Emerson College

Contact the Center for Spiritual Life

The Center can be contacted at spiritual_life@emerson.edu or at 617.824.8036.

Please direct your general questions here, and they will be directed to the appropriate member(s) of our staff.  Please contact this address to contact our three student groups. 

Center Staff
Rabbi Al S. Axelrad, Chair, Center for Spiritual Life

Rabbi Albert S. Axelrad, known simply as “Rabbi Al,” serves as Chair and Adjunct Professor of Religion at the Center for Spiritual Life and as Interfaith Chaplain at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary.  He also serves as Madrich (Spiritual Guide/Mentor) to the trans-denominational Boston Synagogue, a traditional-egalitarian community.  He assumed these positions, created especially for him, upon his retirement from Brandeis University, which appointed him its first Chaplain and Hillel Director Emeritus in 1999. 

En route to his 36-year career in Hillel, the Brooklyn, New York born (22 October, 1938) Axelrad attained a B.A. degree at Columbia University (1960), an M.A. (with Highest Honors) in Hebrew Literature and Rabbinic Ordination at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (H.U.C-J.I.R., New York, 1965).  Subsequently, he earned a Ph.D. (in Religious Studies) at Columbia Pacific University (1984), and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree at H.U.C.-J.I.R., New York (1990).  The author of three books, Rabbi Al has long been recognized for his progressive social action and liturgical renewal.

Arinne Braverman, Jewish Chaplain / Hillel Advisor

Arinne Braverman is Emerson College Hillel's Advisor and Director of Regional Student Services at Hillel Council of New England.  She earned her B.A. in Psychology from Smith College and her M.Ed. from Cambridge College.  Her thesis was aptly titled, "Beyond the Bagel Brunch: a Pluralistic, Experiential Program Addressing Jewish College Students' Search for G*d."  Arinne completed a fellowship with the Boston-based Jewish Organizing Initiative and enjoys putting those skills to work-- identifying leadership opportunities together and matching students' interests with Jewish resources and creative opportunities for engagement. 

Gordon Isaac, Protestant Chaplain/ EGNF Advisor

Gordon earned his Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Marquette University, his Master’s Degree in Theology from Luther Seminary in Systematic Theology, his Master’s in Divinity from Western Evangelical Seminary and his Bachelor’s Degree from Seattle Pacific University.  Gordon is a professor of church history at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and he has recently published an analysis and critique of the very popular Left Behind series entitled, Left Behind or Left Befuddled, The Subtle Dangers of Popularizing the End Times

Kristelle Angelli, Catholic Chaplain / Newman Club Advisor

Kristelle has been at Emerson since September of 2004.  She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from St. Michael’s College in Vermont , and a Master’s Degree in Christian Ministry from St. John’s Seminary in Brighton . She is co-founder of Our Lady of Hope Charities, a non-profit that brings aid to impoverished parishes in Rwanda and India.  Kristelle is also a Campus Minister at MIT.

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