sami@usfogh.org

Sami Jinich

Community Engagement & Program Associate

Sami Jinich serves as Community Engagement & Program Associate at Friends of Givat Haviva. He recently returned from a year in Israel, where he served as the New Israel Fund’s Shatil Fellow working on the ground in Givat Haviva’s strategy department and Younited international high school.

The son of Jewish Mexican immigrants, Sami grew up speaking Spanish at home in Chevy Chase, Maryland. After spending a year in Jerusalem on the Hartman Institute’s gap-year program, he was inspired to lead dialogue and educational initiatives in the U.S. surrounding conflict in the Middle East.

He graduated from Duke University in 2025 with a degree in Political Science, concentrating in decision theory and data science. Through various research positions and roles in Hillel, Sami explored how education, religion, and misinformation on social media shape political engagement.

In the summer of 2025, Sami co-hosted the Hartman Institute’s podcast, Future Tense, after previously serving as a learning facilitator for Hartman’s Teen Fellowship. In his free time, Sami loves rock climbing, playing racket sports, discovering new music, and traveling with friends and family.