Release date: April 16, 2008
Contact: Elaine Justice at 404-727-0643 or elaine.justice@emory.edu

Rabbi Appointed to New Position at Emory

Victoria Armour-Hileman

Victoria Armour-Hileman, an award-winning scholar and soon-to-be-ordained rabbi, has been appointed associate dean of religious life and chaplain at Emory University. Her appointment to the newly established position was announced by the Rev. Susan Henry-Crowe, dean of the chapel and religious life at Emory.

"Victoria Armour-Hileman brings considerable gifts to this new position," said Henry-Crowe. "Her commitment to higher education, spiritual formation, Jewish life, inter-religious work, as well as a passion for liturgy and the arts, make her an extraordinary addition to the Emory community."

Armour-Hileman, who will begin her new role Aug. 1, is graduating from Hebrew Union College's Jewish Institute of Religion in May, at which time she will receive her rabbinic ordination. Her rabbinic experience includes serving with the Board of Rabbis of Southern California, where she provided programming in interfaith dialogue, social justice and ongoing education for rabbis.

She has served congregations in Mammoth Lakes and Yuba City/Marysville, Calif., and White Plains, N.Y.

She directed a project titled "Troubling Tradition: Wrestling with Problem Passages," an interfaith conference bringing together Jewish, Christian and Muslim scholars and religious leaders.

Armour-Hileman holds a Ph.D. in British and American literature from the University of Iowa. For two consecutive years (2006 and 2007) she was the winner of the Cantor William Sharlin Prize for Excellence in Liturgy at Hebrew Union. She is the winner of numerous awards in music composition, writing, liturgy and poetry.

Armour-Hileman is the author of a non-fiction book, "Singing to the Dead," on her work with indigenous Mon refugees in Thailand, and co-author of "Defenseless in Detention," on the detention of children in Hong Kong at the end of the Vietnamese refugee crisis in Hong Kong.

Emory University (www.emory.edu) is one of the nation’s leading private research universities and a member of the Association of American Universities. Known for its demanding academics, outstanding undergraduate college of arts and sciences, highly ranked professional schools and state-of-the-art research facilities, Emory is ranked as one of the country's top 20 national universities by U.S. News & World Report. In addition to its nine schools, the university encompasses The Carter Center, Yerkes National Primate Research Center and Emory Healthcare, the state's largest and most comprehensive health care system.

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