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Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion
Rabbinical and Cantorial Classes of 2012
NEW YORK
GRADUATION/ORDINATION ALBUM 2012
Cantor Angela Warnick Buchdahl
‘99,
Rab ‘01,
Senior Cantor, Central
Synagogue, New York,
New York
Ordination Address, May 6, 2012
I imagine that Moses, and Rabbi
Akiva, if they were to time travel to
2012,
would look at Jewish life today
and be mystified at the changes. It
would in some ways be as unrecog-
nizable to Rabbi Akiva, as
his
teachings were to Moses in that
bet
midrash
.
And yet, I think they would
be smiling at the vitality of Jewish
life and the innovations in our time.
Jewish memory was never meant to
be frozen or finished. Jews don’t live
in
history
.
We live in Memory – in
remembrances that are authenti-
cally rooted in tradition, but in each
generation, evoked in new ways. If
we want Judaism to be essential
today and tomorrow, we must
continue to transform it. This is our
task, as rabbis and cantors. And
this is
your
generation to shape –
what impact do you want to make?
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huc.edu/gradord/12/nyord
Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie ‘74,
Past President, Union for Reform Judaism
(1996-2012);
Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters recipient;
New York Graduation Address, May 3, 2012
I believe in the power of leadership. I be-
lieve that a people dies from the top. And I
believe that the role of religious leadership
is fundamental and decisive. In saying this
I do not minimize in any way the part that
volunteer leaders and national institutions
play in Jewish life. After all, I headed such
an institution, relying heavily on the skills
and insights of our dedicated volunteers
who lovingly held me up. Nonetheless, it is
our
klei kodesh
who are central – the rabbis,
cantors, and educators who do the holy
work of serving the Jewish people and sup-
porting them in their religious life; they are
most important of all.
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huc.edu/gradord/12/nygrad
Master of Arts in Religious Education recipients
Service of Ordination at Congregation Emanu-El of the City of New York
