Alumni Profile: Miri Kornfeld (Class of 2007) - an inspiring Denver JDS alum who’s channeled her passion for Israel and Judaism into an impactful and rewarding career with StandWithUs

By the DJDS Marketing Department

 

“Be proud, don’t be afraid, don’t hide your star. We’re here and we’re going to stay here.” 

Meet Miri Kornfeld: an inspiring Denver JDS alum who’s channeled her passion for Israel and Judaism into an impactful and rewarding career with StandWithUs.

Miri Kornfeld describes her childhood in Denver as “lucky and happy,” as she was enveloped in a variety of rich Jewish experiences and connections. Miri knows she was blessed to attend Jewish summer camp, be active in her synagogue, speak Hebrew at home (her mom’s and her first language) and attend Denver JDS, where her mom, Sara Kornfeld, was a beloved teacher. 

After graduating from Denver JDS in 2007 she went to UCLA for college, got involved with Hillel, including serving as the chair of the First Year Students of Hillel, and unfortunately, she also had her first real experience with antisemitism and antizionism during “Israel apartheid week” at the school. Her intense reaction to the protests she saw against Israel served as a wake-up call, motivating her to write an article for the school newspaper, The Daily Bruin, and get even more involved at UCLA. In short order, Miri became president of Bruins for Israel in her senior year, after spending her junior year abroad at Tel Aviv University, where her passion for Israel and Judaism continued to grow. When she had the opportunity to interview with StandWithUs, an international educational organization that supports Israel and combats antisemitism, she knew she’d found the right place to make her professional impact. “What started as a job, became a lifestyle and a family,” she said, and has been working for the organization now for over 12 years.  

Miri used the shock of her experience with apartheid week at UCLA as motivation to create the high school department at StandWithUs, which includes the StandWithUs Kenneth Leventhal High School Internship, a year-long program that selects and trains student leaders to educate and inspire their peers about Israel and fight antisemitism. She wanted to be sure no other high school student would be caught unprepared like she was in responding to antisemitism and anti-Zionism. Today, the department she started in 2011 reaches thousands of students every year and has staff in the U.S., Canada, and programs in Israel. “The experience I had at UCLA was traumatic and overwhelming, I was not prepared,” she explained. “I knew I didn’t want any other students to feel the way I did that day.”

She served as the High School Director of StandWithUs for more than 10 years, and now wears two hats in the organization: she is the Director of StandWithUs Colorado, working on events and programming here, and also manages the organization’s international speakers bureau, which is largely focused in the U.S. and Canada but has impact around the world. 

Reflecting on her work, Miri said the “superpower” of the Jewish community is, in fact, community. “Community has gotten us through years of persecution. We’re not going anywhere. Despite everything, every time it seems we shouldn’t be around anymore we come together and persevere. I know this is part of why we’re still around.”

Miri is deeply grateful for her Jewish education and points out that she had amazing teachers at Denver JDS who helped her succeed. Specifically, she acknowledged Melanie Knowles, who was her mentor, and friend, connecting her to a lab to do research that she did in HS (cancer and AIDS research) and inspiring her major in biochemistry, as well as Craig Halper and Jerry Rotenberg. And while her two-year-old twins are not yet school-ready, she looks forward to giving them a Jewish education they will cherish. She also hopes other alumni recognize the importance of “instilling a love of Judaism, Israel, and Zionism to our kids,” and adds, “I will always do that as a mother and community member.” 

During these challenging times, Miri is praying for the safe return of all the hostages Hamas is holding and wants the Jewish community to know that StandWithUs has resources for people of all ages. She is happy to talk with anyone about the variety of ways to get involved.