Tributes to Andrea
Rabbi Andrea Weiss and I were longtime colleagues and friends; we were hired the same year; our kids grew up attending the Kallah together, making crafts in advance to sell to students and colleagues to raise money for whatever cause Andrea and her kids had chosen. She was an exemplary colleague, mother, organizer of people, with a tireless work ethic. As Provost, she was a great champion of my work at the College, in fact, of all our work, faculty and students alike.
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– Rabbi Dr. Wendy Zierler, Sigmund Falk Professor, Modern Jewish Literature and Feminist Studies
Andrea was always after the best pedagogy. She loved Bible and scholarship and she wanted to make it accessible. She wanted her students to be able to teach it, so she gave assignments that were practical in their application. I’m told she even taught from her own practical use of scripture — Wendi Geffen, who was Andrea’s student in her first year of teaching– said that Andrea taught the Haftara teaching she gave at my aufruf.
Andrea didn’t want to be center stage. She wanted to work hard and do the best job possible. And public speaking was, at least at the outset of her career, not her favorite thing and she worked on it to gain comfort and get better.
When she was thrust center bimah after Aaron’s tragic death, she took the role of ordaining clergy and teacher at ordination with the seriousness that she took everything — she felt that weight and awe on her shoulders.
When she was editing The Torah a Women’s Commentary, it was a full time job that she did many many nights late — as she did with so much of her work.
–Rabbi Lisa Grant, Eleanor Sinsheimer Distinguished Service Professor Emeriti in Jewish Education
It is rare to have a mentor who genuinely believes in you with no expectations. Andrea gave that gift to so many as a rav and a chaver. She cared about the whole person.
She taught me many faces of Torah—of how to be a careful reader of the text, of how to approach motherhood, of how to be involved in Jewish communal life with integrity, and much more.
She offered her steadfast support for nearly 20 years—opening her home for Shabbat dinner, making time for a walk at convention, suggesting a framing text for a sermon, and connecting colleagues for collaboration.
–Rabbi Carla Fenves
Andrea’s loss is devastating. We all have lost a giant.
As chair of the Board’s Student Life Committee, I saw firsthand Andrea’s deep care and support for our students. Thanks to Andrea, the SLC is a forum where student concerns are identified, heard and addressed.
Andrea attended every SLC meeting as Provost but for the most part, she took a back-seat role during the meetings. Occasionally she would provide an update or insight, but mostly, she let Andrew Goodman and me (later Rachel Gross-Prinz and me), set the agenda and guide the discussions, while she listened quietly and thoughtfully to concerns raised by students on the Committee, and to the questions and reflections of various Governors.
Andrea’s work largely took shape when the meetings ended, after our debriefing sessions. That’s when she engaged her caring heart, keen intellect and deep institutional knowledge, not to move mountains, but to make small institutional changes that had enormous impact on students. In this way, Andrea made sure that all students, regardless of campus, receive the same stipend for clinical pastoral education work. In this way, she set HUC on a path to achieving pay equity so that all students, regardless of campus, are compensated equitably for their pulpit and internship fieldwork. With hindsight, these outcomes may seem obvious, but they were far from easy to see and to achieve. They resulted from Andrea’s willingness to listen, hear and act in support of HUC’s students.
May her memory be a blessing always.
–Marcy Harris, member, Hebrew Union College Board of Governors, Chair Student Life Committee
I have many good memories from all the times that I got to work with Andrea, learn from her, and socialize when she came to my home and I to hers.
But one memory that really stand out is from the week that followed the October 7 attack. I was standing outside the house of my dear friends who lost their son on that terrible day, inside the house my friends were sitting Shiva, Andrea was on the phone with me, checking on me from afar. I broke down and cried my heart out. “You don’t need to explain” she said to me “I am here” she continued to listen to me crying for a while until I calmed down, “I will call you again tomorrow” she said, before we said goodbye. And she did. First every day, and then every shabbat. “Just checking in” she would write. Sometimes it was too hard for me to answer, so I would just send her an emoji heart as a reply, a blue one, when I felt strong, a colorless heart when I felt sad, and a red one when I felt love.
When Andrea got sick, I tried to do what she has taught me. At the beginning I would check on her every Shabbat, “just checking in” I would write, “sending love, how are you?” And she answered with reports on her treatment, on her hopes, her thoughts. These catchups became less or more frequent, depending on where we each were. The last time I wrote to her was on Shabbat. I wrote: “Hi, I am thinking about you and sending my love. You don’t need to respond. Just know that you are in my thoughts and prayers”. She replied with an emoji. It was a heart. It was red.
זכרונה לברכה
–Rabbi Dganit Jenshil, COO, Taube Family Campus, Jerusalem
On behalf of the entire Leo Baeck College community, I am writing to extend our deepest condolences of the untimely death of Rabbi Andrea L. Weiss, Ph.D. BDE. We know what a deep and profound loss Andrea’s death is for the HUC community and beyond. There is so much to mourn when someone dies before their life’s work feels complete, when someone so vibrant and gifted who had so much left to share is taken from us too soon.
May HUC, Andrea’s students and colleagues, her family and friends, and the wider world of Jewish scholars continue to contribute to her enduring legacy.
In sympathy,
–Rabbi Professor Deborah Kahn-Harris, Principal, Leo Baeck College
Rabbi Weiss was one of my most influential teachers and mentors. We shared a passion for the Hebrew Bible, in particular the poetics of its prophecies. Rabbi Weiss modeled careful reflection, patient pedagogy, and applied scholarship, and she showed me how incisive study of the bible can be an integral component of rabbinic study and work. I relished my time working with her as a student, in particular as part of her Worship Working Group, and the opportunity to collaborate with her in the context of alumni leadership and service on HUC’s Board of Governors was very special to me. I always felt both respected and encouraged by Rabbi Weiss; and in particular she pushed me to pursue my dream of writing a book about applied biblical scholarship, a project that I continue to work on. She was one of my most impactful professors and beloved colleagues, and I am devastated at her tragic and sudden loss. Rabbi Weiss was poised and brave as she faced her illness, inspiring me to confront my own mortality with honesty; and I am deeply grateful for the many legacies and lessons she leaves behind. Her memory will most certainly live on as a blessing as I join so many other students, colleagues, and friends in following her sterling example through our own lives and careers.
Zichronah livrachah.
–Rabbi Daniel Kirzane, Hebrew Union College Board of Governors
I did not know Andrea well, only from our board interactions. What I do know is that the moment you met Andrea, you knew she was a woman of tremendous substance – her intellect, wisdom, openness, approachability, warmth and equanimity were always present in every interaction. You always knew you could trust Andrea – she never wavered from her highest ideals. And of course, those qualities bring about the best in the rest of us, all who were fortunate enough to know her.
–Julie Adler Raskind, Hebrew Union College Board of Governors
I have so many memories of Andrea speaking with Andrew and me. She would always make a point of coming over to us. I figured she wanted to discuss something about her work or the curriculum or events at HUC. But, no, she wanted to discuss fitness and her workout routine with Andrew. She tried to figure out what she could do on the train; what she could do at the office; what she could do at home. The conversations were lengthy and intense. She definitely cared about her well-being. Naturally, I just stood there while Andrew and Andrea went on and on about working out. Occasionally, I would comment on my workout routine. They didn’t seem to pay too much attention to what I had to say. Eventually, I accepted that when Andrea would head in our direction, she really wanted to speak with Andrew.
I have lots of memories, but that one really stands out.
Honestly, I’m so sad. Andrea was always incredibly kind to us. I will greatly miss her.
–Cary Davidson, Vice Chair, Hebrew Union College Board of Governors
I’ll just share one story, my first interaction with her- before I’d even met her in person:
In 2015, as a student in Cincinnati, I was taking zoom classes in the NY school of education to get my MARE. I was enrolled in Andrea and Lisa’s “teaching Torah to adults” class. Somehow despite her stature, even across the screen, I found her intimidating.
But one day, before class I found out that I was pregnant with twins. I already had two children under 4 yrs old and I was totally thrown off- how would I complete rabbinical school with 4 kids? How would I be a rabbi? I missed my mom. I think I had Andrea’s class the day I found out or the day after. She somehow sensed my panic across the screen and reached out to me via email.
She wrote to me the story of her own family, she is one of 4 kids, including a set of twins. Her mother did not know the twins were twins until…well, until the 2nd one came out in the delivery room. Andrea’s mother was shocked, of course! But Andrea sent me a picture of her and her siblings, arms around one another smiling, about elementary school age. There was so much love and happiness in that picture. She said that yes, it is hard, AND, look at that picture overflowing with smiles and love. This is what will come.
Beyond the message, just the fact that this incredibly dignified, exacting person could reach out with some warmth and intimacy, I was blown away and so comforted. Ever since I’ve seen this paradoxical mix of nobility and accessibility that Andrea carried. Of course the message stayed with me throughout my pregnancy. Now the twins are ten and our family pictures overflow with smiles and love. And Andrea made me a rabbi.
