Hillels of the Florida Suncoast is so grateful to Crofton Cares for their exceptional generosity. The multi-year grant we received from Crofton Cares has allowed us to hire Akiva Bakst, a full-time Program Director for our Hillel chapter at the University of Tampa, to create meaningful programs that will help our students at UT build strong Jewish identities while they are in college. Prior to joining Hillel in 2022, Akiva worked as a Customer Service Representative at the Glazer Family JCC and as a freelance artist and graphic designer. Akiva is a graduate of the Ringling College of Art & Design in Sarasota where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. While he was a student at Ringling, Akiva served as president of Gulf Coast Hillel working with the Hillel director to plan and coordinate events and represent Jewish life and culture on the Ringling College campus.

Best,

Linda Wolf
Director of Operations
Hillels of the Florida Suncoast