Connecticut College names Rabbi Susan Schein director of Zachs Hillel House

Rabbi Susan Schein is the first director of the recently built Zachs Hillel House.
Rabbi Susan Schein is the first director of the recently built Zachs Hillel House.

Susan Schein, a rabbi with leadership experience on college and university campuses, has been named director of Connecticut College’s new Zachs Hillel House.

Schein was previously the coordinator for spiritual development at Philadelphia University. She has also served as Hillel director at Bucknell University and program director of the St. Louis Hillel Foundation, where she worked with students at Washington University and other campuses throughout the metropolitan area.

“With her keen ability to listen as she provides guidance to students, her professional experience in small college communities, and her deep understanding of Jewish culture and religious traditions, Rabbi Schein will be a successful leader for our new  Hillel House,” said Carolyn Denard, dean of the College and senior diversity officer.

Schein’s primary role will be working with students. She also will serve as a resource for faculty and staff and an important liaison to the New London Jewish community, as well as a supportive colleague to Rabbi Aaron Rosenberg, the College's Jewish chaplain.

Schein was ordained at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 2003 and previously served as associate rabbi for Congregation Kol Emit in Yardley, Pa. She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and German language and literature from the University of Rochester and a master’s degree in German literature from Washington University in St. Louis.

Schein’s selection marks another milestone for the Zachs Hillel House, which opened on campus in January 2014 and was dedicated in the spring. Connecticut-based entrepreneur and philanthropist Henry Zachs made construction possible through a $1 million gift.

The directorship is funded through two gifts totaling $600,000, including a $350,000 grant from the David and Barbara B. Hirschhorn Foundation to support the cost of the director’s compensation over five years, and a $250,000 lead gift from Elizabeth B. and Arthur E. Roswell toward establishing an endowment for the Hillel director position. 



August 1, 2014