–Rabbi Rachel Gross-Prinz, Seminary Dean of Students
Andrea and I have matching necklaces. Hers was a gift from a friend who had traveled to Jerusalem this spring. We marveled at how similar it was to one that I wear often that was a gift from grandmother 15 years ago from a trip to Jerusalem. Excited, we did a little research and were amazed to learn that they were made by one Israeli artist who sells his work in one stall in Jerusalem. It’s the most obvious metaphor for our relationship, two like minds waiting to intersect.
We both loved color coding and list-making. I’m pretty sure Andrea hired me because I said I color code my calendar. We both loved good coffee, good cocktails, and good food- we all know how focused she was on having good catering at any level of event. She traveled with an air press coffee maker and once saved my day with a cup of her specially brewed coffee when the hotel coffee in the Berkshires wasn’t potable. We brought each other homemade baked goods, souvenirs from travels abroad, treats from the coffee shop. We texted each other photos of meals, travels, and family. We bonded over our love of fashion and vintage clothing. She gifted me thoughtfully chosen pieces from her sister’s store for my birthday. We both loved reading, though I don’t know how either of us found the time, and passed novels back and forth. We both loved writing and I took it as the highest honor when she asked me to read over something for her, trusted me to write something for her, or complimented something I had written. She definitely groaned a little when I was ordained on the internet (sorry!!) to perform my cousin’s wedding, but then mentored me through the writing process and told me she was proud of the speech and service I had delivered. Out of these commonalities grew a love and special relationship that I can’t neatly categorize. I wish there was a word for the amalgamation of boss, mentor, friend, teacher.
I never studied Bible with Andrea, but I learned so much from her in our time together. There were countless times where I felt her gently guiding me, asking me questions, or just listening while I reached a conclusion on my own. I learned to trust my instincts from her faith in my work. I learned from watching her remain calm, graceful, and articulate during complicated situations. I learned how to take projects that seemed insurmountably complex and break them down into manageable steps, marveling every time at how we actually got them done. I learned about her unique brand of leadership, comprised of presence, class, empathy, professionalism, boundaries, and personal care all at the same time.
I will be forever grateful for Andrea’s support of my career outside HUC. Her trust that I could complete the work for the college while also juggling a full-time acting career meant everything to me. It was more than just a passive trust, however. She was an active participant, asking about auditions, cheering my wins, mourning my close calls, sharing my commercials, and asking everyone in LA to look out for my picture on a bus. I am moved beyond words that when she was diagnosed in the spring, she set the goal of being well enough to see my performance in a one woman show this summer. And it happened. She and Alan drove to North Carolina to see me perform in a piece that reflected our shared values of justice, hope, political activism, and feminism. We had many discussions over the years of how our goals are similar, we just express them in different media. It was a joy to share this aspect of my work with her. Having Andrea and Alan’s support in that moment meant everything to me.
Andrea was a layered person whose great strength lay in her ability to appreciate the layers of the people around her. I will continue to learn from her example, to cherish the time we shared, and to carry on her work of trying to make the world a better place.
–Stephanie Linus, Executive Assistant to Rabbi Andrea Weiss, z”l
Andrea was one of the most remarkable women I had the privilege of working with.
Over the years, we collaborated on many topics, and time after time her professionalism, dedication, and deep humanity stood out in everything she touched. She always saw the person behind the role — genuinely, with rare and heartfelt care.
Throughout the years, I faced several difficult moments — personal, professional, and national. Andrea always knew when to say the right word, when simply to listen, when to offer a hug, and when to stand and fight by my side.
She did so because her heart was truly open. She did so because she genuinely cared.
She accompanied me and my colleagues through so many matters, always with quiet, steady, and impressive leadership — and always with rare humility.
At one event we attended together, we stood off to the side and spoke about the significance of the occasion and the remarkable guests present. She told me she felt a great privilege to be in the same room and to work alongside them. Her words touched me deeply, because I knew I felt exactly the same — about her.
It was a great privilege for me to work with her, to stand by her side, and to learn so much from her about devotion, love, and humility. It is a privilege that Andrea became part of my life, and that I had a place in hers.
I loved Andrea very much. I still love her. I already miss her, and I am deeply saddened by her untimely passing.
May her memory be a blessing.
–Einav Lahav, CFO, Taube Family Campus, Jerusalem
Andrea was the model of patience, leadership and transparent about what she did to keep this up (notes above her computer, count to ten, for example). There have been challenging moments as director of the YII when I have said to myself: what would Andrea do?
Andrea was so good at empowering the people on her team. There was never a decision, even difficult ones, when she didn’t ask what do you think, what do you want to do. She was a strong leader with incredible amount of wisdom – so there were also many times when I appreciated her taking the lead.
At her core she was a rabbi and teacher. It was such a blessing to see her lead services – her kavannot were brilliantly crafted, her service leading was so welcoming. Her teaching of texts, especially Psalms, was exquisite. She inspired me to begin a personal study of Psalms, which has been going on for two years. On Tuesday I taught a Psalms class to the YII in her memory.
–Reuven Greenvald, Director, Year-in-Israel Program
I speak this morning not only as one of the Alumni Ambassadors, but as a student of Rabbi Dr. Andrea Weiss. As we continue to honor her this morning and at this conference, I have been asked to share a few memories.
Andrea Weiss was an incredible teacher. Her passion was infectious. She taught us to love merism, chiasm, and inclusio almost as much as she did. She instilled in her students, not just an overwhelming desire to highlight a biblical text in multiple colors, but to understand and admire the poetry and metaphor it contained.
But even more than that, Andrea modeled for us all how we might balance erudite scholarship with deep and abiding humanity. This week, I was going back through my messages with her in the years since ordination. And every time I would reach out to her, she would never fail to reply with an answer, but also to ask me about my children and demand pictures. She would never miss an opportunity to tell me proudly and joyfully where her children, Rebecca and Ilan, were and what they had recently succeeded at or accomplished. And through her, I learned that the measure of a rabbi’s Torah can be taken through the depth of their kindness and humanity.
I want to share a piece of Torah she taught me because I think about often, especially in the last few weeks. In the chapel on the New York campus, there were blue commentaries and green commentaries. A few of us students noticed that when we would call out the page numbers, we would refer to the Blue as the “Plaut” and the Green as the “Women’s Commentary.” We were bothered by the injustice of the fact that Gunther Plaut was remembered by name, and our beloved teacher was not named at all. Was this not the exact kind of gender imbalance that this commentary had set out to address? And so, it came to be our practice that we would call out pages in the Plaut and to the Eskenazi/Weiss commentaries.
Until, one day, after a month or two of this, in a class after shacharit, Dr. Weiss said, “I don’t know where this started, but nobody asked me.” She explained that she and Dr. Eskenazi had put a great deal of thought into what to call their commentary, and had proudly chosen The Torah: A Women’s Commentary to highlight all the voices of women that they were raising up in the book. She preferred we call the book by the name she had chosen.
I often come back to this moment. Not only because it reminds me of Andrea’s humility – of the quiet wisdom that motivated her scholarship, but also because she taught us a valuable lesson: that if we are going to speak out against in justice and on behalf of silenced voices, we should start by talking to those people. This is how every class was with Andrea – overflowing with Torah’s wisdom, not just from the page, but from the way she lived her life.
This past week, I shared a teaching with my congregants on Vakehel-Pikkudei from Rabbi Kalonymos Kalman Shapira, the Chief Rabbi of the Warsaw Ghetto. It’s from a sermon he gave in March of 1940, from his book Esh Kodesh, Holy Fire.
In it, he says that the living are luckier than the dead because the living can still act in the world, and it is our actions- particularly our mitzvot- that are the lens through which we can see God. The dead can no longer act, and therefore, can no longer be drawn close to God in that way.
But Rabbi Shapira says that when we do a mitzvah in the name of someone who has died, when we teach or learn or bring justice in this world, we are not only remembering them, we are binding their soul to ours; and when we do that, it is as if they too, are performing the mitzvah, and then we together draw closer to God through that mitzvah.
I miss my teacher. I miss that I will not be able to text her with a question about the appropriate psalm for a moment, And I miss that I will no longer get her replies with answers and questions about my kids. But I find some comfort in knowing that every time we teach in her name, and every time anyone teaches or learns from the Torah a Women’s Commentary, her great gift to the world, that her mitzvot will echo in ours. And in that way, all of us will be drawn closer to divinity.
May Andrea Weiss’s memory be for a blessing.
–Rabbi Joshua Fixler, Delivered to the CCAR Convention, March 18, 2026
At my initial meeting with Andrea when I came on as dean (meeting individually with all faculty and staff, and two years before she was tapped as next provost), Andrea spent a good bit of time sharing her frustration that she was not advancing as fast as she should in faculty steps because she was not given credit for The Torah: A Women’s Commentary for academic advancement. It was not peer-reviewed, so it didn’t count. To me, this emblemizes her dedication to applied scholarship, and to the integration of the intellectual with action in the world. She dedicated years to that project because she believed in the value of its impact – a value, I would say, which has been borne out. The tributes to her as a meaningful teacher and public scholar show her impact extends well beyond anything she could have achieved by publishing one more book on Biblical artistry instead. And it exemplified her aspirations for the clergy formation of her students – head and heart, impact on the world.
