Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion
Graduation/Ordination/Investiture Advisory

*First Class of Rabbis to be Ordained at the Los Angeles School
*Father Mychal Judge, posthumously, and The City of New York Fire Department to receive Roger E. Joseph Prize in New York
*Thomas L. Friedman to receive the Dr. Bernard Heller Prize in Cincinnati

Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion is proud to announce the ordination, investiture, graduate, and honorary degree recipients of the Class of 2002. Founded in 1875, HUC-JIR is the nation's oldest institution of higher Jewish education and the academic, spiritual, and professional development center of Reform Judaism.

The College-Institute will ordain 31 rabbis (12 men, 19 women) in Cincinnati, New York, and, for the first time, in Los Angeles. The College-Institute will invest 9 cantors (1 man, 8 women) in New York.

In addition, 37 rabbinical students will receive the degree of Master of Arts in Hebrew Literature/Letters and 9 students will receive the Master of Sacred Music degree. Eighteen students will receive graduate degrees – 6 Doctor of Philosophy, 4 Doctor of Ministry, 5 Master of Philosophy in Hebraic and Cognate Studies, and 3 Master of Arts. Twelve students will receive the degree of Master of Arts in Jewish Communal Service, and one student will receive a Certificate in Jewish Communal Service. Eight students will receive education degrees – 1 Joint Masters of Arts in Jewish Communal Service and Jewish Education, 3 Master of Arts in Jewish Education, and 4 Master of Arts in Religious Education.

The College-Institute will bestow honorary degrees upon the following recipients:

Los Angeles, Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa:
Rabbi Stanley F. Chyet, Ph.D., Professor of American Jewish History, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Los Angeles, CA
Dr. Paula E. Hyman, Lucy G. Moses Professor of Modern Jewish History, Yale University, New Haven, CT
Aaron Jonathan Lansky, D.L., President, National Yiddish Book Center, Amherst, MA
Raquel H. Newman, Ed.D., President, RHN Associates, San Francisco, CA

New York, Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa:
Dr. Rose Dobrof, Founding Director, Brookdale Center of Gerontology, Brookdale Center on Aging of Hunter College
Rabbi Emanuel Rackman, Ph.D., Chancellor, Bar-Ilan University
Rabbi Ismar Schorsch, Ph.D., Chancellor, Jewish Theological Seminary of America
Stephen Solender, President Emeritus, United Jewish Communities

Cincinnati, Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa:
Dr. Bernard Reisman, Founding Director of the Brandeis Adult Learning Institute, the Hornstein Program in Jewish Communal Service, and the Fisher/Bernstein Institute for Leadership in Jewish Philanthropy at Brandeis University
Dr. Eric Friedland, Sanders Professor Emeritus of Judaic Studies at the University of Dayton, the United Theological Seminary, Antioch College, and Wright State University
Ruth Gay, researcher and author, whose works include The Jews of Germany: A Historical Portrait and Unfinished People: Jewish Immigrants to the United States: 1880-1914.

The 2002 Roger E. Joseph Prize will be awarded to Father Mychal Judge, posthumously, and The City of New York Fire Department at Investiture and Ordination Ceremonies in New York on May 12. Judge, a Franciscan priest and New York Fire Department chaplain, died ministering to New York fire fighters on September 11th. He will be remembered for his courage in carrying out his Manhattan ministry in a manner unprecedented in its breadth and diversity. An active supporter of gay and AIDS organizations, who also worked with recovering addicts and advocated for those in need, he devoted his life to social justice.

The Roger E. Joseph Prize, HUC-JIR's highest award, is an international award presented annually to an individual or organization which, by virtue of religious and moral commitment, has made a distinctive contribution to humanity.

The 2002 Dr. Bernard Heller Prize will be awarded to Thomas L. Friedman at Graduation Ceremonies in Cincinnati on May 30 for his accurate coverage of the cataclysmic events in the Middle East through his three-time (1983, 1988, and 2002) Pulitzer Prize-winning international reporting and commentary as a correspondent for the New York Times and his National Book Award-winning book, From Beirut to Jerusalem. He serves as a model for commitment to Jewish continuity and has dedicated himself to the pursuit of justice.

The Dr. Bernard Heller Prize is an international award presented annually to an individual or organization whose, work, writings, or research reflects the values and commitment to the betterment of humanity.

A breakdown of degree recipients by School location and program follows:

The First Los Angeles Ordination – May 5, 2002
The Los Angeles School will ordain 8 students (3 men, 5 women).

Los Angeles Graduation – May 13, 2002
Rabbinical School
Eight students (4 men, 4 women) will receive the Master of Arts in Hebrew Letters, leading to rabbinical ordination.
The Rhea Hirsch School of Education
One student will receive the Joint Masters of Arts in Jewish Communal Service and Jewish Education. Three students will receive the degree of Master of Arts in Jewish Education.
The Irwin Daniels School of Jewish Communal Service
Twelve students will receive the Master of Arts in Jewish Communal Service, and one student will receive a Certificate in Jewish Communal Service.

New York Graduation – May 9, 2002
Rabbinical School
Seventeen students (10 men, 7 women) will receive the Master of Arts in Hebrew Literature, leading to rabbinical ordination.
School of Sacred Music
The 9 students who will be invested as cantors on May 12 will also receive the Master of Sacred Music degree at Graduation.
Graduate Studies
Four students will receive the Doctor of Ministry degree; one student will receive the Master of Arts in Judaic Studies degree.
New York School of Education
Four students will receive the Master of Arts in Religious Education degree.

New York Investiture and Ordination – May 12, 2002
Rabbinical School
The New York School will ordain 12 rabbis (2 men and 10 women).
School of Sacred Music
The SSM will invest 9 cantors (1 man and 8 women).

Cincinnati Graduation – May 30, 2002
Rabbinical School
Twelve students (7 men, 5 women) will receive the degree of Master of Arts in Hebrew Letters leading to rabbinical ordination.
The School of Graduate Studies
Six students will receive the degree of Ph.D. Five students will receive the degree of Master of Philosophy in Hebraic and Cognate Studies. Two students will receive the degree of Master of Arts.

Cincinnati Ordination – June 1, 2002
Rabbinical School
The Cincinnati School will ordain 11 rabbis (7 men, 4 women).