Darren Klein Comes Full Circle

Hillel 818 is thrilled to share that at the beginning of March we welcomed Darren Klein as our new Operations Director. Darren is a career Jewish professional and spent over two decades working for Far West USY, so the move to Hillel 818 felt like a natural fit: “After almost 25 years of working with Jewish teens, I know the impact that Jewish professionals can have on young people and their Jewish identity. It was a no-brainer for me to start working with Hillel.”

Coming to work for Hillel 818 is also a homecoming for Darren since he attended CSUN for his undergraduate degree and was inspired to become a Jewish professional through his time there. He said, “As I started CSUN, I had already started working part-time in the Jewish community. The combination of Sociology courses I took for my major and Jewish studies courses I took for my minor really made me fall in love with the idea of using what I was learning to help the Jewish community.”

Darren is clearly excited to be back: “I was very involved with the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity both as a member and on the board. Outside of class, I really spent most of my time there and even lived at the house for close to 3 years. It means a lot for me to be back here and at times is a bit surreal. I haven’t been in Northridge much since I graduated. I spent so much time here for many years, and seeing the enthusiasm of the students at the building has been a joy to experience on a daily basis and brought memories flooding back to me each day I come to Hillel 818.”

Outside of Hillel, Darren loves spending time with his wife Sarica, his kids Ari and Devorah, and their dog Ricky.