May 22, 2025 | 24 Iyar 5785
|
|
|
Reimagining Jewish learning and leadership for an interconnected world.
|
|
|
Parashat Behar-Bechukotai | Candlelighting 7:49 PM EST
|
|
|
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
|
|
|
The Hebrew College community mourns the tragic loss of life last night at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., where two Israeli Embassy staff members, Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky were murdered in a horrifying act of antisemitic violence. We extend our deepest condolences to their families, communities, colleagues, and friends.
Such acts of terrorism are meant to instill fear; but we will not let fear or hatred define us. Even as we grieve, we reaffirm our commitment to living fully and proudly as Jews, standing against antisemitism and all forms of prejudice here and around the world, and working toward a future of dignity and peace for all people. May Sarah and Yaron’s memories be an enduring blessing. Read the CJP-JCRC Joint Statement.
Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld
President, Hebrew College
| |
|
HEBREW COLLEGE COMMENCEMENT & ORDINATION
|
Celebrate with us this Sunday!
|
|
|
This Sunday, May 25, Hebrew College is proud to celebrate an inspiring group of graduates and ordainees who embody our community’s commitment to learning, communal responsibility, pluralism, and creativity at our 5785/2025 Commencement. Joining them are this year’s honorary degree recipients and special awardees, whom we will recognize for their profound contributions to Jewish life and culture, and their deep embodiment of the connection between spirituality and social justice: Bishop Mariann Budde, Rabbi David Saperstein, Dr. Maya Arad, and Idit Klein. Learn more and join us!
|
|
|
Rabbinical School Welcomes New Faculty Member Dr. Matthew Hass
|
|
|
”Rabbinic literature matters to rabbinical students in a way it might not matter to those studying it in a traditional academic setting. If someone in a university setting decides they don’t like rabbinic literature, that’s fine. It’s not for them. They can study something else. But for those studying to become a rabbi, the authors of rabbinic literature are your predecessors. They have a claim on you. You must contend with them. They might not be your favorite people. But you need to develop a relationship to the rabbinic corpus. It is very exciting to facilitate the beginning stages of students’ relationships with these texts. In class, I often speak of the Talmud as my friend, and one of my chief motivations as a teacher in a rabbinical school is to help students cultivate friendship with these texts.”
Learn more...
|
|
|
|
Cultivating Community: A Conversation with Hebrew College Rabbinical School’s New Director of Student Life
|
|
|
”At Hebrew College, I felt invited to integrate all parts of myself – intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually. The learning environment was holistic in a way. It wasn’t about being handed knowledge, but about being invited to wrestle with Torah in the most profound ways. The approach to text wasn’t focused solely on memorization or passive reception, but active engagement. As I describe it, Hebrew College is a place where ‘Torah is real’ – meaning that Torah, in all of her glory, and with all of the complexities, is a living, breathing conversation. The faculty didn’t just teach; they opened doors and provided tools, trusting students to dig, explore, and ultimately create our own unique relationship with Jewish tradition.” — Rabbi Rachel Tali Kaplan`21
Read more...
|
|
Rabbi Rachel Tali Kaplan, who will return to Hebrew College as the Rabbinical School's new Director of Student Life on July 1.
|
|
|
Rabbi Allan Lehmann Retires on a Chai Note
|
|
|
It’s only fitting that Rabbi Allan Lehmann is retiring after his 18th year at Hebrew College — after all, he exemplifies the spirit of “chai”. A consummate teacher, mentor, and over all mensch, he has breathed life into Hebrew College’s beit midrash throughout his tenure, serving as an integral part of the fabric of Hebrew College. “Allan is a model of devoted, open-hearted, and open-minded Jewish living, love of the Jewish people, and rabbinic service,” says Rabbi Dan Judson, Hebrew College Provost. “He embodies and channels our ancestral heritage with his being. To receive his blessing to live our path in Torah is to feel the full embrace of our tradition.”
Read more...
|
|
|
|
Dangerous Vows, Sacred Lives
|
|
|
Margaret Atwood, the 85 year-old Canadian author known perhaps most famously for The Handmaid’s Tale, has said she cannot remember another point in her lifetime “when words themselves have felt under such threat.” The Book of Leviticus (VaYikra), ends with a meditation on the power of language to affirm the sanctity of life. VaYikra, on the whole, centers on the sacredness of people, of time, of the land, and of holy space (the Temple and Tabernacle). The book now turns to the holiness of words, with a particular focus on vows (nedarim).
|
|
|
|
The Path: LAByrinth Opening
|
On Sunday, May 18, shared campus community members gathered for the opening of "The Path: LAByrinth." The event included a participatory LAByrinth walk, remarks by Hebrew College President Anisfeld, and a song circle with Hebrew College's Rabbi Or Rose, Rabbi Jessica Kate Meyer, and LAByrinth creator Shirah Rubin. Read more about the event in this article. The exhibit runs through November 7.
|
|
|
Hebrew College Teens Award Over $10K in Grants
|
|
|
At the grant ceremony on Sunday, May 18, teen members of Hebrew College's Jewish Teen Foundation of Greater Boston (JTFGB) awarded over $10,000 to organizations focused on education and disaster relief. Teens and their families celebrated JTFGB's achievements, which included learning about the grant-making process, raising funds, and selecting Schools on Wheels of Massachusetts and Disaster Relief at Work (DRAW) to receive this year's grant allocations. "The teens put in a lot of hard work and their efforts show the change they want to make in the world!" said JTFGB Director Samantha Schnall.
