Peter J. Rubinstein Reform Senior Jewish Educator

Brandeis Hillel

Role Overview

Join Brandeis Hillel as the Peter J. Rubinstein Reform Senior Jewish Educator (SJE) to help enrich the lives of students and shape the future of Jewish life on campus. As a passionate and engaging Jewish educator, you will envision, plan, and execute Brandeis Hillel’s outreach initiatives. You will develop relationships with students, staff, faculty and community members to ensure a vibrant Reform community on campus, and inspire students to be a part of the Brandeis community. Brandeis Hillel is among the top Hillels in the world, and Brandeis is consistently ranked as a destination school for Jewish students of all backgrounds. The Reform SJE will work with student leaders in several of our student groups and projects in a mentorship capacity and will work in collaboration with our staff team to enhance opportunities for Jewish education. 

What You’ll Do

Relationships

• Build relationships with approximately 200 students from diverse backgrounds through meaningful conversations and by creating connections and opportunities to participate in Jewish life on campus. The majority of these students should be previously uninvolved in Jewish campus life.
• Identify needs of underserved Jewish communities on campus and develop strategies for meeting these needs, utilizing proven community organizing and outreach methods.
• Create new initiatives in partnership with students who were involved with URJ camps and NFTY in high school.
• Developing relationships with key university partners to extend our network and visibility to students
• Collaborating with our professional team in major community moments, such as Shabbat dinners, the Yom Kippur Break Fast,the First Year Retreat and our signature Purim “Breakfast Club”
• Strategic attendance of affiliate group events (e.g., Sharsheret Cake Wars; Manginah semester show)

Learning

• Co-facilitate a weekly Jewish Learning Fellowship cohort.
• Develop initiatives to welcome Reform students and inspire them to be a part of the Brandeis community.
• Create learning opportunities from a Reform perspective, balancing basic Jewish education and deep exploration of Jewish identity.
• Lead and staff high-impact experiences such as Birthright Israel
• Shabbat and Holidays
• Create a weekly Shabbat experience at your home and on campus for previously underserved Brandesians.
• Support students who lead weekly Reform Shabbat services.
• Lead and organize High Holiday services and rituals with students.
• Organize and lead creative celebrations for other holidays such as Tu BiShvat and Purim.

On a day to day basis you will

• Have coffee with underserved students to learn what would interest and inspire them.
• Lead Shabbat/home hospitality on campus and at home on a regular basis.
• Meet with students interested in creating a new social justice initiative at Hillel.
• Train student leaders interested in learning to lead Shabbat services and rituals.
• Develop orientation session for Birthright Israel and Alternative Breaks.

What You’ve Accomplished

• Rabbinic ordination from Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion. 
• 4+ years of relevant work experience. Experience in community organizing, Hillel, youth movements, camping, or experiential Jewish education is a plus.
• Proven success in community building and outreach, and previous experience in program visioning and implementation.
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity and pluralism.
• Ability to balance multiple projects in a fast-paced work environment.
• Training and experience in pastoral counseling is desirable.

What You’ll Bring to the Job

• A strong knowledge ranging from traditional Jewish texts to contemporary Jewish wisdom, culture and unconventional Jewish sources.
• Expertise in leading complex conversations in a way that is approachable and meets students at various points in their personal Jewish journeys. 
• A commitment to creating an inclusive, vibrant and pluralistic community.
• An entrepreneurial spirit. Things may not always go according to plan, but you must be willing to take risks and learn from your wins as well as your losses.
• Confidence initiating and running programs, and comfort asking questions.
• Creative problem-solving, proactive communication, and collaboration. 
• Ability to collaborate across teams both inside and outside of Hillel.

What You’ll Receive

• $80,000-$85,000
• A comprehensive benefits package, including health insurance, Group Supplemental Retirement Annuity (GSRA), pension plan, life insurance, Long Term Disability (LTD), Flexible Spending Plan, generous vacation/sick time, and parental leave.
• Great professional development, mentoring, and skill building opportunities.
• Travel regionally and abroad, particularly to Israel.
• This is a two year appointment with the possibility of renewal.

About Brandeis Hillel

Brandeis has the highest percentage of Jewish students of any nonsectarian institution outside of Israel. The Jewish student body is simultaneously the most diverse in the United States and the most Jewishly affiliated. Hillel, the main address for Jewish life on campus, is one of Brandeis' fastest growing communities. Brandeis is consistently ranked as one of the best schools in the country for overall Jewish life.

Brandeis is home to 3,600 undergraduates and over 2,000 graduate students and is located in Waltham, MA, about 10 miles due west of Boston. Waltham was ranked in 2018 as Money magazine’s best city to live in Massachusetts.

Brandeis 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.