This school year, Scheck Hillel is honored to welcome Rabbi Arieh Bentolila as its high school student life director. Bentolila expressed both the challenges he faces and the goals that he is setting this year as he adjusts to his new position.
Bentolila’s path to becoming a student life director began with his strong connection to his Jewish community in Panama. He shared that the atmosphere of his home community was very similar to that of the Scheck Hillel bubble. His passion for leadership grew after he graduated high school, where he studied in Israel and moved to New York for almost a year. After finishing his studies, he dedicated himself to working with student groups from different countries. “I always tried to bring groups to Israel from all over the world, like Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica, and Chile,” said Bentolila, who further explained that working with Hispanic children kept him connected to his roots.
After working in Panama, Bentolila moved to Detroit, where he continued his career. However, he was looking to move to a Spanish-speaking community, so when the opportunity to work at Scheck Hillel Community School came up, he took it.
Lastly, Bentolila shared an important piece of advice to students: focus on balance. “Grades and studying are important, but they’re not the most important thing in life,” he stated. In his view, the most valuable takeaway from high school is the relationships students build with one another, as oftentimes, they tend to last. As a former AP student like many students in the United States today, Bentolila advised against stressing over academics. He encourages students to study, though to also focus on surrounding themselves with people they enjoy spending time with.
While Bentolila is enthusiastic about this goal, he realizes it could be a challenge. Another difficulty he faces is remembering the names of students and other faculty members that he works with. He admits it can feel awkward when he is approached by people he does not know the names of. However, the student life director uses his extroversion to his advantage; he is not afraid to ask questions, and is sure that he will learn more names as time goes on.
Rabbi Bentolila aims to increase student engagement through fun group programs. “I believe that to have more students engaged is to have more events where we can all be together,” he said. Through this, he strives to build a stronger sense of community among students, though he realizes it may be difficult due to scheduling issues. Nevertheless, Bentolila assured that he will find ways to launch these activities without interrupting class time.
When asked about his main goal in his new role, Rabbi Bentolila shared that he hopes to organize more Shabbatons. He recently participated in a Shabbaton with the juniors at Camp Seneca Lake, which, according to him and others involved, was an excellent experience. Bentolila expressed an eagerness to bring more of these events to the school. “The more Shabbatonim we can hold throughout the year, the better,” he said.