Andrea was a champion of things like spiritual direction, IJS involvement, etc, even though that wasn’t her particular interest. She was not a meditator or participant in retreats. But she could extend beyond her own experience to be curious and supportive of opportunities identified by others.
I am sure everyone else supervised by Andrea felt as supported as I did. She was always available to reflect on a tricky situation, got behind our initiative in projects and goals, stood behind us, was ready to stand in front and take a hit for the team when necessary, helped us protect our boundaries and personal and family lives, and delighted in our successes.
I was touched and honored that Andrea would, from time to time, come to me to confide her personal challenges in fulfilling her incredibly challenging job. She was willing to step across strict roles to be friends/colleagues/rabbis together, in a way that did not unfairly overwhelm but rather developed mutually supportive intimacy.
–Rabbi David Adelson, former Dean of Hebrew Union College, New York
We read some people as poetry. I read Andrea as prose – but never as prosaic.
She was a classically hard worker. I once responded to an email of hers, composed characteristically at some ungodly hour: “Sorry I didn’t get to your email last night; I’m a morning person.” Andrea responded, without self-congratulation or even really thinking: “I’m both.” But in these contexts, frequently on zoom, I marveled less at her prodigious energy than at her capacity for humor – exhaustion be damned. She often leavened her chuckling laughter with an unapologetic eyeroll, deployed good-naturedly and in equal-opportunity fashion at herself, me, or life in general.
As literal prose goes, she wrote with wonderful clarity and precision. But more importantly, she wrote with purpose and discernment, spilling ink on things that mattered and that still endure, such as The Torah: A Women’s Commentary orAmerican Values, Religious Voices, among others. And when, as her work required, she also had to write more pedestrian material, such as reports or curricula, she elevated it with her wisdom and her characteristic delight in imagery and grammatical accuracy.
In contrast to poetry’s obliqueness, the prose of Andrea’s character was direct. And if I were to name the single, essential direct throughline between her inner character and her way of being in the world, I would cite her care for, and sense of obligation to, the people around her. For all the struggles of a difficult job, Andrea did not leave that focus to the imagination, but rather she sought to keep it explicitly at the center of everything she did.
–Josh Holo, former Vice President and Dean of Hebrew Union College, Los Angeles
I am sad beyond words at Andrea’s passing. She fought a good battle and she will be missed.
Even though Andrea and I only worked together a short time, I knew from the start that she was an exceptional human being, welcoming me immediately into the HUC fold, and I count her among my friends.
Here are a few quick thoughts that come to mind when I think of Andrea –
- First and foremost, I think about her passion – for her work, for her students, for her colleagues, for her friends and for her family. While I only met Alan a handful of times, their love for each other was immediately evident. And while I only heard about her children, her love for them and her pride in all they did were palpable in every story she shared, and there were many.
- I remember the dinner Jon and I shared with Andrea and Alan in Tel Aviv. It was our first trip to Israel and they, of course, had been there many times. They picked the restaurant, and it was an easy, relaxed dinner, like we were old friends, despite being in a foreign country, the newness of our relationship and the context of a business trip.
- Watching Andrea at Ordination was a treat. The care and special attention she gave to each ordinee was so thoughtful. I can’t imagine anyone else caring as much as she did.
- Andrea and I were late night buddies, often trading emails and/or texts into the wee hours of the night (or morning). We often chided each other that we both needed to work less, find more balance in our lives, and be less of a perfectionist. But it was not in her DNA to do that.
- As we grappled with challenges at HUC, I loved her stories and analogies. In particular the one about the tree in her yard that had to be cut down in order to grow and flourish (or something like that). And I think there was one about the bear that couldn’t go over or under, but had to go through. There were many, and they always hit the mark.
- Despite our different roles at the College, which could easily have put us at odds with each other, we worked together as partners, her instinctual collaborative nature always shining through.
- Mostly I just remember what a special person she was. I am a better person for having known her and HUC is a better place for having benefited from her passion and wisdom. I will miss her, as I know we all will.
–Amy Golberg, former CFO, Hebrew Union College
Andrea seemed to be at her “happy place” at our HUC Kallot at the beginning of each academic year. These were during the years that Andrea was a member of the faculty without any administrative responsibilities. She would always bring Ilan and Rebecca with her to these retreats, the only faculty children present, and she would help them set up a little booth, where they sold crafts that they had each made throughout the year in preparation for the kallah. We all gathered at the crafts table, and happily purchased their wares. (I still have a pair of tye-dyed socks made by those 2 cuties!) The money they collected was then contributed to some worthy charity, as I remember it. Andrea was understandably so proud of them. She often stood by their table with them … so at ease just being herself in front of her colleagues and students – a loving, supportive, engaged Mom!
Another kallah memory – there was some kind of competition between the 4 classes during the kallah, and the faculty made up one of the groups also in the competition. At one point it came down to who could hold the yoga pose “plank” the longest! You should have seen this diminutive woman’s strength. She was absolutely awesome …and, of course, “we” won!
Andrea was passionate about worship, and she recognized that I, too, shared that passion. She asked me to be a thought partner with her to help create and lead a cross-campus faculty focus group whose mission would be to think together about how to most effectively teach worship leadership. We selected 2 faculty members from each campus, all of whom were in some way involved with worship on their campus. It was an honor to work together in that way.
It was Andrea, in partnership with Benjie and myself, who led the Worship Working Group on the NY campus, something I have always been most proud of. Benjie and I had been hard at working advising all the tfillah worship leaders on campus …a huge job. But it was Andrea, who thought to create a group where faculty and students interested in creating worship would meet together throughout the year, to think creatively and critically about the worship on campus. Her imprimatur was important and truly helped to put a spotlight on this crucial skill for future clergy.
–Merri Arian
This is a profound loss for all of us personally and for the College as an institution.
What distinguished Andrea was her visionary, yet clear programmatic thinking; her deep concern for our students and their formation (as well as for our younger faculty colleagues); her thoughtfulness about how academic learning should inform all aspects of rabbinic work (applied learning), and her own manifest spirituality/religiosity. She was a caring colleague who could be both hard-nosed and empathetic in equal measure, a consummate professional with soul.
In shared grief,
–Rabbi Rick Sarason, Director, Pines School of Graduate Studies
Andrea’s role at the college was, in my experience, inseparable from who Andrea was as a human being. She did not compartmentalize between the different parts of her life. She walked through the world as a whole human being, inviting those of us in her orbit to be a part of all those worlds and she cared about and worked with us as whole human beings.
So, when you ask about her role at the college, the images that come to mind are both personal and professional… of sitting in her office or in a conference room in New York AND watching her quietly let the dog into (or out of) the room at her home office. Sometimes she was at the dining room table so she could run and put the challah in the oven. All while thinking and talking about how to best bring her vision for the college and all things Jewish to life. She created permeable (always appropriate) boundaries that, in my estimation, allowed us always to consider the humanity of our students and faculty as we planned. They were not just students or teachers – they each inhabited whole worlds which she wanted them to bring to their learning and their professional lives.
Andrea’s capacity for inquiry/questioning was unparalleled. Like a true scholar of bible, she found her answers through more questions. Ideas floated by others were met with deep curiosity, excitement and wanting to know more, understand more deeply what was behind and inside your thinking.
We became close colleagues during a particularly challenging time in my life. We always began our many, many meetings with personal check-ins, advice (often simultaneously whimsical and dead serious). She brought light (and a huge box of goodies on my doorstep) during a dark time.
I found her scholarship particularly accessible, mirroring her accessibility as a person. She had a broad reach often bringing literary works, art and images from outside the Jewish world, fusing the two worlds. This is so in line with her capacity to weave worlds together and walk through them as a whole human being.
I loved being in her presence, long walks, many meals together, incessant imagining of worlds in potential, noticing the little things and the massive, important things usually simultaneously.
–Lesley Litman
Andrea brought boldness, clarity and exquisite intentionality to every step, as she did in all her work with our faculty and students. Each of these major changes flew because she was so ever-attentive to the needs of our students and community, and willing to do the hard work of addressing these needs in ways that challenged us meaningfully, lifted us up, and always made us better. Critically, for all of us, her intelligence, roundedness in Jewish knowledge and values, ethical sensibility, and care for others engendered our deep trust in her and her work as an agent of change.
Andrea brought a profound pastoral presence rooted in her genuine love and care for people. I benefited from this personally in many ways throughout our years of friendship, perhaps most especially during my partner Alexis’s 10-month battle with cancer, which overlapped with my applying for and then taking on the Zschool directorship, when Andrea reached out regularly with invaluable sensitivity, support, and comfort, which she did lovingly after Alexis’s death.
I am broken-hearted.
Hamakom yinachem,
–Rabbi Shirley Idelson, Director of the Zelikow School of Nonprofit Management
Andrea’s passing is both a personal loss and a communal one for all of us.
