Job Description

Campus Rabbi

Brown RISD Hillel

Role Overview

Brown RISD Hillel is seeking a visionary spiritual leader and rabbi to elevate Jewish wisdom, inspire Jewish practice, and promote Jewish engagement across College Hill. This is an exciting moment for Jewish life at Brown and RISD: the elements of a flourishing, multifaceted Jewish community are all in place.

The Campus Rabbi will primarily support BRH’s Conservative and Reform communities and will report to the Executive Director. We seek a rabbi who can also serve as a resource and mentor to students of all backgrounds, and who is excited to bring the best of Jewish thought, spirituality, and culture to the campuses we serve.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop strong relationships with a diverse array of Jewish students as mentor, teacher, pastor, and rabbi. Support innovative students as they shape impactful projects and initiatives that let them explore their passions and Jewish ideas.
• Nurture the growth of BRH’s Conservative and Reform communities, strengthening opportunities for sophisticated engagement with Jewish text and transformative ritual experiences.
• Lead High Holiday services for students, faculty, and the broader community.
• Enliven Shabbat and holidays for Jews of all backgrounds, supporting student-led minyanim and being a warm, reliable presence at Shabbat and holiday meals.
• Elevate the Englander Beit Midrash as a center for Jewish intellectual and cultural engagement, text study, and a platform for emerging Jewish voices.
• Shape a compelling educational vision for BRH alongside its Orthodox Rabbi.
• Transform the Jewish ambiance of College Hill through cross-campus partnerships and collaborations.
• Build partnerships with University student life and religious life staff and with the local Jewish community.
• Foster interfaith collaboration across campus.

On a day to day basis you will

• Meet with students in coffee shops across College Hill.
• Collaborate with BRH staff to design and deliver high-impact educational programs and events.
• Gather with students to explore pressing contemporary questions through the prism of Jewish wisdom.
• Provide rabbinic guidance and pastoral care to Brown and RISD students.
• Attend events at Brown and RISD, and be available to students as they seek meaning, purpose, and answers to life’s big questions.

What You’ve Accomplished

• Rabbinic ordination from a recognized non-Orthodox seminary in the United States or Israel.
• Experience in Hillel, youth movements, camping, or experiential Jewish education.
• Proven success in community building and outreach, and experience envisioning and implementing programs.
• Training and experience in education and pastoral care.

What You’ll Bring to the Job

• An uncompromising commitment to Jewish pluralism.
• The ability to interpret a wide variety of Jewish textual traditions.
• A sense of humor, a compassionate heart, and an easy way with people.
• An expansive vision for the possibilities of Jewish community and learning on a leading university campus.
• A commitment to Zionism and the future of Israel.
• Creativity and an entrepreneurial spirit.
• Broad passions and interests.

What You’ll Receive

• Salary: $110,000-$130,000, depending on experience.
• Benefits: A comprehensive package including health insurance, retirement plan, life, AD&D, and long-term disability insurance, flexible spending accounts, generous vacation and sick time, and parental leave.
• Growth: Strong professional development, mentoring, and skill-building opportunities.
• Travel: Opportunities to travel regionally and abroad, particularly to Israel.

About Brown RISD Hillel

Brown RISD Hillel is a hub for Jewish life on College Hill. Every year, more than a thousand Jewish students – and hundreds of their non-Jewish peers – pass through our doors to experience Jewish practice, culture, and community.

Through holiday and Shabbat celebrations, cultural events, classes, art openings, and social gatherings, BRH is helping the next generation of American Jews become more confident, committed, and connected.

Located in Providence, R.I., BRH sits within a patchwork of vibrant intellectual and artistic communities. Forty-five minutes from Boston and a short drive from beautiful New England beaches, Providence is a desirable, emerging city with a diverse and vibrant Jewish community, 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.

About Hillel International

In 1923, Rabbi Benjamin Frankel started Hillel with humble means, a noble mission and a breathtaking vision: to convey Jewish civilization to a new generation. Today, Hillel International continues to enrich the lives of Jewish students and is the largest Jewish campus organization in the world at nearly 1,000 colleges and universities across North America and around the world. As Hillel evolves as an organization, the mission remains steadfast: to create lasting connections with every Jewish student that foster an enduring commitment to Jewish life, learning, and Israel and train them to become the next Jewish leaders.

Hillel is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to creating an accepting and inclusive environment for all.