April 10, 2025 | 12 Nisan 5785
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Reimagining Jewish learning and leadership for an interconnected world.
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Chag Pesach Sameach | חג פסח שמח Parashat Tzav | Candlelighting 7:04 PM EST
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By Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld, Hebrew College President
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As we move into this Pesach — uncertain what it means to celebrate our people’s holiday of freedom in this moment — I am returning to this kavana for karpas. I wrote it a few years ago, but it lands differently for me now. (Read the full piece here.) I share it with gratitude for my mother's wisdom and with love for all those who will be gathering around our seder tables this year, trying to dip, not drown — reminding ourselves that "we have been in narrow places, and we have left them behind." With blessings for unexpected sweetness and small openings into big possibilities. Chag sameach.
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| The entire seder is an invitation to taste the tears and hopes of our ancestors.
To hold them close.
To know that we have been here before.
We have been in narrow places and we have left them behind.
We have stumbled suddenly upon wide open places,
possibilities
opening within us,
before us.
Karpas is the first taste.
Take your tears.
Take mine.
Take all the tears.
Go back as far as you can.
Put them in a bowl.
Pass them around the table.
Don’t let them become a bottomless well of grief.
Dip, don’t drown.
A voice beckons:
Mother,
Father,
Lover,
Friend.
Tender, trembling slightly.
Darling,
don’t forget.
Not all hope has to be hard-earned.
Sometimes it just comes
If you let it.
Winter ends.
Blossoms reappear.
Birds return.
Love rises again.
So will you.
(Above: Detail of Anita Rabinoff-Goldman's "Quilt: Parashat Hukkat" from the Hebrew College Passover Companion.)
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Honoring Leadership in Arts and Culture: Denise Sobel
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At our May 1 Gala, Denise Sobel will receive Hebrew College's Betzalel Award honoring leadership in Arts and Culture. Sobel is a dedicated philanthropist and advocate for Judaism and the arts. She has supported exhibitions for Helen Frankenthaler and Camille Pissarro at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, MA, where she serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees, the first woman and the first Jew to hold this position. In her hometown of San Francisco, she has supported an opera about Frida Kahlo and an exhibition about Tamara Lempicka, both openly bisexual. She has also sponsored Esther in the Age of Rembrandt, currently on display at the Jewish Museum in New York, as well as their remarkable exhibition on the Sassoon family. Denise is honored to support Hebrew College and our emphasis on the arts as an integral component of education.
Read more...
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Rabbi Or Rose Publishes Biography of Heschel for Young Readers
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Rabbi Or Rose, founding Director of Hebrew College’s Miller Center for Interreligious Learning & Leadership, has written a beautiful biography of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel for teen and young adult readers, My Legs Were Praying: A Biography of Abraham Joshua Heschel (Monkfish Book Publishing Company), available now for preorder. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel z''l, was not only one of the most profound Jewish thinkers of the 20th century but also a courageous advocate for human dignity. His life’s work reminds us that our religious and ethical commitments must be lived out through our deeds. From his social justice work, to his groundbreaking writings on prayer, the Sabbath, and the prophets, Heschel’s legacy offers timeless lessons for our world today. Through biographical, historical, and intellectual exploration — including many quotations from Heschel’s stirring poetry and prose — and 25 black-and-white photographs, the book surveys his journey from Eastern Europe to the front lines of the American civil rights movement.
Read more...
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In the Jewish calendar, we are at the precipice of freedom, zman cheruteinu — the time of our freedom — as we gear up to retell the story of our people’s release from Egyptian slavery at our Passover tables. Yet freedom in Judaism is different from Western society’s definition. The Torah tells us that Pharaoh must let the Israelites go in order that they can “serve G-d in the wilderness.” (Exodus 7:16) Shortly after the Exodus the Israelites receive the Ten Commandments in the desert, entering into the covenant with G-d. We transition from slavery in Egypt to a posture of service to G-d. I wonder: what might the framework of obligation — of a constrained freedom, a freedom designed to have us look within and outside of ourselves and orient towards all of it with a sense of responsibility — have to teach us about this moment?
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Teen Spring Shabbaton: Tefillah, Storytelling & Community
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On March 28-29, Hebrew College Teen Beit Midrash held its annual shabbaton. On Friday evening, teens joined the seniors at Hebrew SeniorLife in Brookline for Kabbalat Shabbat, dinner, singing and storytelling with the Jewish Heritage Society of New England. Hebrew College Rabbinical School 2008 alumnus Rabbi Jim Morgan led much of the Kabbalat Shabbat service with help from the teens. In the morning the group joined the Washington Square Minyan for tefillah and lunch, followed by an afternoon of study, social time and Seudah Shelishit, taught by Teen Beit Midrash rabbinic intern Risa Dunbar. Shabbat concluded with dinner and havdalah, and a visit to the ice cream parlor!
