Hebrew College Koleinu: Pushing Back on Antisemitism, Hosting Freedom Riders, and Winter Events

January 8, 2026 | 19 Tevet 5786

Koleinu |our voice|

Reimagining Jewish learning and leadership for an interconnected world.

Parashat Shemot | Candlelighting 4:12 PM EST

Pushing Back on Antisemitism with Learning, Dialogue, and Visiting Scholars

On Sunday, January 18, Hebrew College and the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Boston will host the Heidi Urich Annual Lecture, featuring Dr. Pamela Nadell of American University, who will present about her new book, Antisemitism, an American Tradition. Nadell will examine how antisemitism continues to shape American society today, and highlight the legal battles, organizations, alliances, and moments of public and private resistance through which American Jews have pushed back against discrimination and hate. The lecture reflects Hebrew College’s broader commitment to creating thoughtful spaces for learning and conversation about antisemitism. “Our approach to teaching about antisemitism has been first and foremost to give students a thick history,” says Rabbi Judson. “The goal is for students to see certain historical patterns where they exist, so that we can see the present day in light of our history.”

RSVP for the Urich lecture on Sunday, January 18.

SEVENTY FACES OF TORAH

Meaning Borrowed from the Past

By Adam Zemel, Hebrew College Senior Storyteller

When converts to Judaism receive their Hebrew names, they are announced as children of Abraham and Sarah, the first Jews, the great grandparents of the brothers listed at the beginning of Shemot. This tradition is an act of radical inclusion–let there be no mistake now, you are so much a part of our people that you are joined to our earliest ancestors. As we read in Megillat Ruth, converts have been vital to the Jewish project from the time of the Judges, those early generations after the days of Moses and Joshua; Jewish conversion is a powerful and necessary reminder that the belonging we find in heritage is not always inherited directly.

Please contact the author if you'd like to share any feedback.

MILLER CENTER FOR INTERRELIGIOUS LEARNING & LEADERSHIP OF HEBREW COLLEGE

A Dialogue with Freedom Riders

Tuesday, January 20, 2026 | 7-9 PM | Hebrew College

55 years ago in the summer of 1961, Luvaghn Brown and Lew Zuchman joined the movement to challenge racial segregation. On Tuesday, January 20, 2026 from 7-9 pm, Hebrew College's Miller Center, Facing History & Ourselves, and Temple Beth Zion in Brookline, MA will host an evening of learning and conversation at Hebrew College as Luvaghn and Lew reflect on their paths to becoming Freedom Riders, the friendship that developed, and the trajectories that followed. “This event offers our community the opportunity to learn from two brave and compassionate souls,” says Miller Center Director Rabbi Or Rose. “We are honored to welcome Luvaghn and Lew to the Hebrew College campus.”

Learn more & RSVP...

TAMID OF HEBREW COLLEGE: YOUR HOME FOR ADULT LEARNING

Building a Hebrew Language Community

"I started my Hebrew language journey on my own with an app. It was engaging, and it worked, but only up to a point. You can’t really learn a language without interacting in real time—trying to understand other speakers and trying to get them to understand you. Add a great teacher/coach and native Israeli like Maya Dalzell to the mix and you have a surefire recipe for steady progress. This is what I’ve found at Hebrew College's Ulpan. The classes are small, so you get plenty of airtime. Now in my fourth year of study, I’ve had the good fortune to learn with a cohort of eager students— we have become friends, shyness has melted away, and we can joke around and learn more and more about each other—in Hebrew! It’s fun, and it’s effective." — Jeff Lazarus

Learn more...

Learn more about Hebrew College's Hebrew language Ulpan classes, now enrolling

Rabbi Rafi Ellenson featured on Instagram, December 15, 2025

The Rabbis, the Stitch, and the Wardrobe!

Check out those threads! A new project co-founded by Hebrew College Rabbinical School alum Rabbi Rafi Ellenson`25 is gaining popularity on Instagram: Rabbinic Fit Check (@rabbinicfitcheck), "a style diary for the rabbinate and beyond.” The account was profiled recently by Jewish Telegraph Agency, the Jewish wire service, where it was picked up and shared widely across the Jewish press. Rabbi Ellenson and his co-founder, Rabbi Arielle Stein, were also interviewed by Stephanie Butnick for the Jewish lifestyle site Golda.

