Rabbi and Director of Jewish Life at Oregon Hillel

Rabbi & Director of Jewish Life

Oregon Hillel - University of Oregon & Oregon State University

Role Overview 

Located in the heart of the Pacific Northwest, Oregon Hillel is the center of Jewish student life at the University of Oregon and Oregon State University, with our Hillel House based in Eugene.  Oregon Hillel is a student-centric organization that is focused on building relationships with students in an open and accepting pluralistic environment.  We create a culture of equality, transparency, and respect that empowers students to incubate and actualize their ideas and interests, expand and diversify their social networks, access valuable opportunities for professional growth and  build the Jewish community that is relevant and exciting to their personal development.

Join Oregon Hillel as our Rabbi & Director of Jewish Life to help enrich the lives of students and shape the future of Jewish life at UO & OSU. As an authentic Jewish teacher, you will inspire and guide the Jewish students at UO & OSU so that they will actively engage in the process of building and sustaining vibrant, meaningful, and pluralistic Jewish campus communities. As the Rabbi & Director of Jewish Life, you will play a key role in building Jewish community through meaningful conversations, collaborative ventures, educational experiences, and innovative approaches to religious life. Embrace your magnetic personality to inspire students to make Judaism integral to their life choices and expressed Jewish values

What You’ll Do

• Identify needs of the Jewish communities on campus that are underserved and develop strategies for meeting these needs with proven community organizing, outreach, and relationship-building methods.
• Build relationships with approximately 200-300 students from diverse backgrounds through meaningful conversations and by creating connections to opportunities to participate in Jewish life on campus. A significant portion of these students should be previously uninvolved in Jewish life.
• Ensure a pluralistic and welcoming atmosphere by strengthening and growing the multiple worship and learning options offered by Oregon Hillel
• Advise and mentor student interns and volunteers, empowering them to create regular, warm, welcoming, and inspiring ritual and Jewish experiences for their peers
• Lead, coordinate, implement, and evaluate all aspects of major Jewish holiday programming and observances on campus, including Shabbat (at least one a month at OSU), High Holidays, and Passover.
• Develop and support vibrant Jewish experiences, one-on-one or in small group learning opportunities,, and with educational programs, including immersive trips, as students find relevant. Pilot creative, new educational approaches and initiatives on campus.
• Collaborate with other Oregon Hillel senior-level staff to shape and develop the mission and educational vision of Oregon Hillel.
• Develop and nurture relationships with junior-level staff, university student life staff, religious life staff, and the local Jewish community.

What You’ve Accomplished

• Rabbinic ordination from an accredited institution
• 4+ years of relevant work experience which includes experiences with Hillel, youth movements, camping, or experiential Jewish education is helpful.
• Proven success in community building, 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

• A strong knowledge base of Jewish content, ranging from traditional Jewish texts to contemporary Jewish wisdom, culture, and unconventional Jewish sources.
• Expertise 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.
• A passion for engaging students through Jewish learning and religious practice and an ability to foster intellectual, spiritual, and ethical curiosity and exploration.
• Confidence in initiating and running programs, and comfort in asking questions.
• Creative problem-solving, proactive communication, and collaboration skills.
• Ability to collaborate across teams both inside and outside of Oregon Hillel.

What You’ll Receive

• Competitive salary in the non-profit marketplace. The salary range for this role is $100,000 - $110,000
• 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 Oregon Hillel

Since 1993, the Oregon Hillel Foundation has served as the Jewish home away from home for the 1,600+ Jewish students at the University of Oregon, and as of the fall of 2014, our 500+ Jewish students at Oregon State University. Oregon Hillel is a student-centric and data driven team that is committed to thinking big and being pro-active to create new and exciting opportunities to invest in our students' ideas and to empower them to activate their community.  

Eugene and Corvallis are truly special places to live:

• Eugene is the 2nd largest Jewish community in the state of Oregon with a population of 179,000 while Corvallis has a big-city feel with small-town charm and a population of 69,000.
• Both Eugene and Corvallis are very livable communities, with excellent medical care, top-notch public schools, a variety of youth sports programs from kindergarten through high school, and interesting and diverse neighborhoods in which to live.  
• You will be located in the middle of the Willamette Valley, close to the city of Portland, the Oregon coast, the rivers of the high desert of Bend, and the Cascade Mountains. Eugene and Corvallis have several riverfront parks and bike paths, access to local hiking, and its proximity to miles of country roads to bicycle draw many of our residents.  
• Eugene is home to the Oregon Ducks, who field exciting teams in football, baseball, basketball, softball, track and field, and others.  We are known as Track Town USA. Wearing a hat or tee-shirt emblazoned with an Oregon “O” will bring you a “Sco Ducks” from other Duck fans around the world.
• Corvallis is home to the Oregon State Beavers, and one of the country’s top rated college towns. The State of Oregon’s largest university, OSU has more than 400 student clubs and organizations, NCAA Division I athletics, and extensive research, leadership, and career experiences, OSU offers something for everyone.

Oregon 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.