Learn more about JTFGB...
|
|
Elissa Rottenberg, JTFGB parent and a co-chair of the JTFGB Advisory Council
| |
|
Hebrew College Teen Beit Midrash Siyyum
|
On Tuesday, May 20, Hebrew College Teen Beit Midrash (TBM) held a siyyum to celebrate their year of learning focused on Masechet Baba Metzia, which TBM Director Rabbi Claudia Marbach describes as "how we interact with others in the small moments of everyday life." The teens shared insights from their learning before Rabbi Claudia addressed the learners and their parents: "In this week’s Torah reading we find a pasuk with which we began our year. וְלֹא תוֹנוּ אִישׁ אֶת־עֲמִיתוֹ וְיָרֵאתָ מֵאֱלֹ'קיךָ כִּי אֲנִי ה' אֱלֹהקיכֶם׃ Do not wrong one another, but fear your God; for I am your God. (Vayikra 25:17). Our words count. How we talk to others matters, when we are upset or when we are sure that we are just plain right! It also matters how we talk to others when we are in positions of power and others are not."
|
Soul Sounds Celebrating the Jewish Wedding
|
|
|
On Wednesday, May 14, the Musicant Cohen Center for the Performing Arts was buzzing from the final Soul Sounds concert of the academic year, featuring Boston-based klezmer band Ezekiel's Wheels. In addition to playing their well-known klezmer repertoire, they performed "The Wedding | Di Khassene," a mixed-media song cycle inspired by the rituals and customs of a Jewish wedding celebration, composed by the band’s clarinetist Nat Seelen. Thank you to our Soul Sounds concert series sponsors Suzanne Priebatsch, Susan and James Snider, Diane Troderman, and an anonymous donor.
Join us in 2025-26 as an additional Soul Sounds sponsor! Support Hebrew College while celebrating a loved one, milestone, or simcha. Sponsorships personalize the meaning of your contribution. Make a difference throughout the year by contacting development@hebrewcollege.edu today.
|
| |
|
Thank you to everyone who responded to last week's alumni books issue. As we learn of new publications, we will share them in future newsletters.
This week we are pleased to share Rabbi Alyson Solomon's `09 children's book and song Thank You, Modeh Ani, which weaves together the Jewish morning blessings of modeh ani, gratitude for a fresh new day, and asher yatzar, prayers of awe and appreciation for our body’s intricate openings and closings.
|
| |
|
Catch up on recent Hebrew College news and stories, including articles about faculty, students, and alumni who have been recognized for their work and scholarship here.
Alumni, please keep sharing your news with us so we can kvell!
|
|
|
Receiving Torah for Our Times: Scientific and Religious Thinking for Climate Action
|
|
|
Wednesday, May 28 | 5-6:30 PM EST | Zoom
|
|
|
Can faith-based understandings truly contribute to healing our planet? How might spiritual values reshape our environmental ethics? How can scientific and religious ways of understanding work together to address the urgent climate crisis? What are the potential benefits and challenges of such collaboration? Join us for a compelling virtual panel discussion with esteemed panelists David Abram, PhD; Frances Flannery, PhD; and Rabbi Natan Margalit, PhD. Guided by moderator and Hebrew College Miller Center Director Rabbi Or Rose. Learn more & RSVP
Presented by ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal and the Miller Center for Interreligious Learning & Leadership of Hebrew College. Generously supported by the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Dialogue on Science, Ethics and Religion.
|
|
|
COMMENCEMENT AND ORDINATION
Sunday, May 25 | 12-4:30 PM | Hebrew College
Commencement 12-1:15 PM | Rabbinical Ordination 1:45-3:15 PM | Reception 3:30 PM
Please join us for this year’s Hebrew College Commencement and Ordination ceremonies. Honorary degrees recipients: Rabbi David Saperstein and Bishop Mariann Budde. Special award recipients: Dr. Maya Arad and Idit Klein.
Learn more
TAMID ADULT LEARNING
Tamid of Hebrew College GROW Session: “Our Class Lessons on Understanding”
Wednesday, May 28 | 12-1 PM | Zoom
Join director Igor Golyak and his producing partner Sara Stackhouse as they share stories and lessons learned during their journey to produce the celebrated off-Broadway play "Our Class."
Learn more & RSVP
SHAVUOT LEARNING
25 Hour Tikkun Zoom Shavuot
Sunday, June 1, 5 PM to Monday, June 2, 6 PM | Zoom
Hebrew College is co-sponsoring Temple Israel of Boston's Tikkun Zoom Shavuot. Learn alongside people from around the world as dozens of teachers, artists, and facilitators lead study, prayer, art making, music, and more over 25 hours in the Zoomosphere.
Learn more
|
|
|
Hebrew College celebrates learning that asks honest questions, honors difference, awakens creativity, and enlivens the spirit. Hebrew College prepares leaders for a life of service to the Jewish people and to the world. We draw strength from the knowledge that — whatever challenges we are facing — we always have the capacity to choose how we care for ourselves and each other, what kind of communities we are creating, and what kind of world we are braiding together.
Thank you for all you do to help braid a world of learning, service, and lovingkindness.
As our fiscal and academic year comes to a close, please make your gift by June 30 to support this work and strengthen the braid we weave together.
|
|
|
Manage your preferences | Opt Out using TrueRemove™
Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails.
View this email online.
|
Hebrew College 1860 Washington Street | Newton, MA 02466 US
|
|
|
This email was sent to .
To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.
| | |
|
|