Teen Beit Midrash invited potential students to join them this week for Passover learning.
Learn more...
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A dedicated, vibrant learning community radiates from the heart of Hebrew College. We live and breathe the conviction that education is the key to Jewish vitality. Our doors are open to all, regardless of financial means. As Passover approaches, please make a gift to help ensure that through accessible education, interfaith cooperation, and leadership, we can continue to bring healing to a world in need of a repair. Chag Pesach Sameach!
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Each semester, Hebrew College faculty members speak and teach regularly at synagogues, conferences, or institutions across Greater Boston, North America, and beyond. Learn more
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On April 6, President Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld was the Shannon Lecture Series speaker at the Nazareth Interfaith Centennial Summit at Nazareth College in, Rochester, NY (pictured with Sr. Raffaella Petrini). Later this month, she will be teaching at Adas Israel Congregation, Washington, DC, for their Makom DC: End of Year Siyyum.
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Hebrew College Vice President Dr. Susie Tanchel will be the Glatzer scholar-in-residence at Temple Emunah in Lexington, MA, where she will speak on "The Vicissitudes of Leadership," "An Ancient Sacrifice with Modern Resonance," and teach about "Unexpected Biblical Heroes/Woman of Valor," and "Creativity and Innovation Biblical Style."
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Tamid of Hebrew College Celebration of Adult Learning
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On Wednesday, April 9, Tamid of Hebrew College learners and faculty gathered to celebrate learning milestones. We inducted learners who took 18 or more classes into the Chai Society, recognized our Me’ah graduates who completed 100 hours of deep Jewish learning, and celebrated our dedicated faculty. During the celebration some of our esteemed faculty receive the book, Shiva: Poems of October 7th, as a token of gratitude for their dedication to creating relevant, engaging and meaningful learning experiences for Tamid students (above left). Thank you to all who attended!
View the course catalog
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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.
Share your news with us...
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TAMID ADULT LEARNING
GROW Session: In Miriam’s Footsteps—Jewish Women’s Leadership and the Pursuit of Justice
Wednesday, April 16 | 12-1 PM | Zoom
Examine Jewish women’s leadership with Judith Rosenbaum, PhD, CEO Jewish Women's Archive, a Hebrew College shared campus partner.
Learn more & RSVP
HEBREW COLLEGE SPRING GALA 2025
Braiding Hope
Thursday, May 1 | 6 PM Cocktail Hour | 7:15 PM Program | Dessert reception
Hebrew College
Join us to celebrate Hebrew College and our award recipients, Rabbi Angela Warnick Buchdahl, Dr. Judith Rosenbaum, Denise Sobel, and the Teplow Family.
Learn more & RSVP
BOOK LAUNCH
My Legs Were Praying: A Biography of Abraham Joshua Heschel by Rabbi Or Rose
Thursday, May 8 | 7-8:30 PM | Hebrew College and Zoom
Celebrate the release of Rabbi Or Rose’s new book.
Learn more & RSVP
TAMID ADULT LEARNING
GROW Session: What is Creativity and Why Does it Matter?
Wednesday, May 14 | 12-1 PM | Zoom
Examine Jewish creativity with Jewish Studio Project Director of Learning Rabbi Adam Lavitt`12.
Learn more & RSVP
SOUL SOUNDS MUSIC SERIES
Di Khassene with Ezekiel's Wheels
Wednesday, May 14 | 6:30 PM wine & cheese reception | 7-8:30 PM concert | Hebrew College
Hebrew College hosts the internationally-acclaimed klezmer band Ezekiel’s Wheels.
Learn more & purchase tickets
LEARNING WITH RABBI NEHEMIA POLEN
Hasidism and the Land of Israel
Thursday, May 15 | 7:30 PM | Hebrew College
Join us for a thought-provoking journey through a particular moment in history with Hebrew College beloved faculty member Rabbi Nehemia Polen.
Learn more & RSVP
ART EXHIBIT OPENING
Walking the Path: LAByrinth
Sunday, May 18 | 10:30 AM-12 PM | Hebrew College Grounds
Join us for a unique new outdoor art installation from artist Shirah Rubin.
Learn more & RSVP
TEEN LEARNING CEREMONY
Hebrew College's Jewish Teen Foundation of Greater Boston (JTFGB) Grant Ceremony
Sunday, May 18 | 5-6:30 PM | Hebrew College
Celebrate JTFGB’s achievements, honor students, and meet the 2025 grant recipients from organizations focusing on education and disaster relief.
Learn more & RSVP
SAVE THE DATE
Commencement & 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: Idit Klein and Dr. Maya Arad.
Learn more
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