St. Olaf welcomes new associate chaplain of Jewish life
Rav Michaela Brown will join the St. Olaf College ministry team as the new associate chaplain of Jewish life. She will begin her role on August 1.
Brown comes to Northfield from Boston, Massachusetts. She recently received her rabbinic ordination from Hebrew College, a pluralistic rabbinical school based in Newton, Massachusetts. While in Boston, Brown worked for a number of local institutions, including Temple Beth Avodah and Temple Israel of Boston, as well as national organizations like the Jewish Women’s Archive, B’nai B’rith Youth Organization (BBYO), and Moishe House.
Born and raised in Northern Virginia, Brown earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia, where she majored in Jewish studies with a minor in women, gender, and sexuality studies. She is passionate about connecting Jewish traditions to modern questions, particularly surrounding ideas of justice and identity. She loves learning and teaching Talmud and Kabbalah, singing both Jewish and secular music, and reminding people there is no one way to be Jewish.
Brown will become the associate chaplain of Jewish life at St. Olaf following the retirement of Rabbi Shosh Dworsky, who held the role since 2019. She will join a College Ministry team that includes College Pastor Matt Marohl and Associate College Pastor Katie Fick, as well as an associate chaplain for Muslim life that the college is currently in the process of recruiting candidates for.