Hebrew College Koleinu: Commencement 2024, Faculty Spotlight, Spring Events & More

April 4, 2024 | 25 Adar II 5784

Koleinu |our voice|

Reimagining Jewish learning and leadership for an interconnected world.

Parashat Shemini | Candlelighting 6:57 PM EST

HEBREW COLLEGE COMMENCEMENT 2024/5784

Honorary Degree Recipients Model Educational Leadership

We are proud to announce three distinguished guests who will join our Commencement in June to receive honorary degrees from Hebrew College. Each of our honorees exemplifies how teaching can form the center of a professional life dedicated to serving others.

An unceasing advocate for gender equity and social justice in Israel and globally, Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy (left), founder and chair of the Dvora Institute for Gender and Sustainability Studies, teaches international law, sustainability, and feminist theories at Hebrew University and Reichman University, and currently chairs the Civil Commission on Oct. 7th Crimes by Hamas against Women and Children. Writer and activist Parker J. Palmer built a professional legacy over decades of service supporting and empowering change agents and compassionate leaders, eventually founding the Center for Courage & Renewal, where he holds a position as Senior Partner Emeritus. Concluding more than three decades on the pulpit of Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum built her community — the first LGBTQ synagogue in Manhattan — into a powerful and resilient spiritual community of resistance and love whose impact is felt throughout the world.

We look forward to welcoming these bold leaders to campus and celebrating their impact alongside our ordination graduates on June 2. Learn more...

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT

Rabbi Dan Judson, Hebrew College Provost

"It is tremendously rewarding to teach at the Hebrew College Rabbinical School. Our students are thoughtful, creative and inquisitive. In my history classes we explore: memoir, poetry, newspapers, essays, sermons, even financial documents, all to give students a holistic and nuanced sense of the past. Our students are really hungry for this kind of history. There is so much simplistic historical thinking right now across the political spectrum and I want our students to be thoughtful in the face of pressure to spout simplistic ideas which conform to one side. I truly believe the future of Jewish leadership has got to be one which really understands and appreciates its history." — Rabbi Dan Judson, PhD

SEVENTY FACES OF TORAH

By Rabbi Jim Morgan `08

I recall a Shabbat lunch with a teacher of mine during rabbinical school: the melancholy that overcame him as I uncovered the kumquat tart I had brought to his home for dessert. When I inquired, he acknowledged that he had been struck with the realization that Shabbat would be over in a few hours, that the sweetness of rest would be replaced by the stress and hustle of a Saturday night flight to a teaching gig on Sunday—the eighth day looming.

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MILLER CENTER FOR INTERRELIGIOUS LEARNING & LEADERSHIP

Rabbi Ellen Bernstein z"l & The Song of Songs:
Toward a Holy Ecology

Sunday, April 18 | 11:30 a.m. ET | Zoom

In February, we lost a matriarch of the Jewish environmental movement, Rabbi Ellen Bernstein, of blessed memory. Please join us as we honor Ellen’s legacy, and reflect on the insightful teachings in her final published work, Toward a Holy Ecology: Reading the Songs of Songs in the Age of Climate Crisis, with a conversation with Rabbi Natan Margalit & Dr. Mary Evelyn Tucker, moderated by Miller Center Director Rabbi Or Rose. Hosted by Hebrew College's Miller Center and co-hosted by ALEPH and B’nai Or of Boston.

IN THE NEWS
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. Read more...

Share your news with us...

Jewish Seminary Leader Retreat: On April 2, Hebrew College President Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld met with U.S. Jewish seminary heads in New York City for their second annual retreat. (Pictured l-r: Dr. Andrew Rehfeld, President, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute; Rabbi Deborah Waxman, Ph.D., President, Reconstructionist Rabbinical College; President Anisfeld; Dr. Shuly Schwartz, Chancellor, Jewish Theological Seminary; and Dr. Jeffrey Herbst, President, American Jewish University.)

