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June 17, 2021 | 7 Tammuz 5781
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Here in Boston, the world is blossoming all around us.
In this season of renewal, we invite you to linger and take notice of the beautiful flowering of Jewish learning, creativity, and community that is unfolding at Hebrew College:
- Thousands of adult learners engaging in transformative study and personal growth.
- Our teen COVID Youth Commission and Vaccine Ambassadors supporting those hit hardest by the pandemic.
- Our rabbinical and cantorial students serving the Jewish people and the world as spiritual leaders of congregations, chaplains, educators, Hillel professionals, and more.
- Our collaborations throughout Boston, across North America, and in Israel bearing fruit—as we work with partners to infuse Jewish life with substance and spirit.
- Our vision for an innovative shared campus coming to life, with construction beginning this fall on a vibrant hub for Jewish learning and leadership!
Thank you for being our partners in tending to hope and bringing new possibilities to life during this challenging year. Thank you for investing faithfully in our future. Please help sustain our work by making a gift using our secure online form by June 30, 2021. We are so grateful for your support.
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Donor Spotlight: Lisa Gross
Hebrew College Community Education student
"I took my first class at Hebrew College knowing nothing. I wanted to be able to keep up with what my children were learning at a Reform Jewish institution, and I have never looked back. It was a leap of faith. I worried about feeling intimidated by my lack of knowledge and thin Jewish background. The teachers and students I have encountered have been only welcoming to me. Everybody has been warm, kind, and encouraging. I now describe myself as a seeker. Regardless of who I am at any given time, there is no better place to go to learn.
Part of my Judaism has been quietly giving back to the world in whatever ways I can. After COVID started, I thought a great deal about the things that add meaning to my life. Hebrew College is one. Without realizing it, Hebrew College has become a place that I search out, always enjoy and want to see grow and thrive. Therefore, this year, I am giving back to Hebrew College." [Read more]
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Who is Like Me? Parenting Through the Siddur's Lens
Hebrew College’s Parenting Through a Jewish Lens class, “Ancient Jewish Wisdom for Raising Modern Children” with Rabbi Amy Grossblatt Pessah, was a wonderful resource that provided a wealth of ideas and inspiration for parenting my children. Based upon Rabbi Amy’s excellent book, Parenting on a Prayer, the course was a great opportunity to dive deeper into some of the book’s topics with other parents. It also provided the chance to learn personally with Rabbi Amy, whose book I was introduced to at a Hebrew College community program in December 2020 entitled, “Sh’ma: Love and Listen.”
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The Power of Symbols
Parashat Chukat (Numbers 19:1–22:1)
By Rabbi Brian Besser`10, Congregation Beth Shalom in Bloomington, IN
Dedicated to Brian's father, Avraham Gutman ben Hayyim ve-Tzipporah, z"l. May his memory be a blessing.
One of the flash points in the national conversation on racism concerns the power of symbols to foment violence. Monuments to the Confederacy, which may have once fostered facile pride and solidarity, and still do for some, are now generally regarded as invidious. When the South Carolina governor removed the Confederate flag from state grounds, she said: “we are no longer going to allow this banner to divide us.” In tragic confirmation of the divisiveness of such symbols, dispute over a Confederate statue instigated the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, where one counter-protester was murdered and others injured.
How do symbols incite bloodshed? Conversely, can symbols be a force for good?
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Celebrating Our Graduates
Hebrew College celebrated the Class of 2021/5781 on June 6, 2021 ordaining 10 rabbis, 3 cantors, conferring 31 Masters in Jewish Education and Jewish Studies degrees, and awarding honorary degrees to Rabbi Nancy Flam and Melila Hellner-Eshed. (Watch the ceremonies, view photos, and read speeches.)
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Hebrew College's newly ordained rabbis (l-r back): Rav-Hazzan Ken Richmond, Rabbi Amalia Mark (partially hidden), Rabbi Tyler Dratch, Rabbi Max Edwards, Rabbi Rachel Kaplan (l-r from) Rabbi Sam Blumberg, Rabbi Dena Glasgow, Rabbi Justin Held, Rabbi Shoshana Rosenbaum, and Rabbi Jamie Stolper.
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Hebrew College's newly ordained cantors (l-r): Cantor Jana Schachter, Cantor Jessica Woolf Silverberg, and Cantor Marc Stober.
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Hebrew College staff and faculty toast new Master of Jewish Education and Jewish Studies graduates.
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Korey Dropkin (far right), the son of Hebrew College’s Vice President for Finance and Administration Keith Dropkin, led Team Dropkin to victory at the 2021 U.S. Men’s National Curling Championships in Wausau, WI over Memorial Day Weekend. As National Champions, Team Dropkin now qualifies to participate in the U.S. Olympic Trials in Omaha, NE November 13-21, where they will compete for the opportunity to represent their country at the Winter Olympics next February in Beijing, China! Keith has twice been named USA Curling Development Coach of the Year.
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Hebrew College Events All events are EST
Professional Development Information Session
Sponsored by MaTaRoT: Hebrew College's Center for Professional Development Leadership & Learning
June 22 | 10-11 a.m. | Free
Learn more & register
SAVE THE DATE
"Seeing Torah" Art Exhibit Opening
Hebrew College Ted Cutler Atrium
September 12 | 3:30-5 p.m. | Free
Learn more
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Note from the editor
News & Views will be on hiatus for the month of July. We look forward to bringing you news and stories about the 2021-2022 academic year when we return in August.
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