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 Rabbi Sheldon Zimmerman Reflects on HUC-JIR Graduation in Los Angeles My wife Judy and I were in Los Angeles for the Ordination and Graduation Ceremonies at HUC-JIR. Our daughter Micol graduated from the Rhea Hirsch School of Education with her MA in Jewish Education and her fiancé Danny Burkeman received his MA in Hebrew Letters on his way to ordination next year. It was wonderful to see and experience the vibrancy of the Los Angeles school and the extraordinary strides it has made. President David Ellenson, his administration and the faculty are accomplishing so much. We have so much of which to be proud. Dean Steven Windmueller continues to guide and lead with a loving hand. The College-Institute's presence in the West has made such a difference. We are blessed. The dreamers of the dream and the bonim were present - among them Dr. Gerald Bubis and Dr. William Cutter - to all of them kol hakavod. I especially take note of Dr. Lewis Barth and Professor Sara Lee's presence. How affirmed they must feel in seeing their dreams fulfilled - ordination in LA, additional faculty appointments, many educators carrying forth Sara's vision, growing projects with USC, advances in interfaith work with the Muslim community, a vibrant school of communal service. Enayim ro-ot kol mah she-aseetem - yafeh aseetem, yafeh halamtem. Rov todot mikerev lev malei! May your dreams continue to bear fruit and grow! Rabbi Sheldon Zimmerman, the 7th President of HUC-JIR (1996-2000), delivered the benediction at Graduation at HUC-JIR/LA. Founded in 1875, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion is the nation's oldest institution of higher Jewish education and the academic, spiritual, and professional leadership development center of Reform Judaism. HUC-JIR educates men and women for service to American and world Jewry as rabbis, cantors, educators, and communal service professionals, and offers graduate and post-graduate programs to scholars of all faiths. With centers of learning in Cincinnati, Jerusalem, Los Angeles, and New York, HUC-JIR's scholarly resources comprise renowned library and museum collections, the American Jewish Archives, biblical archaeology excavations, research institutes and centers, and academic publications. HUC-JIR invites the community to an array of cultural and educational programs which illuminate Jewish history, identity, and contemporary creativity and which foster interfaith and multiethnic understanding. Visit us at www.huc.edu |