Netflix Docudrama features Hebrew College's Rabbi Rachel Adelman: Last week, Netflix’s docudrama, “Testament: The Story of Moses” debuted at the number one spot on the streamer’s most watched list. The production features dramatic reenactments of scenes alongside talking head interviews from a variety of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim denominations. Among these interview subjects is Hebrew College’s own Rabbi Rachel Adelman, who teaches Hebrew Bible in the Rabbinical School, and Dr. Celene Ibrahim, an Islamic scholar and spiritual leader who is a frequent collaborator with Hebrew College's Miller Center for Interreligious Learning and Leadership. Read more...

Join us for

Hebrew College Spring Gala 2024

Honoring Jehuda Reinharz, Rabbi Adina Allen, and David Hoffman

May 9 | 6:30 p.m. | Hebrew College

Reservations & Tributes

Spring Art Exhibit, “Legacy: A Woman of Two Worlds”April 8–June 18 Hebrew College’s spring art exhibition, “Legacy: A Woman of Two Worlds,” featuring works by artist Frances Miller. Opening Event on April 8 | 5 p.m. | Hebrew College Mascott Beit Midrash

Learn more, visit & RSVP to the opening

GROW Adult Learning Series
April: With Strong Hands and Outstretched Arms: The Journey out of EgyptExplore how the image of God's strong hand and outstretched arm simultaneously comforts and challenges us.

Instructor: Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld, Hebrew College PresidentApril 10 | 12-1 p.m. | Zoom

Learn more & register | Dedicate a session

April Soul Sounds Concert

Until Love Pleases: Piyutim of Shir HaShirim and Pesah

Featuring Yoni Battat, Anat Halevy Hochberg, and Rabbi Jessica Kate Meyer,
Join musicians from the new ensemble, Kedma, for a night of piyyutim (liturgical poetry) of Pesah and The Song of Songs.

April 18 | 7-8:30 p.m. | Hebrew College Musicant Cohen Center for Performing Arts
Learn more & purchase tickets

Rabbi Ellen Bernstein z”l & The Song of Songs: Toward a Holy Ecology

Honor Rabbi Ellen Bernstein’s, of blessed memory, legacy, and reflect on the insightful teachings in her final published work, Toward a Holy Ecology: Reading the Songs of Songs in the Age of Climate Crisis.

Sponsored by Hebrew College, Aleph, and B’nai Or of Boston

April 28 | 11:30 a.m-1 p.m. | Zoom
Learn more

Celebration of Adult Learning

Celebrate adult learners who have reached the milestone of attending at least 18 courses by inducting them into our Chai Society, those who have completed 100 hours of learning through Me’ah Classic, and new students. Learn with Rabbi Charlie Schwartz, Founder of Lehrhaus.
May 1 | 7-8:30 p.m. | Hebrew College Musicant Cohen Center for Performing Arts

Learn more & RSVP

May Soul Sounds Concert

Catalan Mahzor Suite

Jerusalem-born guitarist and composer Ira Klein combines his love of traditional Jewish music and contemporary music to create a cutting-edge performance combining music, dance, and visuals, all inspired by the mysterious 13th-century Catalan Mahzor manuscript.

May 5 | 7-8:30 p.m. | Hebrew College Musicant Cohen Center for Performing Arts
Learn more & purchase tickets

Hebrew College Spring Gala 2024

Honoring Jehuda Reinharz, Rabbi Adina Allen, David Hoffman and Esther Award recipient Dr. Rachel Fish.

May 9 | 6:30 p.m. | Hebrew College

Learn more, reservations & tributes

Hebrew College Commencement & Ordination 2024

Celebrate our graduates. Honorary degree recipients: Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy, and Parker J. Palmer.

June 2 | Commencement: 12-1 p.m. | Ordination: 1:30-3:30 p.m. | Hebrew College
Learn more

SUPPORT JEWISH LEARNING & LEADERSHIP IN OUR DIVERSE AND INTERCONNECTED WORLD

Please help open the doors of Jewish learning to students of all backgrounds and ages—and join Hebrew College in making our lives more meaningful, our communities more vibrant, and our world more whole. Your gift of any amount will make a real difference. Make a gift.

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