Community Engagement Rabbi at Hillel at Florida State University

Community Engagement Rabbi

Hillel at Florida State University

Role Overview

Hillel at Florida State University (FSU) is seeking a passionate and engaging Community Engagement Rabbi to build meaningful relationships with students and foster a dynamic, inclusive Jewish community on campus. In this role, you will serve as a mentor, educator, and spiritual leader, helping students explore and deepen their Jewish identities through personal conversations, educational initiatives, and engaging communal experiences.

You will work collaboratively with student leaders and staff to create accessible and relevant Jewish programming, support students in celebrating Shabbat and holidays, and provide pastoral care and guidance. Whether facilitating Jewish learning, leading thought-provoking discussions, or simply meeting students one-on-one for coffee, you will play a vital role in shaping a welcoming and pluralistic Jewish environment at FSU.

Every self-identifying Jew has a unique, often unexplored Hillel journey and our Campus Engagement Rabbi will work tirelessly, along with our engagement team, to discover, honor and impact those individuals deeply. This is an opportunity for a rabbi who is passionate about student engagement, eager to innovate, and committed to fostering Jewish life in a way that is meaningful, approachable, and empowering.

What You’ll Do

• One-on-one Engagement: You will build relationships with students who are developing their Jewish self and seeking Jewish community and experiences. Meet students where they are: on campus for coffee, throwing axes at a wellness event, studying at the library or at Hillel Shabbat.
• Shabbat & Holidays: Support our student leaders and provide guidance, when needed, as they shape the prayer and holiday experiences for students with a variety of cultural and denominational backgrounds. Go beyond the performative to explore deeper meaning and intention within tradition and help invent new traditions to meet students’ spiritual needs.  
• Jewish Learning: Deepen students’ Jewish experiences on campus by leading educational, cohort-based opportunities with thoughtful learning. Utilize various Hillel International materials or create new content and experiment with strategies to deliver “a-ha moments.” International travel opportunities are available for immersive engagement.
• Pastoral care and Spiritual Wellness: Be an empathic voice for the unique challenges of our students. Add Jewish wisdom and practices to the suite of wellness skills and coping strategies that students can adopt to manage stress, build resilience and increase their spiritual well-being.

What You’ve Accomplished

• Rabbinic ordination and up to 2 years of experience (or equivalent experience in Jewish community leadership).
• Experience in community engagement, with a focus on outreach strategies that are effective and durable.
• Appreciation for and experience with Generation Z or prior generations of 18-22 year old people through Hillel, youth movements, camp, or experiential Jewish education.

What You’ll Bring to the Job

• A strong knowledge base of Jewish content, ranging from traditional Jewish texts to contemporary Jewish wisdom, culture and unconventional Jewish sources.
• Experience in leading complex conversations about Judaism and Israel 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 Jewish community.
• Passion for connecting with people from different backgrounds, with the goal of building authentic and meaningful relationships.
• Excellent communication and active listening skills.

What You’ll Receive

• Competitive salary in the non-profit marketplace. The salary range for this role is $85,000-100,000, commensurate with experience.
• A comprehensive benefits package, including health insurance, retirement plan with employer match, life insurance, Long Term Disability (LTD), Flexible Spending Plan, vacation/sick time, and parental leave.
• Great professional development, mentoring, and skill building opportunities.
• Travel regionally and abroad.

About Florida State University and Hillel at FSU

About Florida State University, Hillel at FSU, and Tallahassee

Florida State University is a calm, apolitical campus climate where our growing population of nearly 4,000 Jewish students thrive. Our FSU administration strongly supports Jewish students, and our broader Jewish community provides opportunities for our students to learn, connect, and enrich our world. FSU has been rated among the top 25 public universities for the last six consecutive years. Our Hillel success equation blends these three contextual ingredients with our own mission and focus on student engagement, leadership development, and wellness.

The Hillel at FSU team is small, yet mighty. We value empathy, initiative, teamwork, and above all, kindness, and feel deeply about being a healthy, safe environment and community for our staff and students.

Our Hillel serves undergraduate and graduate students and is a home away from home, offering nourishment, safety, and belonging. Hillel at FSU is affiliated with Hillel International and works closely with their professional staff to envision a world where every student is inspired to make an enduring commitment to Jewish life, learning, and Israel.

Beyond campus, Tallahassee is a vibrant, welcoming city that pairs the energy of a college town with the warmth of a tight-knit community. With its lush canopy roads, thriving local arts and food scene, and easy access to nearby beaches and outdoor adventures, Tallahassee offers a high quality of life that makes it an exceptional place to live, work, and build community.