Community Blog Boston University Hillel Chooses Two Hebrew College Rabbinical School-Educated Leaders

Hires Rabbinical Student Jevin Eagle as Executive Director and Graduating Student Elie Lehmann as Senior Jewish Educator

Jevin Eagle (right), a former business executive and current Hebrew College Rabbinical School student, will leverage his entrepreneurial talent, spiritual depth and passion for Hillel’s mission as he becomes the next executive director of Boston University Hillel, among the largest private university undergraduate Hillels in the country. Also taking a leadership role at BU Hillel will be Elie Lehmann (Rab ’17), a Wexner Graduate Fellow and Hillel International Rabbinical Entrepreneurs Fellow, who will serve as campus rabbi.

“We are thrilled to be contributing two such talented and dedicated professionals to the Hillel world in Boston,” said Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld, Dean of the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College. “Jevin and Elie each bring profound intellectual, interpersonal, and spiritual gifts to this work – work that is deeply aligned with our pluralistic educational mission and vitally important to the Jewish future.”

Prior to attending rabbinical school, Jevin Eagle was the CEO of DAVIDsTEA, a senior executive at STAPLES, Inc. and a partner at McKinsey & Company. He was one of the executives responsible for STAPLES’ Easy Brand Strategy and the famous “Easy Button.” Eagle says his career change from business to the Rabbinate was the fulfillment of a life-long dream to immerse himself in text study and serve the Jewish people. Illustrative of his commitment to the Jewish community while working in business, Jevin served as board chair of Harvard Hillel and Dartmouth Hillel from 2002 to 2006. “I pursued a business career, but Judaism was always my avocation,” said Eagle. “I am extremely excited to combine my business experience with the pluralistic and text-based rabbinic training I am engaged in at Hebrew College to lead BU Hillel. I can’t imagine anything more important than helping Jewish university students find meaning in life through a connection to God and the Jewish people.”

Eagle has an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he served as an executive committee member on the Jewish Students Association, and a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College, where he majored in religion and government, and served as Hillel student president. Before Harvard Business School, he helped found Jewish Lights Publishing. He serves on the board of directors of Carter’s, Inc., the leading branded apparel marketer for babies and young children.

“Jevin will bring the mind of a CEO and the heart of a rabbi to his work at BU Hillel,” said Eric D. Fingerhut, President and CEO of Hillel International. “He is the perfect person to build on the growth that BU Hillel has experienced in recent years.”

Elie Lehmann, who will be ordained from Hebrew College in June, currently serves as Rabbinic Fellow at Tufts University Hillel, and previously served in the Hillels at the University of Rochester and Tulane. He is an alumnus of Mechon Hadar, Columbia University and The Jewish Theological Seminary. Lehmann looks forward to supporting BU students in finding meaningful ways to feel confident in their Jewish identity, deepen their Jewish knowledge, and innovate with Jewish practice. “Hebrew College’s focus on beit midrash learning where the voices of the pluralistic student body and contemporary scholars meet in conversation with prior generations of traditional Jewish sources gave me the tools to help BU students take ownership of Torah and navigate their own Jewish journeys,” he said.

Added Sidney Pertnoy, Chair of BU Hillel’s Board of Directors: “Jevin and Elie will be leading by example, showing our students that there are many ways to pursue a Jewish life. We look forward to watching them engage and excite Jewish students at BU.”

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About the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College

Established in 2003, the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College educates rabbis for a richly diverse and changing Jewish world. Our pluralistic approach prepares rabbis to serve in the exciting landscape of Jewish leadership today. Students learn to be wise and compassionate spiritual leaders, rooted in Jewish text and tradition and dedicated to the creative flourishing of Jewish life. Hebrew College Rabbinical School graduates hold leadership positions in Hillels at Harvard University, Tufts University, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Michigan, and other campuses throughout the country.