Tal M. Rosen ’04

Executive director focuses on community outreach

February 7, 2011

Tal M. Rosen ’04

Being the executive director of the Midwest’s oldest Jewish congregation, which is housed across the street from President Barack Obama’s Chicago home, is not as glamorous as it may sound, says Tal Rosen ’04. “Developing an open and welcoming community when you have concrete barriers around your property and constant surveillance by the Secret Service can be a challenge,” he says.  

Still, it’s that concept of being open and welcoming that Rosen focuses on at KAM Isaiah Israel Congregation since he arrived in 2009. As part of its community outreach, the congregation transformed the synagogue’s lawn into an urban garden, harvesting organic produce for local food pantries. Projects such as this help to deepen relationships, address communal issues and reduce environmental impact, Rosen says.  

The former religion and Judaic-studies double major studied in Israel after graduation and considered becoming a rabbi.

“I’m more interested in program development, strategic planning and communications,” he says, explaining his decision to instead earn an MBA from Miami University, where he also served as executive director of Hillel before moving to Chicago.

“Being an executive director relies on your ability to have a diverse range of skills, and the distribution requirements at Dickinson forced me to get experience in a lot of areas,” he says. “My core learning experiences were first and foremost at Dickinson.”