Sue Silberberg realized she wanted to be a rabbi between her sophomore and junior years at IU in the late 1970s. She aspired to build a Jewish community, provide a safe space for all students and inform people about Judaism.
Silberberg is now celebrating her 30th year as both rabbi and executive director at the Helene G. Simon Hillel Center. She will be honored April 26 at Campus Super Star 2020, Hillel’s annual fundraiser.
“There’s aspects of every job that are hard, but I just absolutely love what I do,” Silberberg said. “It's not like coming to work every day. It's like coming to do something that’s so meaningful and so important and makes a difference in people’s lives.”
As executive director of Hillel, Silberberg counsels students, organizes religious services each week, oversees the center’s staff and plans events. She also performs pastoral duties as a rabbi, including leading holiday services and Shabbat dinners every Friday.
Silberberg said her 30 years at Hillel have gone by quickly.
“It’s wonderful, and I can’t believe it,” she said. “It’s crazy to me that I’ve been here for that long.”
Assistant Director of Hillel Jess Goldblatt has worked with Silberberg for more than three years. He said he didn’t know anyone when he moved to Bloomington, and Silberberg welcomed him into the community.
“She’s been a role model to me professionally and personally,” Goldblatt said. “She embodies the values of our organization and emphasizes creating a home away from home.”
Silberberg said the university lacked a strong Jewish community when she was an IU student. After returning as executive director of IU Hillel, she sought to expand it.
“When I started here, there were about 500 Jewish students on campus, and my goal was to build up the Jewish community,” Silberberg said.
Hillel now serves more than 4,000 students, according to the organization’s website.
In 1993, Hillel began operating out of its new building, the Helene G. Simon Hillel Center. The center allowed for growth of the Jewish community, Silberberg said.
“We could not imagine ever filling this space, but now we’re spilling at the seams,” Silberberg said. “Our dining room seats 100, and we often have between 200 and 300 come for Shabbat dinner.”
Development manager at IU Hillel Elana Huvard has worked with Silberberg for three years and said Silberberg spends much of her time nurturing students who come to Hillel.
“She’s passionate about what she does,” Huvard said. “Her energy never ceases.”
Silberberg said she was an active member of her Jewish youth group during high school and wanted to get more involved in the Jewish community when she came to IU.
“I started taking Jewish studies to try to learn more,” Silberberg said. “I found that the more I took, the more I loved it.”
Silberberg decided that she wanted to be a rabbi between her sophomore and junior year at IU, she said. During rabbinical school, she explored different colleges in her career search.
“I knew that I wanted to come back to a college campus, but I didn’t know that I wanted to be at IU or if that would even be possible,” she said.
Silberberg said as the executive director of Hillel, she worked to increase campus safety.
In response to a neo-Nazi group’s hateful actions in 1998, Silberberg and Doug Bauder, former director of the LBGTQ+ Culture Center, established Bloomington United, an anti-hate group. That year, the group distributed 10,000 anti-hate signs to counter the neo-Nazi group’s hateful speech, Silberberg said.
The grassroots organization is dedicated to fighting hate and promoting diversity, Silberberg said. The organization still operates today.
Silberberg said one of her favorite parts of her job is watching students grow during their years at IU. She said she's even officiated former students' weddings.
“I just want to make life better for other people, and being able to do that is why I keep going.”
