Role Overview

Are you passionate about holistically supporting college students? Are you motivated to help them connect to community resources and become strong self-advocates? Are you looking to join a team who sees supporting students’ wellbeing as an integral part of our mission to enrich the lives of Jewish students. If so, apply for the role of Senior Social Worker at Hillel at Baruch, City, John Jay, Pace, SVA, Fordham, FIT, and New School.

Who We Are:

CUNY Hillels serve a diverse student population in New York City. We are a strong Jewish leadership and education organization building Jewish community through student engagement, Jewish learning, training and services rooted in Jewish values. In bringing our mission to life, students experience a community of friends and mentors; explore Jewish life, learning and culture; and develop a sense of purpose.  We do this by centering their experience as a community center would, prioritizing their immediate needs with an eye towards Jewish communal engagement as part of the bigger picture; caring for each student we engage deeply and individually. We are committed to promoting the social, emotional, physical and spiritual wellbeing of students.

Our Hillel is for every Jewish student (really, every student), of every background, from every country, of every sexual orientation, speaking every language, and studying every subject. We serve 4,500 Jewish students across our eight Manhattan campuses.

Jewish students on CUNY campuses have different needs and demands on their time than a typical Jewish student on a residential campus. They may have childcare responsibilities for younger siblings and jobs that fund their education and/or contribute to household income. Students on commuter campuses are predominantly from working class and/or immigrant families and many are the first in their family to attend college.  These students have also been significantly impacted by the pandemic. In a recent survey of CUNY students affiliated with Hillel who received UJA emergency cash assistance grants in the initial months of the pandemic, we found that: 51% were worried they would run out of food; 36% permanently lost a job; and 69% felt down, depressed, or hopeless.

With these extensive challenges on their plate, students simply do not have the time or energy to engage in Jewish life. It is no wonder that we struggle to reach them. There is a clear need to develop a new approach that will more successfully engage commuter students in Jewish life. We must begin thinking more holistically. Rather than asking ourselves “How might we build relationships with and between Jewish commuter students, through Jewish learning, volunteer projects and leadership programs?” We need to begin asking – and answering – a new question: “How can we meet the full range of social emotional needs experienced by Jewish commuter students in service of building students’ Jewish identity and connection to the Jewish community?” This is exactly what we seek to achieve by bringing a senior social worker onto the staff of CUNY Hillels.

To this end, we are hiring an experienced, credentialed social worker to serve as a member of Hillel’s senior staff. This position will be in-person. This professionals will be attuned to the unique needs of Jewish students and the issues they face such as exploring different ways to "be Jewish" than their families’/communities’ expectations, confronting antisemitism on campus and more. This professional  will be the key link to social service agencies within federation’s network, collaboratively bringing social services (including access to food, employment services, and mental health support) to Jewish students in culturally sensitive, de-stigmatized ways. This professional will be responsible for oversight of wellness programming, providing guidance to individual students in moments of distress.

Hierarchy of Needs for a Commuter Hillel Student

• Physiological: A Hillel professional might be the only one to ask “have you eaten today?”
• Safety - Emotional or Physical: Hillel may be the only place for them to be their full self.
• Love & Belonging: Unconditional support for where the student is on a journey - Hillel is an opportunity to explore identity in general, and more specifically Jewish identity.
• Esteem: Opportunities to use their skills and create experiences leads to feelings of achievement, dignity and independence.
• Self Actualization: Connection to Judaism and Jewish community over time.

What You Will Do:

• Build meaningful relationships with students of diverse backgrounds and experiences through one-on-one counseling with an orientation toward wellbeing promotion and deepened involvement in Jewish life;
• Guide and empower student leaders and interns to develop and lead meaningful wellness experiences based on their peers’ needs and interests;
• Provide task supervision to up to six social work interns including working with them on their learning goals and maintaining relationships with relevant social work faculty/administrators;
• Develop a rubric for understanding and coding student needs,
• Train Hillel staff on best practices to serve our student population and incorporating these practices into our structures and culture;
• Work with colleagues to infuse meaningful wellness promotion into current Jewish life experiences that help students promote their physical, emotional, and mental health.
• Connect students with culturally-sensitive services and resources in the community.
• Establish & maintain partnerships to help students access food (Digital Pantry system with the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty), utilize employment services (Commonpoint Queens) and ongoing mental health support (Jewish Board).

What You Bring:

• LMSW required, LCSW preferred; individual and group supervision may be available
• Experience working as a social worker within a community organization such as a school, community center etc.
• Experience training or empowering college students to design opportunities to promote social, emotional, or physical well-being.
• Commitment to creating welcoming and inclusive environments
• Readiness to connect students with support as they navigate diverse issues
• A working knowledge of the network of support resources in New York City  such as: food insecurity, job readiness and support, domestic neglect or violence, sexual abuse/assault, and financial literacy among others.

What You'll Receive:

• Competitive medical benefits and 403B
• Competitive salary ($70,000)
• Access to both national and local cohort for professional trainings and support
• Up to $2,500 a year in professional development support, training, and continuing education opportunities.
• Opportunity to attend annual professional conference
• Commitment to a culture of self care, work life dynamic, and balance.

About Hillel International

In 1923, Rabbi Benjamin Frankel started Hillel with humble means, a noble mission and a breathtaking vision: to convey Jewish civilization to a new generation. Today, Hillel International continues to enrich the lives of Jewish students and is the largest Jewish campus organization in the world at more than 550 colleges and universities across North America and around the world. As Hillel evolves as an organization, the mission remains steadfast: to create lasting connections with every Jewish student that foster an enduring commitment to Jewish life, learning, and Israel and train them to become the next Jewish leaders.

Hillel at Baruch College is affiliated with Hillel International. Hillel International enriches the lives of Jewish students so they may enrich the Jewish people and the world, and envisions a world where every student is inspired to make an enduring commitment to Jewish life, learning and Israel.

Hillel believes in supporting individual's  growth and potential at all stages and is committed to creating equitable and representative work environments.  Research shows that women and individuals who hold underrepresented identities tend to only apply to jobs that they believe they meet all of the qualifications for. Job descriptions are aspirational and no one meets every bullet listed. Hillel strongly encourages applications from individuals with varied identities and backgrounds, including people of color, women, people with disabilities, immigrants, LGBTQIA+ people, and people who come from low income or working class backgrounds

As an equal opportunity employer, all individuals are encouraged to apply without regard to race, color, religion, age, disability, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, ancestry, genetic information, medical condition, veteran status, or any other class protected under federal, state, or local laws.

Hillel is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to creating an accepting and inclusive environment for all.