April 24, 2025 | 26 Nisan 5785
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Reimagining Jewish learning and leadership for an interconnected world.
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Parashat Shemini | Candlelighting 7:20 PM EST
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HEBREW COLLEGE COMMENCEMENT & ORDINATION
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Honoring Leadership & Celebrating Our Graduates
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On Sunday, May 25, Hebrew College will celebrate our graduates at commencement and ordination ceremonies on our shared campus in Newton. We will also recognize this year’s honorary degree recipients and special awardees for their profound contributions to Jewish life and culture, and the cause of human rights and social justice. (Above l-r) Bishop Mariann Budde, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, and Rabbi David Saperstein, Former Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom and Director Emeritus of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, will receive honorary degrees. Celebrated Israeli author Dr. Maya Arad will receive the Hillson/Bronstein Award for Excellence in the Promotion of Hebrew Language and Literature, and Idit Klein, President & CEO of Keshet, will receive the Benjamin Shevach Award for Excellence in Jewish Educational Leadership.
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(Pictured back row l-r: Beni Summers, Rafi Ellenson, Matthew Schultz, David Kaplinsky, Akiva Nelson, Elisheva Pripas, Aron Wander. Front row: Willemina Davidson, Sarah Pollack, Naomi Gurt Lind, Deborah Anstandig, Simcha Halpert-Hanson.)
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At the ceremonies, Hebrew College will ordain 12 rabbis and confer 12 master's degrees and two graduate certificates. In celebration of their ordination, the Rabbinical Class of 2025 hopes to raise $20,000 in scholarship funds to benefit others’ rabbinical studies at Hebrew College (donate here), writing: "This is our way of ensuring future students can learn in the same nurturing environment that has been pivotal to our growth as emerging Jewish leaders."
Learn more...
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Hasidism and the Land of Israel: An Evening with Rabbi Nehemia Polen
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In the year 1777, a group of Hasidim departed White Russia for the Holy Land, arriving first in Safed and later making their home in the ancient city of Tiberias on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. They sought communion with God and a fraternal community of soul bonding. The leaders — Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk and Rabbi Abraham of Kalisk —were disciples of the Great Maggid of Mezerich, the successor to the Baal Shem Tov. Join us on Thursday, May 15 for a thought-provoking journey through a particular moment in history with one of Hebrew College’s beloved faculty members, Rabbi Nehemia Polen, as he discusses Hasidism’s connection with the Land of Israel and how early leaders developed a heart-centered, ecstatic form of religious practice and mystical theology.
Learn more...
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Rabbi Or Rose Edits Prayer Series for Interfaith America
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“Perseverance in times of trial is the grand test of life, according to the Qur’an, leading to character development and spiritual elevation. This is a theological context for viewing struggles, including collective anti-corruption political resistance, as collective and individual tests.” — Dr. Celene Ibrahim
Rabbi Or Rose, Founding Director of Hebrew College's Miller Center for Interreligious Learning & Leadership, edited a series of prayers and reflections published at Interfaith America (where he serves as a senior consultant). The series, “For a Time Such as This (Esther 4:14): Spiritual Practices to Ground and Center,” is composed by clergy and scholars from a variety of faith traditions, and offers meaningful perspective on how to meet this moment with dignity, integrity, and compassion.
Learn more...
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"This parasha raises important questions about the value of objects, sustainability, and how we care for our possessions — whether in the wilderness, in the Middle Ages, or today. It reminds us that we already have, around and within us, the resources we need to engage with many kinds of risk and uncertainty. Yes, an earthen vessel might become ritually impure. However: we are surrounded by earth, and also made up of it. Perhaps a specific vessel is not salvageable — that’s too bad, but we know from experience that the broader project can likely continue."
Read 70 Faces...
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As Jews, we carry a deep sense of responsibility for the ongoing work of Tikkun Olam, “repairing the world.” But the Hebrew root of tikkun, usually translated “to repair” or “to fix,” can also mean “to braid.” What if we started to think of Tikkun Olam not as “fixing” but as “braiding” the world together? What if the tikkun the world needs is a return to the deep and abiding awareness that we are all interconnected?
At our gala next Thursday, May 1, we remember that we always have the capacity to choose how we care for ourselves and each other, which is why we will honor four award recipients who are braiding together a world of beauty, connection, courage, and hope.
