Center for Spiritual Life

Noam is Hillel's JTS-Slifka Fellow and works with Masorti @ Brandeis as their rabbinic intern. He is a rabbinical student at the the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS).

He earned a degree in philosophy and English literature at McGill University and a Master's in Jewish Studies at Hebrew University. Noam has also spent time studying at the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem and at Hadar in New York.

Noam is originally from Montreal, Canada, and loves playing board games (especially on Shabbos!), and is very excited to get to know Brandeis students.

Fr. Shawn Carey was ordained in 2009. Prior to his ordination, he studied at Clarke School for the Deaf in Northampton, Massachusetts, mainstreamed as one of the two deaf students at Cathedral High School in Springfield, Massachusetts, and received a BA in political science and bBusiness from Providence College.

He attended St. Patrick Seminary & University in Menlo Park, California, and then worked as parochial vicars for communities in Massachusetts and as director for the Deaf Apostolate of the Archdiocese of Boston. He has led many retreats and workshops for the Deaf Catholics nationwide and internationally. He is currently an administrator in Team Ministry with Fr. Jeremy St. Martin at St. Jude Parish in Waltham. He has served on the board of directors for the National Catholic Office for the Deaf since 2013.

In his spare time, Fr. Shawn enjoys CrossFit, skiing, playing soccer, reading, movies and traveling.

Rabbi Ariel grew up in Jerusalem. He studied in the Horev high school in Jerusalem then Mechinat Eli, and served as a commander in an elite unit. He loves to explore the latest unmarked hiking trail, organizes local minyanim (prayer groups) and tutors adolescent immigrants. He also loves to play basketball and soccer. When he isn't learning with a neighbor, he works as an accountant — but he says he secretly hates numbers. Ariel has been a Shalhevet Leadership Fellow with Mizrachi World Movement and OU-JLIC in Israel.

He serves as one of Hillel's Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus (JLIC) Educators. The JLIC is a national partnership between Hillel and the Orthodox Union that places rabbinic couples on select campuses to serve as Torah educators and mentors for students.

Dorit grew up in West Orange, New Jersey, and always dreamed of making aliyah to Israel. She attended Stern College and worked as a Beit Midrash Fellow at SAR High School. After making Aliyah, she earned an MA in education psychology at Ben Gurion University and a teaching certificate at David Yellin College of Education in Jerusalem. In Israel, she was an English reading specialist, a school psychologist, and taught at a local elementary school. She is passionate about helping immigrant children and their parents acclimate in the Israeli school system. When not counseling or teaching, you can find her reading a book or trying out a new recipe.

Dorit serves as one of Hillel's Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus (JLIC) Educators. The JLIC is a national partnership between Hillel and the Orthodox Union that places rabbinic couples on select campuses to serve as Torah educators and mentors for students.

Ben Einsidler will be co-facilitating the Jewish Learning Fellowship (JLF) and joining us for Shabbat throughout the semester. Ben is a fourth-year rabbinical school student at Hebrew College. He has earned master’s degrees from Hebrew College in Jewish education and Jewish studies, a BA in Spanish from Salisbury University, and is a seasoned Jewish educator for all ages. He is an enthusiastic service leader and enjoys working with people at all levels on building and honing this skill.

Ben is a longtime volunteer member of the Community Hevra Kadisha of Greater Boston. He is an avid reader who favors history, anything about food and historical fiction. He enjoys cooking and baking, learning French, and is also training for his first marathon! He loves music and plays guitar and has started learning to play the oud. Ben lives in Burlington, Massachusetts, with his wife, their 7-and 4-year-old children and their 10-year old Boston Terrier.

Yaakov was born and raised in Manchester, United Kingdom. He spent a few years in a Yeshiva, a talmudic college, both in England and in Israel honing his learning/teaching skills and developing his character. After marrying his wife Chavi in June 2019, Yaakov and Chavi settled in Jerusalem and joined a program named Kollel Eitz Pri. The program focuses on self-growth, learning and teaching skills, coaching and guiding, with opportunities for hands-on experience. Other than his joy for learning and teaching Yaakov is an avid football (called soccer on this side of the pond!) fan and loves playing with friends.

Yaakov joined the MEOR team of Boston in September 2022 and is responsible for MEOR programming and education at Brandeis University. It will be an exciting journey for all of us, for MEOR, for Family Frankel, for the students and their families and for Brandeis University.

What is MEOR?

Launched in 2005, MEOR’s unique brand of Jewish leadership training, sophisticated text-based study and experiential education programming highlights the importance of Jewish values, identity and community. In over 15 years, MEOR has impacted more than 18,000 undergraduate students, encouraging them to connect with Judaism on their own terms and in their own time.

Yoni is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis where he majored in philosophy/neuroscience/psychology and played tennis on the team. After university, a year off to study Judaism in Israel before going to medical school became nine. He became a rabbi, receiving ordination from the Jerusalem Kollel. For the last seven years, he has been running MEOR programming at Harvard University, bringing Jewish text and philosophy to light. He looks forward to working with Brandeis students starting this year.

Launched in 2005, MEOR’s unique brand of Jewish leadership training, sophisticated text-based study and experiential education programming highlights the importance of Jewish values, identity and community. In over 15 years, MEOR has impacted more than 18,000 undergraduate students, encouraging them to connect with Judaism on their own terms and in their own time.

Dean Garner has been employed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for 33 years within the church's educational system. He has taught and coordinated teachers in many cities around the country, and he also spent time writing college curriculum for the church. He holds a bachelor’s degree in art, with an emphasis in education and photography, and a master’s degree from Lesley College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in curriculum development in education. He did post graduate work at the University of Arizona in Near Eastern studies, with an emphasis in archaeology.

