Rabbi Albert S. Axelrad, a prominent Reform rabbi, longtime director of Brandeis University’s Hillel Foundation, and committed community activist, passed away earlier this month at the age of 87. Axelrad led Brandeis Hillel for 34 years, beginning in 1965, fostering an inclusive environment that supported students and faculty from diverse Jewish backgrounds.
A Brooklyn native, Axelrad was educated at the Yeshiva of Flatbush and earned a sociology degree from Columbia University before receiving rabbinic ordination from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Soon after ordination, he moved to Massachusetts to direct Brandeis Hillel, the only nonsectarian, Jewish-sponsored institution of higher education in the United States.
Throughout his career, Axelrad was known for embracing Jewish pluralism in practice, not just in principle. He worked to expand the spectrum of Jewish worship on campus, notably hiring an Orthodox rabbi in the mid-1970s and making space available for traditional prayer services, even as he himself advocated for egalitarian prayer where men and women share equal roles. He co-founded Havurat Shalom in Somerville, Massachusetts, a lay-led, non-denominational congregation that influenced the broader havurah movement focusing on egalitarian and independent Jewish practice.
Axelrad’s tenure at Brandeis coincided with major social movements of the 1960s and beyond. He counseled students confronting the moral dilemma of the Vietnam War, advocating for conscientious objection and aligning with the Jewish Peace Fellowship. He was also active in efforts to divest from South Africa to oppose apartheid.
A dedicated advocate for Jewish causes worldwide, Axelrad was an early supporter of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through his involvement with Breira, the first national Jewish group endorsing Palestinian statehood. He championed the rights of Jews behind the Iron Curtain, making two trips to the Soviet Union to meet refuseniks—Jews barred from emigrating or practicing their religion openly. His 1985 book, “Refusenik: Voices of Struggle and Hope,” documents these experiences.
Axelrad’s innovative contributions to Jewish life included creating the first adult bar and bat mitzvah training programs in the 1970s, opening religious milestones to those who missed them in childhood—a practice that has become widespread in American synagogues. He also introduced an annual Jewish Arts Festival at Brandeis that was later adopted by other campuses.
After retiring from Brandeis in 1999, Axelrad became the founding director of the Center for Spiritual Life and an adjunct professor of religion at Emerson College in Boston.
Former students and colleagues recall Axelrad as a bridge-builder and mentor who modeled pluralistic leadership and moral courage. Rabbi Bob Carroll, an Orthodox rabbi and former Brandeis Hillel president, credited Axelrad with inspiring him to speak out on difficult issues. Others described him as a “mensch” — a person of integrity and warmth — who was fully present and deeply committed to his principles.
Axelrad is survived by four children and several grandchildren. His wife of 63 years, Berta Axelrad, passed away in December 2024.