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Hebrew College Signs On to Statement Rejecting False Choice Between Jewish Safety & Democracy
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On April 17, Hebrew College joined as a signatory to a statement from a broad coalition of Jewish organizations to reject the false choice between Jewish safety and democracy. Together, this coalition is raising its voice to “unequivocally condemn the exploitation of our community’s real concerns about antisemitism to undermine democratic norms and rights, including the rule of law, the right of due process, and/or the freedoms of speech, press, and peaceful protest.” The organizations were brought together by the Jewish Council for Public Affairs and together represent a broad swath of the American Jewish community. We are proud to join them.
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Quieting the Mind with Hebrew College's Path LAByrinth
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On Tuesday, April 22, volunteers from across the Hebrew College shared campus community – including Mayyim Hayyim, Jewish Studio Project, RUACH, Hebrew College, and Temple Reyim – came together to help bring Boston-area artist Shirah Rubin's vision to life. The Path: LAByrinth, Rubin's outdoor solo exhibition, is not a maze, but a single path leading to a center, a metaphor for the spiritual journey to quiet the mind and listen to an inner voice. A dozen ceramic “Listening Vessels” form an outer circle around the labyrinth, standing as guardians of the space, some adorned with ceramic buttons referencing the sefirot — the 10 divine attributes in Kabbalistic tradition. These vessels, together with benches in the labyrinth’s center, offer a space to listen to whispers of purpose, compassion, and connection. (Photo by Jonathan Pollep-Saffer) Learn more and plan your visit
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Yom HaShoah Remembrance Service
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Earlier today, the Rabbinical School held a short Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) memorial service in the beit midrash which included a mincha service, moments of silence and song, and a reflection from faculty member Dr. Devora Steinmetz.
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Bonim Beyachad Cohort Siyum
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On Tuesday, April 22, Hebrew College Bonim Beyachad Fellows celebrated their Siyum (closing ceremony). The inaugural cohort includes 20 fellows from across the United States ranging in age from 22 to 78, and brings a wide variety of teaching, professional, and Jewish experiences. "What unites them is a shared commitment," says Bonim Beyachad Director Robin Kahn. "Each fellow works in a supplemental Jewish educational setting and is deeply motivated to grow as an educator and inspire the next generation of Jewish learners."
Bonim Beyachad is a 10-month, cohort-based fellowship to support adults who are new to teaching in part-time and supplemental Jewish educational settings. The fellowship provides in-person and virtual professional development in pedagogy, content, and classroom management for new teachers. We are currently recruiting for Cohort 2. To learn more, attend an information session, visit our website, or contact Robin Kahn at rkahn@hebrewcollege.edu.
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Provost Dan Judson Visits Rabbinical Students in Israel
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Over the past week, Hebrew College Provost Rabbi Dan Judson has been in Jerusalem to meet with Hebrew College's institutional partner Pardes and gap-year partners Young Judaea, and Kivunim. He also spent time with our rabbinical students who are studying there for the year. "I am here to check in on our students who are thriving despite all of the complexities of living in Israel at this moment," he said.
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(Pictured l-r: Aviva Herr-Welber, Julia Sabra, Rabbi Judson, Jaz Twersky, and Julian Cohen.
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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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Soul Sounds Concert: Ezekiel's Wheels
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On Wednesday, May 14, join us for our third Soul Sounds concert with the internationally-acclaimed klezmer band Ezekiel’s Wheels. Their repertoire incorporates original as well as traditional instrumental tunes in Yiddish and English. "Ezekiel’s Wheels is one of the most exciting ensembles in klezmer’s next generation — and clarinetist Nat Seelan is a force for good in the music world, as a composer, clarinetist, producer, and auteur," says Rabbi Jessica Kate Meyer 14, Hebrew College Rosh Tefillah & Artist-in-Residence. "In Di Khassene ("The Wedding"), the musicians will lead us through simha time travel, with hora, song and story. We hear the voices of the klezmorim mixed with the voices of khasn (groom) and kalo (bride), taking us back to their khassanes 50-60-70 years ago."
Learn more & purchase tickets...
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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 | 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
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: Dr. Maya Arad and Idit Klein.
Learn more
SAVE THE DATE
25 Hour Tikkun Zoom Shavuot
Sunday, June 1, 5 PM to Monday, June 2, 6 PM | Zoom
Hebrew College is co-sponsoring Temple Israel of Boston's Tikkun Zoom Shavuot. Learn alongside people from around the world as dozens of teachers, artists, and facilitators lead study, prayer, art making, music and more over 25 hours in the zoomosphere.
Learn more
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