Since receiving the news, a verse from Psalm 36 has been echoing within me: “In Your light we see light.” Andrea brought exactly that kind of light—clarifying, generous, and open. It was felt in every meeting, every conversation, every ceremony, and in every text she touched.
My relationship with her was marked by a rare braid of lucid wisdom, genuine listening, and the gentleness of a leader who guides without overshadowing. As a teacher, she did not wield authority; she invited thought. As a scholar, she sought precision and intellectual integrity without a trace of arrogance. And as a leader, she embodied a principled tenderness that created space around her—safe, and at the same time, challenging.
Her visits to the Jerusalem campus were a steady source of support and strength. She came even in difficult times, in war.
About four weeks after October 7, she came to Israel at a moment when there was only darkness around us. To this day, I am astonished by her decision to come and to be with us during the hardest moment we have known. In her ordination address she said: “Woe to us, in these sorrowful days when multitudes are called and multitudes stand up, and in these inspiring days, multitudes declare: ‘Here I am; send me’ (Isaiah 6).” She herself did not only quote the verse; she carried that calling within her. In the midst of war, she ordained three courageous women rabbis in Israel, with bravery and devotion.
And each time she came, she carried a keen eye and a feeling heart. She could sense the spirit that rested in a place—the unspoken needs, the tension, and the hope. In her gentle guidance there was something wondrous: the capacity to make room, to empower, to direct without dictating. I always felt she was building the next steps with us—not in our place, but at our side.
Even this past year, despite every difficulty, she insisted on continuing to teach, to accompany students and faculty, and to hold the light that flowed from within her. That persistence was not stubbornness but fidelity— to the life of the mind, to people, and to the calling she bore with such dignity.
On the most personal level, I always felt she saw me. Not only the role, but the person behind it. Brief hallway conversations quickly became spaces of thinking and encouragement, and so often, a small smile that eased the breath.
Her death is a heavy loss for HUC and for the Reform movement as a whole, and it is also an intimate loss for those who learned from her to read ancient words as if they were new, and to see in learning itself an act of love. May the light she gave us continue to guide our way.
“In Your light we see light.”
With deep sorrow,
–Rabbi Talia Avon-Benveniste, Director, Israel Rabbinical Program
Andrea was my senior sermon advisee, oh so many moons ago. Last night I selected verses from Proverbs that made me think of Andrea. (Attached) I printed them, mounted them individually on colored paper, and pasted them to the backs of several postcards. This morning, I sent the batch to Andrea via Fed Ex along with a note. Alas, the package won’t arrive until tomorrow. Among all of Andrea’s accomplishments that you listed, Andrew, Andrea’s commitment, as Provost, to the Cantorial School and to raising the compensation for part-time faculty were particularly meaningful to me and to many SSM colleagues.
It’s hard to believe that we’ve lost Aaron Panken, David Ellenson, Israel Goldstein, Bob Abelson, Martin Cohen and now Andrea all in what seems like the blink of an eye. Profound losses all. May you be surrounded by love as you mourn – and always. And may you be healthy (!) and may leading our community be life-giving for you.
–Rabbi Margaret Moers Wenig
Andrea Weiss was the assistant editor for The Torah: A Women’s Commentary and was largely responsible for it happening and happening in a timely fashion! I will always be grateful to her for that herculean feat (with Tamara Eskenazi-Cohn, Hara Person and the Women of Reform Judaism), AND for ALWAYS, always, always acknowledging my role in conceiving the idea and in “charging” the WRJ for undertaking the project. It turned out to be a remarkable collaboration of women — conceiving, undertaking and then realizing the vision I first articulated to the national body in 1993!
Andrea died on Purim. I would like to think that Vashti and Esther are welcoming her to the hereafter with profound gratitude and awe-filled praises for advancing their story, and the story of all Jewish women.
–Cantor Sarah Sager, Member, Hebrew Union College Board of Governors
The loss of our beloved teacher and mentor, Rabbi Andrea Weiss, is a profound shock that will reverberate throughout the Jewish world and deeply touch anyone who benefitted from her wisdom and vision. Her writing and teaching were imbued with profound knowledge, keen wisdom, and the values of a liberal society: justice, fairness, equality. For us, the Virtual Pathway students, Rabbi Weiss is also the person who dreamed our dream into reality. She dreamed of a new rabbinate, infused with experience, maturity, and well-trod life journeys, of people whose passion for learning Torah and serving the Jewish people would overcome obstacles and move mountains, of an infusion of fresh perspectives and fields of knowledge into the rabbinate. And with the help of an intrepid, creative, dedicated, and hardworking faculty members at HUC, her dream came true.
For me, at the crossroads not only of a vocational journey but of an ideology and a set of values, each conversation with Rabbi Weiss was like gazing into a pool of living water: clarifying, refreshing, enlightening. Her wise advice on politics, parenting, diplomacy, prayer, career, and scholarship was golden. Her careful attention to every letter of our holy scripture inspired me to see even the smallest detail with new eyes. I feel wretched and will miss her terribly.
Min Ha-shamayim nenuham,
–Hadar Aviram, Virtual Pathway Student
We are her vision. There are 23 of us who carry dreams of becoming rabbis- and until recently, we didn’t even know this path was possible. It exists because of her courage, her leadership, and her insistence that second career adults belonged at HUC.
My class and I want so much to make her proud- and for her to know how deeply we love her and how grateful we are.
–Sheri Sinaga, Virtual Pathway Student
The first time I ever spoke to Andrea was the day that Aaron died, the Saturday afternoon when she called me with the news. She was the incoming provost, and hadn’t yet made the transition to the position.
Little did I know how intertwined our lives would be in that coming difficult year. Andrea’s wisdom, warmth, persistence, and her genuine care for the well-being for her partners made a world of difference to Liz, to me, and to our CFO Barbara Telek. We would not have made it through that year without her. She was everything Aaron dreamed she would be as provost. She got shit done. I don’t know who else would have kept working and working and working to align the campus schedules. And it was magical to watch her on the bima ordaining students.
My favorite memory of Andrea is on Zoom during Covid. sitting on her porch in Bala Cynwyd. Happy to be able to be home with her family and still be able to carry on the work of the College.
Andrea was not a tall person, but in her presence and her strength, her drive, her intellect, her goodness, she was a giant.
–Lissie Derringer, Virtual Pathway Student
This is not only an untimely loss for the College, but for everyone who had the privilege of working with her.
–Sue Hochberg, Former Chair, Hebrew Union College Board of Governors
I originally knew Andrea from being on the Board, but when I became chair of the Academic and Faculty Committee ,I really got to know her. I don’t know if I have ever met anyone who worked harder. She would be sending me emails at all times of the day and night. I often asked her when she slept because based upon the times of the emails, I couldn’t figure it out. In our phone calls we would often spend time talking about family. She was so proud of her kids and of course Alan. Since I am a lawyer, she’d tell me about Alan’s cases and I would tell her about some of mine. She was so proud of Alan’s accomplishment with his client who was wrongfully imprisoned and who he was able to free. I really enjoyed the lunches we shared together talking about the various AFC issues. I felt a special bond and connection with Andrea as I’m sure many people did.
Her death is so wrong and tragic.
–Steve Pruzzan, Member, Hebrew Union College Board of Governors
After any conversation with her or hearing her speak publicly, I always left smarter than I was before. She was a jewel and we are all bereft.
— Bob Heller, Hebrew Union College Board of Governors (emeritus)
Andrea was extraordinary… We developed such a wonderful relationship via the board that I asked her to be one of my advisors for my DHL. I was really looking forward to working with her one on one in bible study and am deeply sad that we won’t get to do that.
We both loved the beach and one day a few summers ago Alan and Andrea met me at the beach for the day. We all had a great time playing hooky from work!
Andrea was pure heart. I will miss her tremendously and carry what she taught me wherever I go.
–Rabbi Peter Berg, Hebrew Union College Board of Governors
Andrea was an intellectual and spirit giant in a petite human package.
Andrea and I bonded over our love of metaphors, especially Biblical metaphors, to help us see and explain the bigger picture and the deeper meaning in various situations.
We enjoyed being each other’s mutual sounding boards.
She was a model of leading tirelessly and with zero ego.
We all used to call her the Energizer Bunny. We couldn’t figure out how she put in such long days and attended to so many matters.
I would go to some of her emails to the community from over the years for models of how to hold the community in a time of pain and mourning such as this. She navigated us through crisis after crisis, and always did it with integrity and authenticity, spiritually grounding Biblical references, and an understanding of her audience. We all need Andrea now, because she was there for us in times like these. Now we are the ones who have to be “soft and strong” on her behalf. Turning to Andrea’s own words at this time could be a blessing, indeed making her legacy and memory a blessing.
In one of our text exchanges over the last year, she sent the attached image for my daughter Zoe, which she said was her favorite graphic from the Values and Voices project. It’s a picture of a little girl who is a superhero. That sums it up – but I would also add every Biblical matriarch, Devorah the Judge, Beruriah the scholar, Golda Meir.
