On May 14, 350 people gathered for the Hebrew College Spring Gala, “Sacred Sparks!” This joyful gathering honored several esteemed award recipients and celebrated the profound impact of Hebrew College throughout our community.

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Sacred Sparks are everywhere. Shimmering in the majesty of the living world around us. Reflected in the faces of students of all ages, adding new insights to ancient wisdom. Glinting through the creativity of artists from every discipline who awaken our hearts with beauty, wonder, and imagination. Shining wherever we gather in community to learn, to care for each other, to work together for a better world. Kindled within us, in private and shared moments of purpose, renewal, and joy. 

President Anisfeld offered words of gratitude and blessing to our award recipients, each of whom faithfully tend the flames of learning, creativity, and connection that sustain us all: Joshua Meyer received the Betzalel Award, honoring leadership in arts and culture. Helene, Seth, and Benjamin Gelber received the L’Dor Vador Award, honoring intergenerational learning and leadership. Terry Rosenberg received the Esther Award, honoring courageous women’s leadership. We are grateful for the sparks they contribute to our community and to Jewish life in Greater Boston.  

There is still time to make a gift in honor of our award recipients, speakers, and all those who make our wonderful community a place of shared purpose and belonging.

One of the most moving moments of Sacred Sparks came when members of our extended Hebrew College community shared personal reflections on the ways Hebrew College has touched their lives. Their stories offered a powerful reminder that the sparks kindled here travel beyond our shared campus to illuminate families, congregations, senior communities, and innovative Jewish gathering spaces throughout Greater Boston and beyond. We invite you to watch the videos and hear these moving reflections in the speakers’ own words. (Above: Nuriel Gutman and Aekem Singh, Hebrew College Dignity Project Fellows)

Spark Speaker videos...

The phrase “in a voice” refers to an understanding that Moses and G-d were speaking at the same volume: Moses spoke and G-d matched his volume. For the Talmud, this has legal implications: the public must hear both the reader and the interpreter at the same volume, so as not to privilege one over the other. The Talmud’s interpretation maps Moshe onto the person reading Torah, and G-d as the translator. In doing so, the Talmud tells a cyclical story of revelation: Moshe tells the Torah to G-d who translates it back to Moshe in an understandable way. The relationship is one of chavrusa in its best form, where the two parties bounce translations and interpretations back-and-forth with such fluidity that their voices join together to become mirrors of one another, building together an interpretation that is more pliable and understandable than what existed before.

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