Hebrew College has always been shaped by faculty, staff, students, and lay leaders who bring their own experience, expertise, and vision to the work of building a vibrant Jewish future. For Nancy Kaplan Belsky, who this summer completed her term as Chair of the Board of Trustees, and Laure Garnick, who is succeeding her, that work has centered on strengthening the College as a community of learning, belonging, and leadership. Building on Nancy’s success, Laure hopes to strengthen Hebrew College’s engagement with the broader Jewish community. 

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Hebrew College is delighted to partner with the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum to present The Book of Esther, a special lecture series offered in conjunction with the museum’s exhibition, The Book of Esther in the Age of Rembrandt. "This is a rare opportunity to see the Book of Esther depicted by the Dutch Masters, who were inspired by her story" says Rabbi Dan Judson, who worked with the museum to present the exhibit. "Rembrandt's relationship with the Jewish community of Amsterdam signified an ethos of cross-cultural exchange and early pluralism that had a profound effect the Enlightenment in Europe." All lectures will be held on Zoom. As a special benefit, registered participants will also receive an exclusive private tour of the exhibition and a conversation with its curator, Dr. Diana Greenwald.

Additional free and discounted in-person opportunities will be available for participants in the Greater Boston area—register to learn more!

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As a new class of students begins the Hebrew College Rabbinical School this fall, two of its newest students are already familiar with the College’s Beit Midrash, faculty, and community. AJ Helman and Alex Bennett are both members of the inaugural Hiddush Fellowship cohort, which convened 35 emerging Jewish leaders for a year of Jewish learning, relationship-building, and exploration, including a Shabbaton on Hebrew College's shared campus last spring. For both, the fellowship offered an opportunity to experience Hebrew College before beginning rabbinical school—and helped affirm that it was the right place for their next step.

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If you or someone you know is interested in the rabbinate, we invite you to join us for Ta Sh'ma (Come & Hear), our fall Rabbinical School open houses, November 16 (in-person) or online (December 6). Learn more and register here.

A passage in the middle of parashat Ki Tavo describes a curious ritual: upon entering the promised land, the Israelites are to set up large stones, coated in plaster. On the stones, they are instructed to write “all the words of this instruction.” A straightforward question emerges: What is the “Instruction” (Torah) of which these verses speak? Could it mean the entire Torah? The 10 Commandments, perhaps on a larger-scale and more public set of stones? Another question bubbles beneath the surface, begging to be investigated. What does it mean for these words to be written “most distinctly” – ba’er heitev (27:8)?

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