New $2.5M Endowment Creates Permanent Campus Rabbi Role at Duke University
A new $2.5 million endowment will support a full-time rabbi at Duke University for generations to come. The endowment ensures ongoing funding for the position, allowing a campus rabbi to become a permanent fixture, and continuing student access to pastoral care and a thriving Jewish community. This achievement was made possible by generous gifts from six families.
“We were inspired to make this gift because Jewish Life at Duke helped shape our own Duke experience, and we believe deeply in its importance for future students,” said the anonymous family who paved the way for the endowment with a $1.25 million challenge gift. “At a time when Jewish students need both belonging and understanding, permanently endowing the rabbi position is one of the most meaningful investments we could make,” they added.
The endowment is part of a larger fundraising effort known as the Jewish Future Campaign, which is raising $5 million in endowment funds to strengthen Jewish Life at Duke, the campus Hillel organization.
At Duke, rabbinic leadership has been a part of campus life since 1941, when Rabbi Samuel Sandmel, who would go on to become a popular lecturer and esteemed professor, began visiting campus eight hours a week. After that initial year, however, decades went by with no rabbinic presence on campus. Rabbinic support continued to evolve when Rabbi Frank Fischer established a part-time presence at Duke in the 1980s through his role as director of North Carolina Hillel.
As Jewish life grew, Duke established a full-time campus rabbi position in 2000, held currently by Rabbi Elana Friedman. Joining Jewish Life at Duke in 2015, she is the longest-serving campus rabbi and Jewish chaplain at Duke, providing a consistent presence in the lives of students as they navigate college. “It is an honor and privilege to serve as the campus rabbi and Jewish chaplain of Duke,” she said.
Rabbi Friedman leads Shabbat services and holiday programs, fosters interfaith engagement, and helps students grapple with personal and spiritual questions. She also meets with hundreds of students one-on-one, leads signature learning experiences, such as the Jewish Learning Fellowship, and tutors those who never had a b’nai mitzvah. Her impact is what inspired the endowment, which has been named the Jewish Life Rabbinic Fund.
“I have seen firsthand the profound value of the rabbi’s role, especially at a time when antisemitism worldwide has been at its highest level,” said Mary Pat McMahon, vice president and vice provost for student affairs at Duke. “Rabbi Elana provides stability, compassion, and clarity for the entire campus community.”
The endowment is particularly significant for students because it ensures Rabbi Friedman or her successors will always be there at a pivotal moment in students’ lives. Student Dani Levy first met Rabbi Friedman during Shabbat services and dinner before becoming a Duke student, when visiting for an admitted student event.
“Rabbi Elana made me instantly feel like I had already found my community and my home for the next four years,” Levy said. “She not only knew the names of the entire incoming Jewish freshman class within the first week, but welcomed us all with open arms and a big smile on her face, making us all feel like we already belonged.”
Others say her influence has continued to shape their growth as they embark upon professional careers. “Rabbi Elana is one of the reasons I decided to go into Jewish communal work professionally. Through her, I have seen the impact just one role model can have,” said Duke alum Sarah Jacobs.
For Rabbi Friedman, a defining aspect of her work is about being present for students through any chapter of joy or adversity they might meet.
“Every conversation, coffee chat, Shabbat meal, moment of celebration or challenge at Duke is an opportunity for students to discover meaning, purpose, awe, resilience, and hope,” Rabbi Friedman said. “I am filled with profound gratitude to do this work every day.”
Students who enroll at Duke many years from now will still feel the impact of the endowment, as there will be a friendly face ready to teach, listen, celebrate, and help them find their place. As Duke Jewish Student Union President Tali Sigal said: “Having a permanently endowed rabbi ensures that Jewish life at Duke will always have the spiritual and communal foundation it deserves.”