Announcing New Interim Director and Associate Director for Jewish Life

Dear Members of the Georgetown Community,

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Rabbi Daniel Schaefer as the Interim Director for Jewish Life, and Deborah Silver as the Associate Director for Jewish Life, effective August 1, 2022.

Rabbi Daniel Schaefer, Interim Director for Jewish Life

Rabbi Schaefer joins us from Temple Ohabei Shalom in Brookline, MA, where he has served as rabbi since 2018. He has previously served as director of graduate student engagement at MIT Hillel, and rabbinic intern of the Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center and the Bethlehem Hebrew Congregation. Before becoming a rabbi, he worked as an entrepreneur and ghostwriter, taught at a wilderness school, and served in AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps.

Originally from Connecticut, Rabbi Schaefer completed his undergraduate studies at Stanford University, where he studied history and Jewish studies. He has undertaken postgraduate studies at Mechon Hadar, the Hartman Institute and the Jewish Theological Seminary, and received his master’s degree and rabbinic ordination from Hebrew Union College.

Rabbi Schaefer brings a deep passion for building a diverse Jewish community, making Jewish learning accessible to all, fostering dialogue, and forming connections around issues of ethics, social justice, and mental and emotional wellness. In his role as Interim Director, Rabbi Schaefer will lead the Jewish Life team in supporting Georgetown’s vibrant Jewish community. Rabbi Schaefer has agreed to serve as interim director through the 2023-24 academic year to support community-building while we undertake a process to envision the future of Jewish Life at Georgetown before launching a nationwide search for the new director.

Deborah (Deb) Silver, Associate Director for Jewish Life

Deborah (Deb) Silver joins us as associate director for Jewish Life after serving as the campus director at the College of Charleston Hillel in South Carolina, where she has managed a team of staff and interns in supporting all aspects of Jewish life on campus in close collaboration with campus partners. Ms. Silver also worked with Jewish cadets and students from the Military College of South Carolina, The Citadel.

Ms. Silver brings significant experience in student engagement, community-building and leadership development from her work at Charleston, in addition to her prior roles as communications associate at Capital Camps, Jteen philanthropy facilitator at the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, and community outreach intern at the Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor. Ms. Silver earned a master of social work degree from the University of Michigan, and a bachelor of arts degree from Salisbury University, where she studied communications and marketing management.

I am profoundly grateful to the Jewish Life Advisory Board for their leadership and counsel, and to the Jewish Student Associate and GUish student leaders who participated in these search processes.

I look forward to welcoming Rabbi Schaefer and Ms. Silver in August.

Sincerely,

Fr. Mark Bosco, S.J., Ph.D.
Vice President for Mission & Ministry