Some of you know my daughter Zoe, who was 11 when this all began. When Andrea was first diagnosed, Zoe decided to make her “Tehillim-memes” on Canva to give her chizuk for refuah. I would help Zoe pick the quotes and she would make the art on Canva all on her own and then I’d text them to Andrea before shabbat (Andrea spent a good amount of time in our home over the years and watched Zoe grow up, often comparing her to when Rebecca was a kid on the NY campus).
As you know, Andrea had a special relationship with the Book of Tehillim. When Zoe sent her first meme, Andrea sent me the quotes from her own notebook that were sustaining her.
May God comfort all of us among the Mourners of Zion.
–Miriam Heller Stern, CEO, Builders of Jewish Education and former Director of Hebrew Union College’s School of Education
When Aaron died, we were all reeling. Andrea arrived with her characteristic energy and no-nonsense clarity – not yet an administrator, but someone who instinctively knew how to cut through bureaucratic noise and simply get things done. Aaron could not have left us in better hands.
Andrea and I had met and spoken a few times before that, but we didn’t really know each other. That changed quickly. We worked together on the presidential search committee, where our members looked to Andrea for every kind of leadership — spiritual, intellectual, and practical. They found it in this petite person who possessed a gigantic brain, an enormous heart, and an expansive spirit.
Andrea was humble and deeply empathetic. She loved the college and worked tirelessly to make it the best version of itself. Through the tumultuous years as provost, she remained unwavering in her commitment that we should emerge stronger than before. I’m not sure she slept more than four hours a night during that period. To be her colleague was a unique experience. You were bound to feel somewhat lazy – compared to her boundless work ethic and stamina – and simultaneously incredibly supported, thanks to her constant cheerleading. I learned so much from her, about leadership, about steadiness, about courage.
For a period of time, I was lucky enough to share an office with Andrea. We shared accomplishments and frustrations. Pictures of our dogs. Book recommendations. Her homemade granola. We shared our pride in our families — the joy we felt in our spouses and children. She loved being a mom and, being a few years ahead of me, she offered wise advice (and generous hand-me-downs).
Once, she surprised me with a new work backpack because she decided the one I carried was not befitting of someone in my role. I still use it. She even shopped for me at her sister’s boutique in California because she was sure I would love the clothes. Our text thread includes photos of her trying things on “for me.” The other texts are her cheering me on or congratulating me on some micro-accomplishment. That was Andrea. Not just a brilliant bible scholar who could get things done, but a fiercely thoughtful friend.
She had no poker face and a gorgeous, goofy grin. We laughed so much. We cried a lot. We often laughed until we cried. She loved to laugh, and she had the great ability to laugh at herself.
Andrea was a rare leader and colleague. She was steady, incisive, and deeply human. I will miss her wisdom, her candor, her humor, and her friendship more than I can say.
–Liz Squadron
Andrea and I developed a bond over sadness and transition. When Aaron, z”l, appointed her as provost, we spoke about doing this work without David Ellenson at the helm. She was interested in the historical moments of the Reform Movement and I wanted to support her in her new role. We spent hours talking and, often, joking about the challenges facing the college and the Movement as a whole.
At her core, Andrea was a believer in liberal Judaism. She cared about synagogues and communities. She was not concerned only with students and studies. She thought about where those students would someday serve and how the academics would impact and strengthen communities. I found this unique and wonderful.
With Aaron’s sudden death, she was propelled into the day-to-day leadership of HUC. That sad day, we spoke several times. History was our teacher and guide for the next few weeks.
In the months that followed and during your inauguration planning, we again spoke about the future and the good the College could do. Sometimes, in private moments, she would come into my office and talk about her work beyond the classroom. At times, she was concerned she was not up to her role. She wondered aloud about what to do next. Throughout, she exhibited a strength I think she didn’t know she had and a wisdom she was never trained to use. She was amazing.
Periodically, we texted this past year. I just wanted her to know that I was thinking of her. Sher always took time to comfort and support me. She really was amazing.
–Elliot Kleinman
For the sake of time and brevity I’ll mention only one remembrance, with appreciation for the opportunity to share it with you. Shortly after my appointment as DFSSM Director, Andrea and I were involved in leading Kabbalat Shabbat on the beach for an HUC gathering in the Hamptons. The preparations had been characteristically mindful and meticulous. What has stayed with me from that evening and throughout the years is how, in her words and their utterance, she was able to distill into a compact and eloquent form the most profound concepts. She did so with consummate poetry of language and tone, ingeniously weaving textual insight into contemporary liturgical relevance. She stood small in stature, amidst the sea breeze and flowing waves, resilient to the core and expansive in impact, holding the community with a respectfully informal formality, and evoking among us a true experience of Divine presence. Andrea valued the interpretation of tradition and modernity through t’fillah as an essential priority of spiritual practice, and she was our inspiration and guide in centering its cultivation at the heart of our identity as a seminary.
–Cantor Richard Cohn
Two qualities that Andrea possessed that made her so incredibly special were her ability to listen intently and then act on what she heard, and her humility. Years ago, we sat in Jerusalem for three hours discussing the changes to the year in Israel that needed to be made. I had my notes (which I still do) and she listened and took notes. I said to her when I retired from the board that it was amazing to me that all 13 issues had been resolved by her by the time I retired from the board. Many pretend to listen and do… Andrea lived the reverse of “naaseh v’nishmah” …she listened and then acted. And I always marveled at her humility. She was so capable and brilliant,but never flaunted all of her talents. So often she would share the things she had never done and wanted to learn in a most vulnerable way. The moment that keeps coming to mind is when she found out she was going to be ordaining rabbis. We talked about the fact that as a non-congregational rabbi she never put her hands over people’s heads to bless them. And so with great love and respect, I taught her about the power of her hands. No surprise, I cried through the whole thing as I held her hands… but, she took it all in and then, took it to another level. I used to send her pictures of her early blessings that I would watch on Zoom. The first time I saw her ordain one of our rabbis, I cried. It was another crack in the glass ceiling, and instead of the glass shattering, the sky opened with her light!
Little Andrea schlepped so much from Philadelphia to NY each time she came. Gary and I convinced her that she needed a Tumi backpack. I remember how proud she was to show us that she had taken our advice. But, I always wished that she didn’t carry such a big load on her little back. It became a metaphor for her leadership. She would always take on one more task for the greater good. No matter the load, she carried it.
For many people, Andrea’s death is the next in the Aaron-David tragic losses. Another person who ordained and taught and loved and gave so generously to our students and to HUC and the Jewish world…another luminary has had her light extinguished too soon. And for others of us, the gentle caring friend who reached out about our health even when hers was failing…has left our hearts broken and shattered. She sent a heart to my last text the other day. It seems fitting that her heart is the last thing I have of her.
Thank you for letting me ramble and share through my tears.
–Rabbi Amy Perlin, former member, Hebrew Union College Board of Governors
If you are lucky, you may encounter someone who winds up impacting you in ways that are unimaginable in the moment. Rabbi Dr. Andrea Weiss was one such person for me. Andrea was invited in by Rabbi Dr. Tamara Eskenazi to work on The Torah: A Women’s Commentary, a project I had the privilege to oversee. Andrea, then a young scholar who did not yet have tenure, came in first as the Assistant Editor, and then ultimately became the Associate Editor. Through that long and often involved process of creating the book, Andrea became a dear friend and colleague. I came to admire her tenacity, her incredible drive, her high level of organization and astonishing attention to detail, and her subtle sense of humor. It was a huge honor to work with Andrea and Tamara, and the sense of pride and accomplishment we all felt when the book was not just done, but lauded and celebrated, was tremendous. The book was the initial glue that connected us, but our relationship as personal friends and professional colleagues continued on as we moved through our careers, both becoming “firsts” as women in our fields, figuring out how to balance parenting with professional responsibilities, and sharing our successes and challenges. Like so many in our rabbinic community and beyond, I will deeply miss my friend and colleague Rabbi Dr. Andrea Weiss, and am profoundly grateful for all the ways that she generously shared her bountiful gifts with us.
–Rabbi Hara Person, CEO of the Central Conference of American Rabbis
Andrea was meticulous, taking copious notes in our meetings. She did this, not for cold administrative purposes but rather she wanted to get things right. She listened intently so she could hear and review all sides.
She had so much on her plate as Provost, and leading the academic and Seminary needs and concerns during tumultuous times often required 24/7 attention with few breaks. She handled so many big and small crises with grace, wisdom, humor and a deep love for the pillars of Jewish life: Torah, People, and God. Why else would she study the Psalms? Or take hours to know each ordinee, or continue to teach at every opportunity, in English and Hebrew! She was a cheerleader, mentor, and incredible role model as a Rabbi-Scholar-Activist. We would often just be two women who happen to be rabbis in Senior positions; real feminist sisters. She was so modest, I had to beg her to buy expensive but easy travel luggage for her endless trips and flying hours. Because women do that for each other. We laughed at our few indulgences. I was so thrilled when we completed the Hebrew translation and adaptation of A Women’s Commentary into Hebrew and Israeli culture. But mostly, I will miss her concern for my well-being as Dean, as colleague and the fact that we build a strong professional partnership based on affection and respect. That is how she treated everyone.