Dean and his wife Lisa’s favorite activity, other than enjoying children and grandchildren, is leading tours. They have led many tours to the Middle East; their favorite is to Israel, Egypt and Jordan. They have also led many tours to American and church history sites.

Karishma Gottfried works as the campus ministry coordinator for The Sanctuary Boston, a covenanted community with the Unitarian Universalist Association. You can contact her at thesanctuarycampus@gmail.com or learn more at thesanctuaryboston.org/campus.

Austin has served on staff at Asian Baptist Student Konionia (ABSK) at Brandeis and other campuses for over 15 years after being a member as an undergrad at MIT. After studying computer science there, Austin went to law school at Boston College and now works as a patent attorney. He also serves as a deacon at Antioch Baptist Church in Cambridge.

ABSK is a Christian fellowship on college campuses around the country composed of students who seek to know and love Jesus Christ through a life shared with Him and each other. Through Bible studies, fun fellowship and activities, lots of food, and real friendships, we learn more about God, one another and ourselves. Our Bible studies are generally on Friday nights at the Shapiro Campus Center. Anyone is welcome to join!

Sharon was born and raised in the Middle East and has lived in New England for several years. She graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, and currently serves as a co-team leader for the Cru Boston Western Suburbs Staff Team, and as Cru campus staff at Brandeis and Babson. She enjoys connecting with students and helping them engage in questions about college, life and what it could be like to know God and be known by Him. In her free time, Sharon enjoys running Spartan Races, painting landscapes and enjoying good food and conversation with community.

Cru Brandeis Christian Fellowship is part of an interdenominational Christian student movement. It exists to be a caring community passionate about connecting people to Jesus Christ. Wherever you might be in your journey of faith, we invite you to join us to explore and enjoy God together!

Josh has been a pastor at New Light Korean Church since fall 2016. He was raised in Queens, New York, and moved to Massachusetts to pursue his M.Div at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He graduated from Gordon-Conwell in 2019 and is pursuing a Th.M through Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is the lead pastor of the English-speaking ministry at New Light Korean Church and is ordained in the Korean-American Presbyterian Church (KAPC).

He is excited to have meet Brandeis students and hopefully walk with them in their pursuit, questions, skepticism and embrace of Christianity. He enjoys playing tennis and basketball, so please feel free to invite him to play on campus!

Ben grew up in southern Vermont where he loved the outdoors and all things sports. He attended a Christian school run by his father, which is where his love for God first began. While attending Babson College (known for its focus on entrepreneurship), he grew substantially in his faith while involved with the campus ministry of Cru.  Babson is also where he met his wife Valerie. When not mentoring students to grow in their walks with Jesus or curiosity of who God is, Ben still loves all things outdoors, and spending time with his young daughter, Hazel.

Sivan Rotholz is a professor of feminist Torah and creative writing and is pursuing rabbinic ordination from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. She has taught at Brooklyn College, Tel Aviv University, Columbia/Barnard Hillel, Moishe House and Ritualwell, and has shared her Torah in synagogues and living rooms across the globe.

Sivan is passionate about gynocentric Torah (Torah that is centered on the stories and experiences of women), Jewish holidays, ritual and community. She loves to help people discover those Jewish texts and practices that excite them. She believes deeply in the power of cultural and home-based Judaism, in making Judaism meaningful and accessible, and in meeting people where they are.

Sivan will be working closely with BaRuCH: The Brandeis Reform Chavurah throughout the year, including the High Holidays.

Pluralism, building community and bringing out the joy in Judaism are the values Rabbi Max brings with her to Brandeis Hillel. Rabbi Max was ordained in 2019 at Hebrew College Rabbinical School. She spent two years of study in Israel and interned at BINA in Tel Aviv and at Tufts University Hillel. She was associate director and director of content for convergence on campus, program director of the Interfaith Youth Initiative, a member of the first cohort of the Hillel Rabbinic Student Fellowship, a participant in the Kevah Teaching Fellowship, and chaplain intern in Holy Family Hospital’s Clinical Pastoral Education unit.

Rabbi Max studied at BINA, the Conservative Yeshiva, Pardes, and the Shalom Hartman Institute. She earned a BA in sociocultural anthropology and Hispanic language and literature from Boston University. She has also worked as a chef in Boston, Austin and upstate New York — she is always willing to share stories and recipes.

Marianne is a graduate of Connecticut College with a liberal arts bachelor's degree in environmental biology and holds a master's degree in missional church movements from Wheaton Graduate School in Wheaton, Illinois. For the last 10 years, she has served Brandeis, specifically \graduate students and faculty. She particularly enjoys encouraging students to think through the integration of their faith and profession in ways that cause flourishing and common good.

She is in her 14th-year serving with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, a vibrant campus ministry that establishes and advances communities of students and faculty who witness to Jesus as Savior within the vocational context of the campus. It supports students to engage in discipleship around Scripture.

Quang D. Tran, S.J., is a Jesuit priest of the Central Southern Province. He is originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, and is a doctoral candidate in counseling psychology at Boston College. He recently began an internship as a clinical fellow of Harvard University.

Yuegang Zhang is a pastor at the Chinese Bible Church of Greater Boston in Lexington, MA. Pastor Yuegang grew up in China. He became a Christian in 2001. He is passionate about both science and Christian faith. He has a Ph.D. in Chemistry from SUNY Buffalo and a Master of Divinity degree from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. Yuegang is affiliate chaplain of the Mandarin fellowship at Brandeis, which welcomes all the Mandarin speaking members of the Brandeis community to know about the Holy Bible and the Christian faith.