• New York Graduation and Ordination took place on Thursday, May 2 and Sunday, May 5, respectively. Arnold M. Eisen, Ph.D., Chancellor, The Jewish Theological Seminary, presented the New York Graduation address. Read Chancellor Eisen's address. Rabbi David M. Posner, Senior Rabbi, Congregation Emanu-El of the City of New York, presented the Ordination address. Read Rabbi Posner's address. Read more about New York Graduation and Ordination.
• Jack H. Skirball Campus/Los Angeles Ordination and Graduation took place on Sunday, May 19 and Monday, May 20, respectively. Rabbi Donald M. Goor, Senior Rabbi, Temple Judea, Tarzana, California, presented the Ordination address and Mark Yudof, LL.B., President, University of California, presented the Graduation address.
• Cincinnati Ordination and Graduation took place on Saturday, June 8 and Sunday, June 9, respectively. Rabbi Jonah Pesner, Senior Vice President of the Union for Reform Judaism, presented the Ordination address and Dr. David Ilan, Director, Nelson Glueck School of Biblical Archaeology, presented the Graduation address.

“The Meeting of Medicine and Spiritual Care” conference brought together professionals from our Blaustein Mezorim Spiritual Counseling Program and doctors and spiritual counselors from the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota on Thursday, May 16 at our Jerusalem campus of HUC-JIR. The conference included participation from colleagues at major institutions including Hadassah Medical Center, Sha’are Zedek Hospital, and ALYN Hospital for Children. Rabbi Naamah Kelman, Dean, HUC-JIR/Jerusalem, stated, “We are very proud of this milestone in our efforts to develop our Mezorim program to the highest international standards and to reaching an ever-increasing number of clients. We would like to thank Dr. Patricia Simmons of the Mayo Clinic for organizing her extraordinary team of physicians and for sponsoring their trip to Israel. We are grateful to Betty and Arthur Roswell for allowing us to grow, reach out, and experiment.”

In a dialogue between Rabbi David Ellenson, President, and Dr. Eugene Borowitz, Sigmund L. Falk Distinguished Professor of Education and Jewish Religious Thought, Rabbi Ellenson writes, “Dr. Borowitz was and is my teacher, as he has been for hundreds of rabbis and thousands of others for more than 50 years. He has shaped how we conceptualize and think about Judaism and its meanings and applications in the modern world. Central to his thought has been the concept of covenant (brit). This interview gave me an opportunity to speak with my rabbi and to ask him to reflect on his lifetime’s work as well as on some issues confronting the Jewish community today.”

HUC-JIR’s Recruitment and Admissions staff will be on the road all summer – in Israel, at conferences, and at camps! If you know someone who has expressed interest in learning more about one of HUC-JIR’s programs, or if you know someone who you think would make a great student, please let us know.

A revolutionary Haggadah for the 21st century, The Bronfman Haggadah is a provocative and stunningly visual reinterpretation of the Passover story. A collaboration between world-renowned philanthropist and Jewish leader Edgar M. Bronfman and acclaimed artist Jan Aronson, it tells of the Exodus, the Jews' dramatic journey from slavery to freedom, in a way that will captivate generations to come. The exhibition is on view through May 30, 2013.

Photographic Visions of the Diaspora, on view through May 31, 2013 at the Jack H. Skirball Campus in Los Angeles, features the work of the late Sy Edelstein, who spent years photographing Jewish shopkeepers from New York to Los Angeles. His work in the 1980s and 1990s captures a once vibrant but rapidly fading world of small businesses that, as Edelstein said, “are a part of our lives, and whose presence we take for granted.” The exhibition is organized by Anne Hromadka, Guest Curator of the Art Collection and Exhibitions.

The Sexuality Spectrum, on view through June 28, 2013 at the HUC-JIR Museum in New York, offers a groundbreaking exploration of sexual orientation through the creativity of over fifty international contemporary artists. This exhibition explores a broad range of subjects, including the evolving social and religious attitudes toward sexuality; issues of alienation, marginalization, and inclusion; the impact on the family, child-rearing, and life stages; violence and persecution; AIDS/HIV; and the influence of the LGBTQI community on the Jewish and larger world.