Harvard appoints Rabbi Getzel Davis as the first director of interfaith pursuits

Within Harvard’s chaplaincy, Rabbi Getzel Davis has been recognized as a connector. From his internship at Harvard Hillel in 2012 to his participation as a member of the executive committee of Harvard chaplains, Davis has forged enduring ties among religious, spiritual, and ethical organizations on campus.

He will now join the University team as the inaugural director of interfaith engagement, where he will spearhead initiatives aimed at fostering respect for varied identities, cultivating relationships among communities, and promoting collaboration for the collective benefit. Davis perceives the role as a natural progression of his journey at Harvard.

“I dedicated 12 years as a Harvard chaplain, and I gained significant insight into all these different communities,” Davis stated. “Not only did I deepen my connections with them and co-host programs, but I became aware of their challenges and was frequently surprised to find that we shared a lot of commonalities.”

In this new position, as part of a presidential initiative on interfaith engagement, Davis will supervise efforts that enhance religious literacy and substantial dialogue across various faith and non-faith traditions, and work with University departments to champion the needs of religious and spiritual communities.

“Fostering a community where every individual at Harvard can prosper entails broadening chances for individuals to know, appreciate, and understand each other,” stated President Alan M. Garber. “Rabbi Davis is an attentive listener and an exceptional collaborator. His attributes of curiosity and empathy will inform our endeavors to ensure that Harvard is a space where individuals can be themselves, voice their opinions, and chase their aspirations both as individuals and collectively.”

Davis arrives with strong connections to many of Harvard’s chaplains, including Imam Khalil Abdur-Rashid, Harvard’s Muslim chaplain, who expressed enthusiasm for Davis’s new role. “Having someone in the Office of the President dedicated to nurturing interfaith programming is innovative, strategic, and visionary,” he noted. “I believe his role as director of interfaith engagement is a benefit for Harvard, a success for the chaplains, and a win for our students.”

The initiatives are already underway. In the upcoming semester, Davis will introduce the First-Year Religious Ethical and Spiritual Life Fellowship, a compensated 10-session program designed to aid students in developing skills to navigate complex differences and address religious prejudice, antisemitism, and Islamophobia. At the conclusion of the program, students will have the chance to apply for grants to promote their own interfaith initiatives on campus.

Additionally, Davis is partnering with the College Dean of Students office to offer programming for pre-orientation and orientation to enhance pluralism and mutual understanding.

These initiatives will complement existing programming, including Interfaith PhotoVoice — an exhibit showcasing photos and narratives that embody student views on religion, ethics, and spirituality — and Pluralism Passports, a series of interfaith events and activities aimed at educating Harvard community members about various religious, ethical, and spiritual communities beyond their own. More programs, managed by Davis and multifaith engagement fellow Abby McElroy, will commence throughout the academic year.

Other chaplains joined Abdur-Rashid in commending Davis as the ideal leader for this position.

“Getzel is a leader of profound humanity who has spent years dedicated to cultivating closer, more mutually respectful relationships at Harvard among religious groups that may have been otherwise more at odds without his presence,” remarked Harvard Humanist Chaplain Greg Epstein. “In my experience, I can affirm he has also been an outstanding advocate for friendship and understanding between faith-based and secular communities.”

Tammy McLeod, president of the Harvard Chaplains and a team member of the interdenominational Christian organization Cru, also emphasized Davis’s ability to lead across differences. “Within the Harvard Chaplains, he has been a committed proponent of nurturing authentic relationships across diverse belief systems,” stated McLeod. “Warm, approachable, and profoundly dedicated to life’s enduring questions, Getzel offers a distinct presence to Harvard’s spiritual and ethical milieu. Students will gain immense benefit from engaging with him. His new role is not just timely — it is paramount.”

Rabbi Jason Rubenstein, executive director of Harvard Hillel, echoed this sentiment.

“Of all the individuals I’ve collaborated with and observed in higher education, none exemplifies the art of diligently fostering relationships with colleagues across differences better than he does. … I cannot envision a more suitable fit or a more urgent mission than his new role in weaving together the various strands of Harvard’s communal fabric into a more unified, compassionate, and interconnected whole.”

Davis resides in Cambridge with his wife, Leah Rosenberg, a physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, along with their three children. He majored in Near Eastern and Judaic studies at Brandeis University, with
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He pursued a minor in comparative religion before enrolling at Hebrew College, a diverse rabbinical institution located in Brookline. Initially, he became part of Harvard Hillel as an intern, providing guidance to the reform and conservative minyans present on campus. By 2015, he had risen to the position of director of graduate programs at Harvard Hillel and chair of University Programs for Harvard Chaplains.

In this capacity, he focused on enhancing connections among over 40 chaplains representing more than 30 different religious and ethical beliefs. Davis remembers gathering in a different chaplaincy each month, allowing various groups to share their victories and challenges.

Beyond formal programs, Davis and fellow chaplains organized meals for students to engage in conversations about critical issues of faith, meaning, and cooperation on campus. He also transformed the structure of chaplain meetings to create space for individual discussions and in-person interactions.

“I perceive much of my interaction with the sacred as rooted in relationships with others,” remarked Davis, who assumed the role of campus rabbi in 2023. “Much of this has been about cultivating deep and trusting connections with my fellow chaplains.”

The strong relationships with other religious leaders, including Abdur-Rashid, resulted in cooperative events between Harvard Hillel and other organizations like the Harvard Islamic Society. Davis highlighted the “Sukkat Salaam” dinner as one among numerous successful partnerships — an event that honored the commencement of the Jewish holiday Sukkot and the conclusion of Ramadan, the Islamic fasting month.

The connection between Davis and Abdur-Rashid proved crucial after the events of October 7, 2023, as Jewish and Muslim students navigated intricate emotional and community reactions to the attack on Israel and the Gaza conflict.

In December 2023, the two organized their first of three vigils, united in prayer for peace for everyone affected by the turmoil. “These gatherings felt especially significant and symbolic to be held on campus,” Davis stated. “It felt like a monumental occasion.”

This experience of unifying communities during a particularly difficult period reinforced Davis’ conviction in a more systematic approach to interfaith efforts on campus. After departing from Hillel in March 2025 to recharge and spend time with his family, Davis continued to contemplate the connections he had cultivated with other chaplains, envisioning a new position that would enable him to implement programming for an even broader and more varied community.

“That reflection period provided me the insight to recognize that the bridge-building initiatives we executed at Hillel were exactly what the campus required,” Davis shared. “I used that time to engage with chaplains, administrators, and students to craft a viable vision for how Harvard could promote genuine pluralism. This collective vision is now what the University has tasked me with advancing.”

After over ten years at the University, Davis is excited to step into this pioneering role and initiative that he anticipates will flourish in the coming years. “This new position feels like the apex of my entire tenure here,” he expressed. “I am honored and invigorated to embrace this opportunity to serve the entire Harvard community.”