–Rabbi Naamah Kelman-Ezrachi, former Dean of the Taube Family Campus in Jerusalem
For me, Andrea embodied the core of what learning is all about…not study for its own sake….though she surely communicated the sheer joy of study…but rather how it is manifest in our own lives …how the text can touch us deeply and challenge and teach us about who we are and who we aspire to be.
She was a powerful model of a student of text… continually helping us to hone our interpretive skills as we ourselves expand our knowledge base…She demanded that of her students as she herself continued to grow. She found such personal meaning in the text and she expected it from her students.
The second thing I would emphasize is that when she entered the Administration, she manifested a deep concern for each of her colleagues and their individual growth, but it did not prevent her from sharing a necessary critique when it was needed. I personally was touched not only by her support and encouragement for my teaching, but at times it could involve a gentle nudge!
As a former Provost, I enjoyed seeing her grow into her public roll, not the least of which was two core elements. First, her role in moving curricular development forward together with the Faculty … which I can attest is very challenging … and second, taking on the public role of ordaining our new rabbis and cantors. In both, her caring and concern for our students was clearly manifest.
Her loss, both to the school and to each of us will be deeply felt. The school will find someone to replace her, but for all of us who worked with her, admired her and from whom we gained so much personally, we know that the combination of her unique qualities, not the least of which was her deep caring and concern for each of us, leaves us a legacy of both scholarship and concern for all those in our lives.
Zecher Tzaddikah Levrachah
May the memory of this righteous individual be a continued blessing.
–Rabbi Norman Cohen, former Provost
I am having a hard time putting words together. How does one sum up the life and impact of an extraordinary person such as Andrea? It is safe to say that wherever she went she left in her wake a world that was better in every way.
I met Andrea when she was a third-year student in my class on the prophets, in my first semester at HUC. She was the quiet one among the lively extroverts. It was only when she submitted her first assignment that I nearly fell off my chair (it was an open-end project and they options to come up with their own ideas). She managed to channel the prophets as spokespersons in today’s Los Angeles, creating a dialogue with them speaking concretely to the issues of the day. She managed to retain the voice of each prophet and his messages. That is quite an achievement. But she also wrote it in Hebrew. It was brilliant. Soon she embarked on another project, a discovery about female imagery in the book of Isaiah. What she noted was in my view unique. I urged her to research further and turn it into a paper for the Society of Biblical Literature. She did, and presented the paper at the Annual Meeting (which is highly competitive venue), It was later published while she was still a student. He classmates were so delighted by her success that the composed a faux book on the subject by the illustrious Professor Andrea Weiss, envisioning her future success as a distinguished Bible professor. I have the booklet and will scan some of it later when I get home.
I mention this for three reasons. First, her scholarly gifts; second, the affection that she elicited in all her classmates; third, that none of us imagined then to what heights she would soar. And soar she did, not because she was ambitious but because she cared and found ways to turn her care into actions that bore unexpected fruit. She loved what she did, loved the students (along with family, of course) and the Jewish texts and Judaism, and she found ways to bring them to others.
I believe we team-taught the first “distance learning” class (e course in today’s language) at HUC, with New York and L.A. students. It was her idea and initiative, of course. And she made the arduous task a joy.
I remember as if it were today when in 2004 I invited her to join me as co-editor of The Torah: A Women’s Commentary. She had been involved with the project while still a student, then as a member of my Editorial Board for the project, and she was, as you can imagine, a creative and inspiring member. When she said “Yes” to my invitation, we both burst into tears. We knew that the book was to have historic impact. Working together as partners was embodying something important to both of us, the notion of “from generation to generation,” which was also the mission of the Commentary. Needless to say, her contribution to that work was extraordinary.
Over the years we made a point of seeing each other whenever we were on each other’s “Coast.” Since our conversations, which lasted deep into the night many times, were mostly about personal matters, I don’t have much material to share. But as you can imagine, it was a privilege and unmitigated joy to watch her blossom as she also made it possible for others to be their best as well. I can image that the loss to you of such an incredible partner is more than words can ever describe.
I hope that her legacy and those years together give you strength to do what needs doing.
With tears and a broken heart,
–Rabbi Tamara Eskenazi, Faculty Member and Senior Editor of The Torah: A Women’s Commentary
On behalf of the State of Israel I extend condolences to the College and her family on the passing of Rabbi Andrea Weiss. I had a few occasions to speak with Andrea in my official capacity, including at our commemoration of Rabbi David Ellenson’s first yahrzeit. We know about her love of and commitment to the Jewish People and its religious and cultural heritage. The Jewish People has lost one its greats.
–Tsach Saar, Deputy Counsel General of Israel in New York
I have been thinking a great deal over these last few hours about Andrea and the impact she made on the College. Generationally, she clearly represented a new American Reform sensibility. The experience of Europe was not uppermost in her consciousness. There was a Zionist dimension but above all hers was an unapologetically American progressive sensibility. Her scholarship, too, was free of much of the clutter of continental philosophical jargon and postmodern acrobatics. Jeffrey Tigay, who I believe was her supervisor at Penn, told me once that she was among the most brilliant and diligent students he ever taught. She did not bring to her research the kind of encyclopedic knowledge which children of Orthodox homes could sometimes display. What she knew she knew by applied study and close attention.
Her teaching was widely admired and praised. She was much closer to the lived experience of most of our students than were many other faculty members, who came from a different generation, a different locale, or a different ideology. Whenever I saw her teaching, it was her methodical approach and communicative style that shone through. She was not trying to wow you. She was trying to teach you, and she succeeded magnificently.
As an administrator, Andrea marshaled the skills she had displayed to such good effect in her efforts to bring The Torah: A Women’s Commentary in to existence. She had an eye for patterns and systems, and a very grounded sense of what it was both reasonable and aspirational to want our students to learn. Recent iterations of the curriculum owe much to her work and the work of those who partnered with her, among them Dvora Weisberg, Lisa Grant and others. There is a rabbinic saying which summarizes her contribution to the work of the school in areas of curriculum and elsewhere:
גָּדוֹל הַמְעַשֶּׂה יוֹתֵר מִן הָעוֹשֶׂה
Gadol Hameaseh Yoter Min Haoseh (Babylonian Talmud Baba Batra 9a): One who causes other to perform a meritorious act is greater than one who performs that act themselves. It’s not that the rabbis were against doing stuff, but rather that they held in special regard those who could get other to do stuff. So it was with the women’s commentary, with American Values, Religious Voices, with the work on curriculum, with accreditation, and with much else. She herself did much, of course, but it was her ability to set aside her ego and find ways to work with people to get stuff done that made such a difference.
The fact that Andrea, the first woman to hold the role of Provost, also became the first woman to officiate at ordination at HUC (as far as I know) will no doubt go down in the history of the school. There is something about the visual impact of seeing a woman, diminutive in stature and devoid of the sin of self-mythologizing, channeling the authority of ordination and expressing it in a different way than her predecessors had done was a very strong statement.
Accreditation, one of the least attractive aspects of the work of a chief academic officer, was a field in which she shone. Here her attention to detail, her willingness to marshal a team, and her commitment to the mission of the school were all crucial.
Every time Andrea came to see me she brought me some coffee beans from La Colombe. She knew that coffee beans are available in Jerusalem, but she recalled how fond I was of the good stuff, and she made it her business to express her affection and appreciation in a concrete way. There are many colleagues, students and team members who can tell similar stories about her. She was bringing me a palpable embodiment of her commitment, and to be with her was invariably more energizing than any caffeine could be.
Students, I think, felt that in Andrea they were encountering someone, much like Aaron in his way, who embodied the best of what they themselves might aspire to be. She had what I would describe as an unpretentious spirituality about her, and a delightful generosity of spirit. She was no fan of off-the-cuff or seat-of-your-pants. She prepared, thought through, and articulated her own Torah.
–Rabbi Michael Marmur, former Provost, former Dean of the Jerusalem Campus
Thinking about Rabbi Dr. Andrea Weiss, z”l, the Provost of HUC from 2018 to 2025 and a cherished friend and mentor. It’s been over two weeks since she died of cancer, months before we expected, and I still find myself crying at unexpected moments. Friday afternoons are particularly hard. That’s when she often called me and other colleagues on the west coast, usually while preparing Shabbat dinner at her home in Philadelphia. It was the only time of the week she was not booked with back-to-back Zoom meetings.
Andrea invited faculty to meet with her shortly after she was appointed Provost, and I took her up on it. I don’t remember what I said in that meeting – maybe I had some constructive criticism about faculty processes. But she must have seen some capacity for leadership because she invited me to chair the COVID online learning task force in 2020 and then to serve as Vice Provost in 2021. I learned so much from working with her in these roles – about meticulous editing, thinking through potential ripple effects of each decision, building buy-in and consensus, empowering people to do what they love and excel at, and balancing the desire to make people happy with the reality of sometimes having to say no or make unpopular decisions. I also learned – by negative example – about the importance of stopping work at a reasonable hour, carving out time for work that is important but not urgent, and, most importantly, prioritizing self-care.
