Professional Team
Since moving here from Chicago in 2021, Tamy has seen a tremendous growth spurt here at OC Hillel. Joining our team the year students were able to be back on campus, OC Hillel has gone from 15 students at a Shabbat dinner to 85 students in less than 3 years. Most days you can find Tamy and our Hillel dog, Joey at Chapman’s bagel break, UCI’s Chillel, or CSUF morning conversations. When she is not meeting with students, she is either meeting with our amazing staff, loyal donors, or university faculty and administrators. A colleague commented “You just got here and you know more people than I do and I’ve lived here for years” We are so lucky to have a people person like Tamy.
Tamy has a Master’s degree in Social Service from the University of Chicago. Before COVID, Tamy had been living and studying at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem for two and a half years. She is a strategic, creative Jewish communal professional with over 25 years of experience, including a strong background in development and community outreach.
​
When Tamy isn’t living and breathing Hillel, she is usually talking to her two sons or at the dog park with Joey. Tamy loves to study Judaic texts, listen to all types of music, dance, and take yoga classes. Tamy is excited to share her passion for Judaism and Israel with the Orange County community.
Mikey Pauker (pronounced pow-ker) is the new Assistant Director at OC Hillel, supporting vibrant Jewish life across UCI, Chapman, Fullerton, and local community colleges. Recognized by TIME Magazine as one of “The 10 Stars of the New Jewish Music,” Mikey is a soulful Jewish Rock artist, educator, and prayer leader who brings ancient Jewish wisdom to life through a modern creative lens. He has performed at major festivals including Red Rocks, Bhakti Fest, and Chant for Change, and has shared stages with artists like Matisyahu, Stephen Marley, Krishna Das, Rebelution and Idan Raichel. A voting member of The Recording Academy, Mikey has been working alongside Grammy-nominated artist Joanie Leeds to propose the first-ever Jewish Music category at the Grammy Awards: an initiative still in progress.
​
Mikey is currently pursuing Rabbinic and Cantorial ordination in the Kol Bo program at The Academy for Jewish Religion in New York. He is deeply committed to building inclusive, spiritually vibrant spaces where students feel empowered to explore Jewish life, tradition, and identity. A proud Orange County native, Mikey earned his B.A. in Broadcasting & Electronic Communications from San Francisco State University, where he was also a brother of Alpha Epsilon Pi and a Koret Intern at SF Hillel: organizing Shabbat programming and on-campus Jewish events. His leadership is shaped by a lifelong devotion to Jewish music, education, and a strong connection to Israel. Mikey is also the founder of Beautiful Way Records, a label dedicated to releasing devotional and interfaith music. He resides in South Orange County and feels deeply honored to serve the OC Hillel community alongside such a dedicated and inspiring team.
This is Rabbi Daniel’s seventh year with OC Hillel in his mission to help students discover the relevance, beauty, and value within Judaism, Jewish identity, and Israel. He teaches several classes a week, holds space for any and all conversation about Judaism and Israel, and can always be seen at one of the local OC coffee shops meeting with students. On a Friday night you will always find him and his wife Shaina’s apartment full of students (and yes Daniel and Shaina met at Hillel!). In addition to his work with local Orange County college students, Daniel is also responsible for OC Hillel’s growing community of graduate students, alumni, and local Jewish professionals.
​
Daniel grew up in San Diego before moving to Israel for several years to study in a variety of Yeshivots in Jerusalem before ultimately receiving his rabbinical degree from YPS. He attended UCLA for undergrad double majoring in Cognitive Science and Jewish Studies and subsequently stayed at UCLA for an MA in Jewish History.
Rabbi Daniel is adjunct faculty at UCI teaching courses in Jewish Texts and Jewish Philosophy and is also the rabbinic fellow at Temple Beth Tikvah. When not excitedly talking about Talmud, Jewish history, or Israel you can spot Daniel somewhere outside hiking, biking or rock climbing.
We are excited to welcome Lee Oren to OC Hillel. She was born and raised in Netanya, Israel, and grew up in religious schools. This is Lee’s third shlichut to the States with the Jewish Agency. She was a counselor at Ramah Wisconsin during the summers of 2019 and 2021. As the shlichut in 2019, Lee realized she wanted to study more about American Judaism. When she returned to Israel, she took many courses on the intersection of Judaism and the diaspora. Lee has a BA from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem with an emphasis in political science and education majors
Lee has played the French horn and trumpet since the 4th grade. She served in the IDF orchestra in Israel.
​
In her spare time while living in Israel, Lee used to teach wave surfing and SUP. Plus she taught Latin dancing. She can’t wait to teach us surfing, SUP, and of course Latin dancing!
Talia Doninger is the new Engagement Coordinator at Orange County Hillel, where she is excited to create engaging programs, support student leadership development, manage communication, and lead outreach initiatives.
​
Originally from Dayton, Ohio, Talia holds a BA in Global Journalism with a double minor in Communication and Environmental Science from the University of Arizona. Growing up, she spent her summers at URJ GUCI and participated in multiple youth groups, including NFTY and BBYO. Before joining Hillel, she worked as a freelance writer for The Dayton Jewish Observer, an award-winning monthly publication, and Cottages & Gardens, a luxury architecture and design magazine.
​
Outside of work, she enjoys reading, pilates classes, going to the movies, and trying new coffee shops. At home, there is always music playing and the smell of something baking in the oven. She's looking forward to exploring more of Orange County and getting to know the local Jewish community.