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“
It is a privilege to teach the next
generation of professional leaders
for the Jewish community,” says Rabbi
Samuel K. Joseph, Professor of Jewish
Education and Leadership Development
at HUC-JIR/Cincinnati. “Their passion,
energy, and creativity are pure signs of
hope for a thriving Jewish community in
the future.”
The author of four books and more than
fifty articles in the area of education and
leadership, Rabbi Joseph is past chair of
the Cincinnati faculty, national co-chair
of the HUC-JIR and CCAR Institute for
Rabbinic Mentoring, and co-chair of the
ReformMovement’s Task Force for Goals
of Life-Long Learning. He represents
HUC-JIR on the executive of the Joint
Rabbinical Placement Commission and
the Joint Educators Placement Commis-
sion, on the ReformMovement’s Think
Tank, and on the Commission Granting
the Reform Jewish Educator Title.
“
My work with lay leaders and congre-
gations all over the world – from North
and South America to Australia and
New Zealand to Germany and Holland
to Hong Kong (where I helped found the
Reform congregation) and Asia – feed
directly back to my HUC-JIR students in
the classroom,” he explains. “Innovation
and change, strategic planning, leader-
ship development, board workshops,
team building, and program evaluation
are a few of the key areas in which I
work. I draw upon what congregations
face and help my students begin to re-
flect on these core issues as they pre-
pare for their future roles in dealing with
these same challenges.”
Rabbi Joseph directs the Reform Day
School Externship program, a joint effort
of HUC-JIR, the URJ, and PARDeS. He
also partners with Xavier University in
Cincinnati on their M.Ed. program in
Educational Administration. He was one
of the first HUC-JIR faculty members to
teach a “for credit” online course as part
of the new Executive M.A. Program in
Jewish Education.
Now in his 32nd year with HUC-JIR,
Rabbi Joseph hopes to sustain the
values and commitment of the Eleanor
Sinsheimer Distinguished Professor-
ship’s previous holder, Dr. Paul M.
Steinberg,
z”l
,
who served as a member
of the faculty and Vice President at
HUC-JIR for over five decades.
“
I view my professorship – my rab-
binate – at HUC-JIR as one of service:
service to my students as I try to prepare
them to lead our people; service to HUC-
JIR as I try to help our institution grow
and prosper as the premier center for
Jewish thought and practice; and service
to our ReformMovement world-wide as
I work with leaders and congregations so
they can be most effective as they fulfill
their mission and reach for their vision.”
does not get confined to a notebook or computer file, but
rather is really important in the spiritual lives of our stu-
dents and in the spiritual lives of their congregants.”
Established in 2010, the Dr. Norman J. Cohen Chair for an
Emerging Scholar honors Dr. Cohen, N ‘71, Professor of
Midrash, for his distinguished service as Provost of the Col-
lege-Institute (1995-2009). During his tenure as HUC-JIR’s
chief academic officer, he revitalized the faculty through the
appointment of over 20 emerging scholars, established re-
treats and introduced e-technology to integrate faculty and
teaching across HUC-JIR’s four campuses, advanced cur-
riculum for all programs, intensified professional leadership
development, and instituted student assessment processes.
Rabbi Samuel K. Joseph, C ’76
Eleanor Sinsheimer Distinguished Service
Professorship in Jewish Religious Education