The picture of Andrea ordaining a rabbinical student is my favorite of the many pictures of her posted on the HUC website. Andrea took her role as ordainer seriously and put much time and creativity into preparing, sometimes delaying other tasks to make time for this sacred work. She met individually with each student and wrote individual blessings for ordination day. These whispered words were private, but I imagine she interwove blessings centering the student’s interests and aspirations with an apt metaphor and the perfect textual nugget. Ordainer was an ideal role for her, as it combined her rabbinic textual and speaking skills with her talent for making each person feel seen. And it allowed her to kvell.
While Andrea was into fitness (she could out-plank all the students at the annual kallah, and she once asked me how much I could bench press), baseball, cooking, reading, and nature, I believe her favorite hobby was kvelling, especially about her children. Our conversations often began with our children’s successes and challenges. In our penultimate text exchange, she sent me an article her daughter wrote in the New York Times about minority language coverage of the Olympics. “Proud to share my daughter’s story with you. She’s had an incredible experience in the Dolomites covering cross country and ski jump.” This exchange also highlights another one of Andrea’s other superpowers – connection based on shared interests. My email and phone are filled with articles, images, and videos Andrea shared with me – mostly about language or names (and a few dogs and one bear).
She also shared details or photos of food she made, like her homemade challah, chocolate chip cookies she made with her mom shortly before her mom died, and an “apple and fig crisp for Shabbat dinner with figs from my back yard.” She had great recommendations for restaurants in Israel, and she once wrote, “I wish I could share my cauliflower soup with you!” Sadly, in the last few months she lost her appetite and, it seemed to me from afar, subsisted on smoothies; she told me, “I used to live to eat, and now I eat to live.”
Another theme in the thousands of messages I received from Andrea over the years was praise for me, such as, “You’re amazing! How did you put the terrific PowerPoint together so fast?!” I was surprised that she attended a Jewish Language Project event despite being so busy, and I was thrilled to receive this message afterwards: “Kol hakavod, Sarah. That was such an interesting and informative event, with so many different facets to the program. People seemed really engaged and inspired. Keep up the important work!”
I know I’m not the only one who received such accolades. She often kvelled about her assistant Stephanie’s acting accomplishments and shared videos of her commercials. And I’ve heard from many colleagues and students that she also kvelled about them.
Our final text exchange tapped into her tendency to kvell and her focus on shared interests. Two years ago, she had connected me to a Yale undergraduate that she knew from her shul who is interested in Jewish languages. The student did an internship at the Jewish Language Project, and she just published an article based on her research in Rome. I shared the article with Andrea, who had started palliative care, because I thought it would bring a smile to her face. Her final message to me was, “Thank you. Looking forward to reading that later. Shabbat shalom.” While this referred to the article I sent, I’m thinking about the words’ broader significance. I know she was grateful – for her family, her friends and colleagues, and the meaningful work she felt privileged to do. And grateful for cute dogs, good food, and sitting in the California sunshine (we usually found a spot that put her in the sun and me in the shade). If only during her eternal Shabbat, she could finally find time to read all the articles and books she didn’t get to over the years. And the hundreds of beautiful tributes that have poured in over the past few weeks. If only we had all said these words to her in the past year. Halevai.
Goodbye, colleague. Goodbye, mentor. Goodbye, friend. Shabbat shalom.
— Sarah Benor, Professor of Contemporary Jewish Studies and Linguistics, Hebrew Union College
What an honor to have the opportunity as a lay leader to have taken workshops with Rabbi Weiss! When The Torah: A Women’s Commentary was a concept Rabbi Weiss spoke passionately about the project and invited us in the workshop to dream about what we would like to see included. She was approachable, welcoming, inclusive, and interested in what we had to say.
I also enjoyed reading American Values, Religious Voices – a project that was so meaningful to many of us, especially as we faced the erosion of these values.
The Reform movement was blessed to have Rabbi Weiss as a leader and a beacon of light and sense. She will be missed. Her legacy and memory is a blessing.
— Trina Novak, Women of Reform Judaism
I’m stunned to learn of the death of Dr. Weiss, a wonderful scholar with a generous spirit. Early in my doctoral work I reached out to Dr. Weiss to ask if we could meet for a brief conversation at SBL about metaphor in the Hebrew Bible. She graciously agreed, and our conversation was so helpful for my work. May her memory be blessed!
— Carmen Imes, Associate Professor of Old Testament, Biola University
Andrea was a dear friend. I got to know her when my husband Dan was in rabbinic school, a year behind her. Dan had known Andrea since their days at Camp Swig as teens and then through college at UC Berkeley. Many years later, when we lived in Pennsylvania, we used to have family get togethers with Andrea, Alan, Rebecca and Ilan. One of my favorite memories is when we took our kids to an amusement park together in Toronto, when the CCAR conference was held there.
I think my all time favorite memories of Andrea are when she came to our congregation as a scholar-in-residence and would always opt to stay at our home rather than at a hotel. I was always struck by how down-to-earth she was and fun to be around. With her intelligence and prominence in the Jewish world, she could have been less relatable and less interested in other people. But she was always eager to connect with us, no matter how much time had passed in between seeing each other. She was always an inspiring teacher, and I enjoyed her sense of humor.
I was in awe of her ability to further Jewish scholarship and relevance—first through the Women’s Commentary and then through her American Values, Religious Voices: 100 Days, 100 Letters project. Those letters helped me through a difficult time, reminding me that thoughtful and smart people, like Andrea, were still making a difference in our broken world.
I will miss her and send my deepest condolences to her loved ones. Her memory will always be a light.
— Sandra Feder, Friend
The Central Conference of American Rabbis mourns the death of our teacher, our colleague, and our friend, Rabbi Andrea L. Weiss, PhD, z”l. A beloved professor of Bible and leader at Hebrew Union College, Rabbi Weiss was the associate editor of The Torah: A Women’s Commentary and contributed to many other CCAR Press volumes, including writing the forewords to The Social Justice Torah Commentary and New Each Day: A Spiritual Practice for Reading Psalms. We share her foreword from The Social Justice Torah Commentary (2021) in her memory.
Read the Full Forward Here
Dear Weiss and Tauber families, including Alan, Rebecca, Ilan, Marty, Mitch, Laura, Roger and Catherine, and Andrea’s congregation and friends,
As well you know, Andrea was truly a gedola. Her impact on HUC-JIR was immeasurable. Her steadiness and vision as Provost helped us not only survive but grow stronger as we faced one genuine crisis after another. (I count at least seven.) Her illness and death have left a huge hole. I cannot imagine, or I can only imagine what her death means to those who were closest to her. My heart goes out to you.
Andrea was my sermon advisee in 1995, then a faculty colleague beloved by her students, then my “boss.” As Provost her leadership affected me, personally, in many ways, one that has yet been mentioned: she was committed to improving the compensation for faculty who taught at HUC-JIR less than full-time. For some that was decades-long in coming. We are indebted to her.
The stories told at Andrea’s funeral gave those of us who knew her rabbinic and scholarly and administrative work more and more and more reasons to admire her, nay, to be in awe of her: her energy in every area of her life, her determination, her generosity, the ways in which she expressed love and support. I left the funeral thinking that Andrea was close to super-human, with a will of steel and a heart of gold.
Before Andrea died, I Fed Exed these verses from Proverbs to her with a personal note. Alas, the package arrived hours after she died. They strike me as apt descriptions of some of Andrea’s great strengths. Her life, ended way too soon, was a blessing. Her work will endure.
ספר משלי
פרק ד
ז רֵאשִׁ֣ית חָ֭כְמָה קְנֵ֣ה חָכְמָ֑ה וּבְכָל־קִ֝נְיָֽנְךָ֗ קְנֵ֣ה בִינָֽה:
ח סַלְסְלֶ֥הָ וּתְרֽוֹמְמֶ֑ךָּ תְּ֝כַבֵּֽ֗דְךָ כִּ֣י תְחַבְּקֶֽנָּה:
The beginning of wisdom is – acquire wisdom;
With all your acquisitions, acquire insight.
Hug her to you and she will exalt you;
She will bring you honor if you embrace her.
פרק ט
א חָ֭כְמוֹת בָּֽנְתָ֣ה בֵיתָ֑הּ חָֽצְבָ֖ה עַמּוּדֶ֣יהָ שִׁבְעָֽה:
ב טָֽבְחָ֣ה טִ֭בְחָהּ מָֽסְכָ֣ה יֵינָ֑הּ אַ֝֗ף עָֽרְכָ֥ה שֻׁלְחָנָֽהּ:
Wisdom has created her home
She has hewn her seven pillars.
She has prepared a feast,
Mixed the wine,
And set the table.
פרק יא
טז אֵ֣שֶׁת חֵ֭ן תִּתְמֹ֣ךְ כָּב֑וֹד
A woman of kindness attains honor.