Check the fits! | Read the story! | Read the interview!

Alumnus Chosen for Amplify Israel Rabbinic Fellowship

Rabbi Daniel Schaefer `18 was chosen for the third cohort of Stephen Wise Free Synagogue's Amplify Israel Rabbinic Fellowship for Reform Rabbis. The selective yearlong professional development program for early-career Reform rabbis provides tools and resources to incorporate Israel and Jewish peoplehood more fully into their practice. Daniel is the rabbi of his childhood synagogue, Congregation Mishkan Israel in Hamden, Connecticut.

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.

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HEIDI URICH ANNUAL LECTURE

Antisemitism, An American Tradition

Sunday, January 18 | 1:30-4 PM | Zoom

Please join Hebrew College and the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Boston (JGSGB) online for a lecture with Pamela Nadell, a leading scholar of antisemitism and the Jewish response over the last four centuries.

Learn more & RSVP

NEW! LECTURE
Dialogue with Freedom Riders: Sharing Stories and Thoughts Relating to the Past and Present

Tuesday, January 20 | 7-9 PM | Hebrew College

Join us for an evening of learning and conversation with freedom riders Lew Zuchman and Luvaghn Brown. Sponsored by Hebrew College's Miller Center, Facing History & Ourselves, and Temple Beth Zion, Brookline, MA.

Learn more & RSVP

TAMID OF HEBREW COLLEGE FREE ONE-HOUR LEARNING
GROW January: “After Me”: The IDF and Israeli Society

Wednesday, January 21 | 12-1 PM | Zoom

Join author and former IDF lone soldier Joel Chasnoff as he explores some of the surprising ways that mandatory military service shapes Israeli society. He is author of the comedic memoir The 188th Crybaby Brigade and co-author of Israel 201, winner of the 2023 National Jewish Book Award.

Learn more & RSVP

A TASTE OF TAMID: HEBREW COLLEGE ADULT LEARNING

Sunday, January 25 | 7-8:30 PM | Zoom

Join us online for a free program to introduce you to Hebrew College’s high-quality adult Jewish learning offerings.

Learn more & RSVP

NEW! POETRY AND MUSIC AS MIDRASH IN MOTION

Monday, February 2 | 7-8:30 PM | Hebrew College

Join us for Part II of our saloon series, featuring guest poet Ben Corvo and Hebrew College students. Co-sponsored by RUACH.

Learn more & RSVP

DIGNITY PROJECT CELEBRATION
"Seeing the Sacred: Envisioning the World We Need”

Sunday, February 8 | 2-4 PM | Hebrew College

Visit the 2025-2026 Dignity Project Fellowship photo exhibit and hear the Fellows reflect and share insight from their interreligious and cross-cultural journey.

Learn more & RSVP

TAMID OF HEBREW COLLEGE FREE ONE-HOUR LEARNING
GROW February: Jewish Teachings for the End of Life

Wednesday, February 11 | 12-1 PM | Zoom

Join Rabbi Allison Berry as she explores biblical, rabbinic, and modern texts that illuminate the transition of death, the relationships that sustain us at the end of life, and the enduring force of memory and love.

Learn more & RSVP

TAMID OF HEBREW COLLEGE

Hiding in Holland: A Resistance Memoir - A Conversation with Dr. Shulamit Reinharz

Thursday, March 19 | 7-8:30 PM | Hebrew College

Join us for a free book talk with Dr. Shulamit Reinharz about her book Hiding in Holland: A Resistance Memoir, penned with her father Max Rothschild. Together, they tell the story of a Jewish man who saved Max's life repeatedly during the Holocaust.

Learn more & RSVP

NEW! ART EXHIBIT

A Journey of Wonder: A Visual Dance with the Hebrew Holiday Calendar

Sunday, March 29 | 5-7 PM | Hebrew College

Join us for the opening of our spring art exhibit with works by artist Deborah Feinstein, chair of the Hebrew College Arts Committee and a trustee of the college. Featuring paintings that celebrate and correspond with the Jewish calendar cycle, inspired by medieval illuminated manuscripts.

Learn more & RSVP

Visit our Giving Page to send tributes, recognize yahrzeits, and support Hebrew College's mission to make our lives more meaningful, our communities more vibrant, and our world more whole. Your gift of any amount will make a real difference.

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