Dear Emory Jewish Community,

In the coming weeks, I will pack up my belongings and drive from Boston to Atlanta to begin my tenure as Jewish Chaplain at Emory effective September 1, 2020. I am delighted to be joining a dynamic and diverse Jewish community on campus, and to make myself a resource, a teacher and a listening ear for students.

At the same time, I have to acknowledge that these are extraordinarily strange times to be making a move. The idea of starting something new and building relationships from six feet of distance, behind a mask, feels like a challenge like none that I’ve ever encountered. Yet, I know that I am not alone in this. I can only imagine what it feels like for all of you, beginning a semester that is so deeply different.

Whether you are in your senior year, with all of the expectations of culminating your studies and celebrating your friendships, or you are in your first year, learning your way around the physical landscape and the culture of this place, this is not what you expected.

I come to this work with a belief that we are better equipped to feel resilient and hopeful and powerful when we are in community. For the last six years I have served as a rabbi and Director of Community Building at Tufts Hillel. I place such significance on community because I believe that the feeling of connection plays an essential role in enabling us to repair the brokenness of our world.

I am truly excited to get to know the students at Emory. Whether you are already members of the Hillel community, Chabad, Meor, all of the above, or none of the above, I want to hear where you’re coming from and where you would like to go. As part of the Office of Spiritual and Religious Life, I am here for every student.

At the end of this week, the Hebrew month of Elul will begin. This time in the Jewish calendar is meant for mindfulness and self-reflection. I have had plenty of time by myself during quarantine, but too often it hasn’t been quality time. This is a month where I aspire to live a little differently.

I will be sending out a daily reflection/journaling prompt every day of the month of Elul leading up to Rosh Hashanah. If you would like to come along on the (virtual) journey, sign up here. In the meantime, I wish for all of you a semester of good health, powerful learning and real connection across distance.

Bivracha/With blessing,

Rabbi Jordan Braunig

Jewish Chaplain

Emory University Office of Spiritual and Religious Life
Biography
jordan.braunig@emory.edu 

The Emory University Office of Spiritual and Religious Life (OSRL) is pleased to announce the appointment of Rabbi Jordan Braunig as Jewish Chaplain in OSRL effective September 1, 2020. Rabbi Jordan will help to support innovative community building and online spiritual presence for the Jewish and interfaith communities at Emory this fall and beyond, working in partnership with Emory’s existing Jewish resources and organizations. As one of several multifaith chaplaincy roles in OSRL, the Jewish Chaplain serves all students, faculty, and staff at Emory with a special focus on Jewish life, and leads and collaborates on initiatives in spirituality, education, pastoral care, service and social justice, and interfaith engagement.