Rosh Hodesh Shevat | ראש חודש שבט
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A Blessing from Jerusalem for the Month of Shevat
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Dear friends,
I’m writing to you from Jerusalem on this rainy Rosh Hodesh morning.
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I’ve just completed a three-day solidarity trip to Israel with a small group of women leaders from the Boston Jewish community. The itinerary — designed to look at recent events in Israel through the lens of gender — was powerfully conceived by Rabbi Claudia Kreiman, Senior Rabbi of Temple Beth Zion in Brookline, together with two of our shared campus partners, Idit Klein, CEO of Keshet, and Dr. Judith Rosenbaum, CEO of the Jewish Women’s Archive. It was generously supported by Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston, and skillfully executed by a wonderful team from the Fuchsberg Center in Jerusalem, including our own Rabbi Shuki Zehavi, HCRS ‘17. It was an honor and a very special gift to share this journey with such a talented and thoughtful group of professional and lay leaders, including Rabbi Suzanne Offit, HCRS `09, and Hebrew College Trustee, Dr. Susan Shevitz.
Our trip took us to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and the South, to meet with trauma physicians and relief workers, feminist human rights lawyers, women leaders from the Bedouin community, civil society volunteers, pro-democracy organizers, feminist activists (young and old, Muslim and Jewish, religious and secular), and Israeli Jews and Palestinian citizens of Israel working together for shared society, for a political solution, for a vision of a just and peaceful future.
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In the last few days I have found myself placing my closed hand against my chest, like a gentle, low-contact vidui (confession). My fist on the outside, quietly listening to the beat of the fist within. I open my hand on my chest in hopes of causing a reciprocal loosening within; a gentle gesture to remind me that I aspire to openness and ease. I look at my hand in the midst of davening, poteach et yadecha—open up Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. (Psalms 145:16) I behold the open hand before me. This is the hand that plants bulbs in the garden, that wipes the table after dinner, that washes the hair of my children, that turns the page as I study. None of this can happen when it is balled into a fist, it requires an opening up. In order to reach out, to grasp the hand of my neighbor, to embrace those I hold dear, I must open my hand and open my heart again and again.
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Missed last week’s commentary “When the Narrow Place is Refuge” by Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman ‘14? Read it here.
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Nourish Your Body & Soul
Register for Hebrew College Winter/Spring Courses
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Adult Learning at Hebrew College is not one-size-fits-all. We have worked hard to be responsive to this moment and offer a diverse selection of courses, including courses focused on Israel that strive to help us understand the current situation in a historical context. Visit our online course catalog to choose from long courses (10-11 sessions) and short courses (3 or 4 sessions), to courses that range from academically rigorous to light and creative.
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Thank You to Our Generous Donors
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We are so grateful to all the donors who contributed to our year-end Annual Fund campaign. Thanks to you, Hebrew College, which is a garden of hope, is blossoming. Together, we are the gardeners and we are the garden.
Pictured: "Tending Hope" sculpture by artist Nancy Schön in the Hebrew College shared campus courtyard
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In Memoriam:
Norman Finkelstein z"l
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Hebrew College is saddened by the passing of Norman Finkelstein on January 5, 2024. Husband of Rosalind and father of Jeff, Rob, and Risa, Norm was a beloved, admired, and highly respected teacher at Hebrew College's Prozdor for decades and was a beloved member of our community. "Norm had a profound impact on our Hebrew College community. He inspired thousands of students over his decades of teaching at Prozdor," said Dr. Susie Tanchel, Hebrew College Vice President. May his memory be a blessing.
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