One of the leading modern Orthodox rabbis in the UK is to take up a campus role at an American university.
Naftali Brawer has been appointed Jewish chaplain and director of the Hillel at Tufts University in Massachusetts and will start in May.
A former minister of Borehamwood and Elstree United Synagogue, Rabbi Brawer has, for the past seven years, been chief executive of the Spiritual Capital Foundation, a consultancy running programmes for companies on ethics and values.
Two years ago, he and his wife Dina launched regular pop-up minyans and educational events in London under the umbrella of Mishkan.
His books include A Brief Guide to Judaism and, together with Rabbi Jonathan Romain, a compilation of their JC columns, Rabbi, I Have A Problem.
“The future of America is being shaped on university campuses," Rabbi Brawer observed. "I cannot think of a more exciting place to be.”
Ted Tye, who headed the search committee for the post, said Rabbi Brawer stood out among 90 candidates, impressing with “his easy manner, leadership, depth of thought, and nuanced understanding of the ways in which Tufts Hillel can play a critical role in the discussion of important issues occurring across our campuses”.
Mrs Brawer is in her final year as a long-distance student of the Orthodox women’s ordination programme at Yeshivat Maharat in New York.
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