Rabbi Serena Eisenberg '87, who was appointed as Brown Hillel's new executive director this fall, plans to expand the scope of Hillel's activities, creating a hub for social action as well as a center for a broad range of Jewish identities. Under her leadership, she hopes more students will feel welcome to use Hillel resources, she said.
Hillel conducted a one-year search to replace Rabbi Rich Kirschen, who left Brown in May 2004 after a three-year tenure in which he oversaw the construction of the expanded Hillel building.
Eisenberg has a unique perspective on Jewish identity, which she developed through her work in social justice and her interest in Jewish feminism. She has dealt with various aspects of social justice around the world as a lawyer in family courts in the Bronx, a child advocate through UNICEF in Africa and a social worker in Israel.
As a student at Brown, Eisenberg was "not very involved" in Hillel, though she did receive a Hillel scholarship to study in Israel for half of her junior year, she said. Instead, she was a member of the sailing team, a volunteer worker in a Providence public school and a peer career counselor, she said.
A concentrator in Judaic studies, Eisenberg wrote her thesis on Jewish feminism. She was interested in her Jewish female identity, but when she graduated she didn't know any female professors in Judaic studies or any female rabbis. "I was always interested in Judaic studies but there were very few female models for me to follow," she said.
After Brown, she received degrees in law and social work from the University of Calif-ornia, Berkeley. It was in California that she began to nurture her personal Jewish identity and decided to become a rabbi. "The vibrant revival of Jewish life in California made me realize that I wanted Judaism to be my path," she said.
Her involvement in the Bay Area Jewish Women's Confer-ence of 1995 especially sparked her interest. "The wide variety of Jewish female life at the conference really inspired me," she said.
Eisenberg "clicks with" the Brown community because she understands the breadth of what the Jewish experience can be, according to Benj Kamm '06.5, Hillel's students president.
"Too many Hillels have a more confined and narrow view of how Judaism can be expressed," Kamm said. Brown Hillel was committed to a more open definition of Judaism even before Eisenberg's arrival, but Kamm said Eisenberg's perspective will further enrich Brown Hillel in its goal of opening up to the community.
Although Eisenberg's plan for Hillel is mostly in the "idea phase" right now, she has suggested re-emphasizing Tzedek Hillel, a national social justice organization founded at Brown Hillel, Kamm said.
She has also encouraged people to have more Hillel-sponsored events outside of the Hillel building, Kamm said. "These events will be more low-key because they are in a neutral space," he said. They will also debunk the idea that the Hillel building has a monopoly on Jewish identity, Kamm added.
In fact, Eisenberg is already opening Hillel up to the community, according to Jenn Baumstein '08. "Many people think of Hillel as an exclusive place, but Eisenberg is changing that perception," she said.
After speaking to Eisenberg, Baumstein was inspired to become involved in Hillel's social justice programs. "She is making the organization less specifically Jewish and more open to everyone who wants to work on social justice issues," Baumstein said.
Above all, Eisenberg said she is simply eager to meet the community and hopes that students will take the time to stop by.
