Staff and Advisors
Staff
Julie Barnes
Director of the Rachel Lord Center for Religious and Spiritual Life
Ahmed AboHamad
Muslim Student Life CoordinatorPart-Time Advisors
Lisa Vinikoor, Jewish Life Advisor
I was born and raised in Vermont and I’m thrilled to return to northern New England to serve as Bowdoin College’s Jewish Life Advisor. I earned my Bachelor’s degree in History from Smith College, Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and most recently my Rabbinic ordination from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York City.
Before entering the rabbinate, I worked for fourteen years in the greater Boston area, first as an elementary school teacher and later as a social justice organizer. As a social justice organizer, I worked with a team to engage thousands of clergy and lay leaders in a campaign to win expanded access to quality, affordable healthcare for nearly half a million low income people in Massachusetts. I also organized a campaign to stop the devastating effects of home foreclosures in Lawrence and Lowell, Massachusetts.
As a Jewish Life Advisor, I support students in creating vibrant Jewish religious and cultural life here at Bowdoin. I serve students in helping to build community, work for justice, explore various aspects of Judaism and engage in spiritual and religious practices. I also serve as the advisor to Hillel. When I’m not at Bowdoin, you can find me jogging, biking, cooking or trying to catch a glimpse of a moose or two in Baxter State Park. I also love to drink coffee and look forward meeting you for coffee or tea or at one of our events!
Contact Rabbi Vinikoor: lvinikoo@bowdoin.edu
The Bowdoin Orient: Teacher, activist, rabbi: Lisa Vinikoor guides Hillel