Franklin Drob

Franklin Drob graduated as a member of the National Honor Society from DePaul University with a degree in English Education and an endorsement in the Social Sciences. He served as the Vice President of the Luster Learning Institute, NFP. His roles included being a program developer, administrator, and facilitator of the “Calm Classroom” and “YogaPE” workshop and seminars in the Chicago-land area. Franklin assisted with continuous Social Emotional Intelligence research, out-reach and client services. His synthesized research review in Social Emotional Learning was featured in the 54th Illinois Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development(IASCD) quarterly review. Franklin has taught Relaxation Response training to teachers, principals, young adults, and men and women from various backgrounds and cultures.

Roman Kobrin

Rostik Rabotnik

I landed in the O'Hare International Airport at around 11:32 A.M. on May 23, 1997. The skies were blue, the sun was shining, and life seemed like it couldn't get any better. Of course since then I've learned a thing or two about being an immigrant. What is interesting is that when people ask me about my background, I don't have a simple answer. I usually say that I'm a Jew from Ukraine who grew up around Russian culture. Even though my family always took a strong sense of pride in our Jewish roots, they never really practiced Jewish customs or followed any of the religious traditions. So while I inherited this pride, I did not really associate myself with Jewish culture. Instead, I grew up speaking Russian, watching Russian movies, listening to Russian music, and as the result, identified strongly with the Russian culture. When we came to the United States, I struggled to balance my Russian identity with the American culture, in which I abruptly became immersed. Many years later, I started to take interest in my Jewish heritage, since I realized that despite my Russian upbringing, I was still a Jew. This brought me to Russian Hillel and eventually, to this project. My goal here is to bring together as many young Russian Jews as possible, and to continue to create an ever-growing Russian-Jewish community. There are tens of thousands of us in Chicagoland, and I think it's time we came together for both business and pleasure, to support each other, and to help each other grow culturally and socially. In my spare time, I like to play my guitar, play soccer (or at least pretend I know how to), hang out with friends, and do crazy, random things that I never seem to regret (OK, maybe a couple here and there). Oh and if you spot me getting my groove on to “Staying Alive” at the local nightclub, don't be surprised – there are few things I love more than dancing. When you do see me, be it at the nightclub or one of our events, make sure to come and say hello. That is of course if I don't beat you to it ;)

Victorya Troyansky