Rabbi Daniel Schaefer is the interim director for Jewish Life. In this role, he oversees the Jewish Life program and supervises the Jewish Life staff  to foster a welcoming, dynamic, and supportive Jewish community at Georgetown. Rabbi Schaefer is excited to build relationships with students and connect around issues of ethics, social justice, and mental and emotional wellness. He is passionate about building pluralistic Jewish communities, making Torah accessible to everyone, and engaging in interfaith dialogue. He offers one-on-one supportive rabbinic counseling and leads Shabbat and holiday services throughout the year. Originally from Connecticut, Rabbi Schaefer graduated with a bachelor’s degree in History from Stanford University and wrote his honors thesis on early 20th-century American Judaism. He earned his master’s degree in Jewish Studies and received ordination from the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College. Before becoming a rabbi, he worked as an entrepreneur and ghostwriter, guided students at a therapeutic wilderness program, and served in AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps. He has studied at Mechon Hadar, the Hartman Institute, the Jewish Theological Seminary, and Hebrew Union College. In his free time, he loves writing, basketball, and hiking in the woods with his dog Ruby.