagement from Hillel International.
A Chicago native, the inspiration for Dave’s dedication to Jewish communal work grew from his many years as a camper and staff member at Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute (OSRUI), a Jewish summer camp in Wisconsin. Prior his time at Emory, he worked in development and strategic projects for Hillel at UCLA and spent years as a music educator in public school and synagogue settings.
Dave completed his MPA at USC and is a proud member of the Trojan Family. He also holds degrees in Jewish Nonprofit Management from HUC-JIR and in music from the University of Illinois. He’s married to Sarah Ruben, an early childhood educator, and they are proud parents to their daughter, Selah. When not at Hillel, Dave can be found adventuring in the outdoors, cruising the farmer’s market for some fresh produce, and traveling the world with his family.