HUC-JIR Presents Doctor of Divinity, honoris causa, to Karyn D. Kedar
Main ContentRabbi David Ellenson, President of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, awarded Rabbi Karyn D. Kedar with the Doctor of Divinity at Graduation Ceremonies in Cincinnati on Sunday, June 6, 2010 at Isaac M. Wise Temple (8329 Ridge Road, Cincinnati). Rabbi Kedar was honored for 25 years of scholarly distinction as an alumna of HUC-JIR.
Rabbi Kedar is the senior rabbi and spiritual leader of Congregation B’nai Johoshua Beth Elohim in the Chicago area. For over two decades, Rabbi Kedar has been deeply committed to helping people recognize the holy in the ordinary; the spark that will help us connect to the meaning and purpose of our lives.
Rabbi Kedar was ordained in 1985 from HUC-JIR. Her ordination certificate hangs in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, having had the distinction of being the first woman rabbi to serve there. What followed has been a career a lifetime in the making.
Deriving her greatest pleasure from creativity, Rabbi Kedar is widely recognized as an inspiring speaker who guides people in their spiritual and personal growth. She ahs been involved with synagogue transformation and was instrumental in the design and construction of a new building. His endeavor has created a dynamic that encourages innovative ways to gather, study, and pray. She is the distinguished author of God Whispers: Stories of the Soul, Lessons of the Heart and most recently, Bridge to Forgiveness: Stories and Prayers for finding God and Restoring Wholeness. She has contributed to several anthologies, including the liturgical work which appears in the new prayer book for the Reform Movement, Mishkan T’filah and The Torah: A Women’s Commentary.
Her husband Ezra is an educational tour guide in Israel with the goal of imbuing a sense of Jewish history in children and adults. They are the parents of three children: Talia, an artist and poet, lives with her husband Moti in the northern part of Israel, with their daughter Lihi; Shiri, who is an officer in the Israeli Army; and Ilan, who is currently serving in the Israel Defense Forces.
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Founded in 1875, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion is North America's leading institution of higher Jewish education and the academic, spiritual, and professional leadership development center of Reform Judaism. HUC-JIR educates leaders to serve North American and world Jewry as rabbis, cantors, educators, and nonprofit management professionals, and offers graduate programs to scholars and clergy of all faiths. With centers of learning in Cincinnati, Jerusalem, Los Angeles, and New York, HUC-JIR's scholarly resources comprise the renowned Klau Library, The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives, museums, research institutes and centers, and academic publications. In partnership with the Union for Reform Judaism and the Central Conference of American Rabbis, HUC-JIR sustains the Reform Movement's congregations and professional and lay leaders. HUC-JIR's campuses invite the community to cultural and educational programs illuminating Jewish heritage and fostering interfaith and multiethnic understanding. www.huc.edu