Orthodox Rabbi & Senior Jewish Educator

Brown RISD Hillel

Role Overview

Brown RISD Hillel is seeking a visionary spiritual leader and rabbi who will help elevate Jewish wisdom and inspire Jewish practice and engagement across the entire ecosystem of College Hill. This is a unique moment for religious Jewish life at Brown and RISD. The elements to support a flourishing Orthodox community dedicated to Jewish learning and spirituality are all in place. We seek an Orthodox rabbinic leader reflective of our vital community and able to serve as a resource and mentor, connecting students to the wisdom and power of our inherited traditions. 

What You’ll Do

• Nurture the growth of BRH’s Orthodox communities by creating relationships with day schools around the country; be an ambassador for the growth of Jewish and religious life on College Hill.   
• Strengthen daily minyanim and Shabbat minyanim with your presence, words of Torah, and cultivation of students spiritual growth. Be a presence at Shabbat & Chag meals. Lead Friday night Onegs.
• Lead High Holiday services for students and the University community. 
• Create opportunities for sophisticated engagement with Jewish text.  Elevate BRH’s Englander Beit Midrash as a center for Jewish intellectual and cultural engagement, text study, and platform for emerging Jewish voices. 
• Collaborate with other senior level staff to shape and develop the mission and educational vision of BRH.
• Develop and nurture relationships with University student life, religious life staff, and the local Jewish community.
• Travel with students to Israel on educational experiences like Hartman, Birthright, Volunteer Missions.  
• Develop strong relationships with students, serving as mentor, pastor, and rabbi. 
• Support leading innovative students to shape impactful projects and initiatives, enabling them to explore their passions and Jewish ideas. 
• Transform the Jewish ambiance of College Hill with acts of “public space Judaism” and collaborations with cross-campus partners and clubs.

On a day to day basis you will

• Start your day with a student-led minyan. 
• Meet with students in coffee shops across College Hill. 
• Transform The Ratty (Brown’s most popular dining hall) into a Beit Midrash getting to know students where they are most comfortable. 
• Collaborate with student leaders shaping an educational vision for asking big Jewish questions and seeking answers through initiatives in the BRH Beit Midrash. 
• Gather with a dozen students to explore pressing contemporary questions through the prism of Jewish wisdom. 
• Sit on the Main Green with a sign that reads, “Free Rabbinic Advice”.
• Collaborate with Chabad partners and BRH neighbors to support the growth of students’ Jewish identity.

What You’ve Accomplished

• Rabbinic ordination from a recognized Orthodox seminary in America or Israel. 
• Experience in Hillel, youth movements, camping, or experiential Jewish education.
• Proven success in community building and outreach, and previous experience in program visioning and implementation.
• Training and experience in counseling, administration, development/fundraising is desirable.

What You’ll Bring to the Job

• Capacity to translate a wide variety of Jewish textual traditions.
• A compassionate heart.
• A sense of humor. 
• Connectivity to leading change makers in the Jewish world.
• Expansive vision for the possibilities of Jewish community and learning on a leading university campus.
• A commitment to Zionism and the future of Israel.
• A joyful, optimistic, cooperative way of being in the world.
• Broad passions and interests.
• Uncompromising commitment to Jewish pluralism.

What You’ll Receive

• Competitive salary in the non-profit marketplace. The salary range for this role is $90,000 - $100,000.
• A comprehensive benefits package, including health insurance, retirement plan, Life, AD&D and Long-Term Disability (LTD) insurances, Flexible Spending accounts, generous vacation/sick time, and parental leave.
• Great professional development, mentoring, and skill building opportunities.
• Travel regionally and abroad, particularly to Israel.

About Brown RISD Hillel

Brown RISD Hillel is a nationally recognized leader in Jewish campus engagement, and is the gateway to Jewish life for students at Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). More than a center for Jewish programming and ritual, Hillel is an integral part of the social, cultural, educational, and political life for students. Brown RISD Hillel is situated in the historic College Hill neighborhood of Providence, R.I., a cool urban center for creative entrepreneurs, recent grads, and young families. 45 minutes from Boston and just a short drive to beautiful New England beaches, Providence is a desirable emerging city, hosting a diverse and vibrant Jewish community with kosher restaurants and multiple synagogues. 

Brown RISD Hillel is affiliated with Hillel International. Hillel International enriches the lives of Jewish students so they may enrich the Jewish people and the world, and envisions a world where every student is inspired to make an enduring commitment to Jewish life, learning and Israel.