פרק יד
א חַכְמ֣וֹת נָ֭שִׁים בָּֽנְתָ֣ה בֵיתָ֑הּ
The wisest of women builds her home
[and a house of learning].
לג בְּלֵ֣ב נָ֭בוֹן תָּנ֣וּחַ חָכְמָ֑ה
Wisdom rests quietly in the heart of the judicious. (Koren)
פרק טו
ב לְשׁ֣וֹן חֲ֭כָמִים תֵּיטִ֣יב דָּ֑עַת
The tongue of the wise increases knowledge.
ו בֵּ֣ית צַ֭דִּיק חֹ֣סֶן רָ֑ב
In the home of the righteous lies great treasure.
ז שִׂפְתֵ֣י חֲ֭כָמִים יְזָ֣רוּ דָ֑עַת
The lips of the wise spread knowledge.
כח לֵ֣ב צַ֭דִּיק יֶהְגֶּ֣ה לַֽעֲנ֑וֹת
The heart of the righteous carefully considers her answer.
לא אֹ֗זֶן שֹׁ֭מַעַת תּוֹכַ֣חַת חַיִּ֑ים בְּקֶ֖רֶב חֲכָמִ֣ים תָּלִֽין:
The ear that listens to feedback in life, abides among the wise.
פרק טז
כ מַשְׂכִּ֣יל עַל־דָּ֭בָר יִמְצָא־ט֑וֹב
One who carefully crafts her words
finds good [in people, and in challenging times].
כא לַֽחֲכַם־לֵ֭ב יִקָּרֵ֣א נָב֑וֹן וּמֶ֥תֶק שְׂ֝פָתַ֗יִם יֹסִ֥יף לֶֽקַח:
The emotionally intelligent is called wise.
One whose speech is sweet increases learning.
כב מְק֣וֹר חַ֭יִּים שֵׂ֣כֶל בְּעָלָ֑יו
One who possesses insight is a source of life.
— Rabbi Margaret Moers Wenig, Senior Lecturer, Hebrew Union College, New York
To the family of our beloved Rabbi Dr. Andrea Weiss,
I write to offer my deep condolences on the death of our beloved Andrea. As a teacher and leader, she was first rate, and will be deeply missed. I can only begin to imagine the pain that your family might be feeling right now. My heart is with you.
I had the great pleasure of getting to learn with Andrea throughout my time at HUC. My favorites of her classes included the Art of Biblical Poetry and Narrative, The Prophets, and the Psalms. I continue to regularly teach the Psalms as a course in my congregation, and regularly call upon things I learned from and with her in that course. Additionally, I loved working with her in the Worship Working Group. When I was an associate rabbi, we had the pleasure of bringing her to our congregation to present on her “100 Days, 100 Voices” book. And, of course, her work on The Torah: A Women’s Commentary, I draw upon on a regular basis. (This week, I brought the commentary to our Torah Study Group, and we dedicated our learning in her memory.)
Even as much as I learned from her as a teacher, I truly loved knowing her as a person. She was so open and human — as interested in the lives of her students as she was interested in our studies. She was kind, always with a smile on her face, caring, and invested in our personal growth. I will miss her dearly.
Zichronah livrachah — may your memories of her be a blessing.
Sincerely,
— Rabbi Daniel Reiser, Temple Beth Shalom (Hastings-on-Hudson, NY)
Dear Family,
I met Rabbi Andrea Weiss eight years ago when I started working at HUC as the Director of Institutional Giving (essentially, foundation fundraising) in 2017. Andrea had already been named the new Provost, but hadn’t taken over the position yet. She was the first person I collaborated with on a grant proposal–she came into my office in early 2018 and talked with me about the Wabash Center grant. She said, “I’ve been struggling with this, but then I realized that we had a grant writer on staff that I could work with!” And so we did. That grant became the seed for what ultimately became the Seminary Hebrew program, just one of her many amazing initiatives that she spearheaded while at HUC. It turned out that Andrea and I both were growing into our new positions at the same time, although I do think she got the hang of hers much more quickly than I did mine. She was a wonderful partner and we worked on many other fundraising projects as well. As others have mentioned, she embodied collaboration and the willingness to do whatever was needed to achieve the desired result. When Women of Reform Judaism asked us each year to donate something for their silent auction fundraiser, Andrea–even with all of her other projects and responsibilities–did not hesitate to tell me that she would be happy to donate a teaching session to support our sister organization. She led by example, and I’ve been trying to come up with a way to describe her impact in the world. I’ve settled on “quietly powerful.” Her impact and influence reached far and wide, and she was beloved, not just for her intellect and leadership, but because of her kindness and generosity of spirit. It is truly an honor and one of the highlights of my professional life that I can say I worked with Rabbi Dr. Andrea Weiss. I send you, her beloved family, my deepest condolences and my prayers for the eternal repose of her soul. May her memory be a blessed inspiration for all of us always.
— Cheryl Slavin
When I was president of my congregation, she visited us as Scholar in Residence. We had shabbat dinner together and I asked her to sign my copy of The Women’s Commentary. She did with the dedication “Never stop learning”. I haven’t. I met her many years later, and to my surprise she remembered not only the evening but my name .
Wonderful woman who will be missed by many. May her memory be for blessing
— Peter Vanek, Past President, Kol Ami Congregation, Thornhill, Ontario
I did not know Andrea as well as I would have liked but our paths did cross over the years from the time she was a graduate student at Penn, at Congregation Bet Am, and in the neighborhood. I saw her last at her sukkah party which she hosted over a year ago at her home.
She was a serious scholar and pedagogue, a wonderful administrator, and a lovely human being. What a loss. She was an exemplar of the kind of scholar-teacher the Reform Jewish community is capable of producing and I hope her memory will inspire dedicated women and men to follow in her footsteps.
— David Ruderman Ruderman, Joseph Meyerhoff Professor of Jewish History emeritus, University of Penn
Beyond her incredible reputation as one of the great rabbis, teachers, scholars, and leaders of our movement, our people and our generation, I had the great honor of knowing her as a daughter of our congregation. She is someone over whom we kvelled, a woman of generosity and humility who, when home visiting her parents and siblings, enjoyed being a Jew in the pew, allowing us our kvelling but only to a point. HER kvelling was saved for her family, her siblings and her parents. Her exceptional brilliance was matched in equal amounts to her genuine warmth, kindness, humility, humor, and humanity making her a precious and rare gem in this world. Her memory will forever be a blessing.
— Rabbi Devorah Marcus
Dear Andrea, I enjoyed working with you when I ran the NY Kollel at HUC-JIR from 2000-20007. I have also benefitted from your teachings, in person or in writing. It is cruel that you have been taken from us so soon- you had so much more to offer! My condolences to your family . But I find comfort that what you so generously offered the world will not be forgotten. Rest in peace, Andrea.
Your good deeds, your teaching and writing, your kindness and your support and love for HUC- JIR and all its students and faculty and ,of course, your love for your family will endure. May your memory be for a blessing.
Andrea was a kind colleague, devoted to HUC-JIR and especially to her students. She will be missed. May her memory be for a blessing.
— Rabbi Ruth Gais, Ph.D., Hebrew Union College 2000, Director New York Kollel 2000-2007
Dear Rabbi Weiss’s Family,
I am sure you are receiving so many messages filled with love and support, and I wanted to add mine to that circle of care.
My name is Dana Bederson, and I am a third-year cantorial student on the New York campus of HUC. Although Rabbi Weiss was not personally my classroom teacher in the traditional sense, her presence in our collective lives as students was deeply felt.
Rabbi Weiss attended a few of the services I led at HUC. Each time, she offered a kind word afterward. Those brief comments meant so much to me. I remember feeling almost in disbelief that someone I admired so deeply and found so inspirational would take the time to affirm my work. Her encouragement made me feel seen and capable in ways that stayed with me long after those moments.
Rabbi Weiss also co-taught our Survey of Tanach course with Professor Daniel Livne-Fischer. Because Professor Livne-Fischer teaches us online, the days when Rabbi Weiss came to teach in person were especially meaningful. I remember one class in particular when she taught us about some of her favorite Psalms. At one point she reached into her bag, pulled out a handful of highlighters, and asked, “Who needs one?” We all laughed a little and replied that we were working on our iPads. She smiled and said something along the lines of how nothing could truly replace pen and paper. It was such a small moment, but it captured her warmth and humor so perfectly.
While I may not remember every detail of the textual content of that class, I vividly remember how she made me feel. She created a space where I felt smart, where I felt seen, and where my ideas genuinely mattered.
Most recently, at Kallah 2025 in New York, I attended a small session she taught about navigating one’s private life in the public eye as clergy. She spoke thoughtfully about what it means to decide how much of one’s personal life to share with a community. In that conversation, she shared a little about her own experience with cancer. Her openness created a space where many of us felt safe enough to share our own stories. I spoke about my father’s struggle with cancer, something that can still be difficult for me to discuss. In that moment, you could see her living the very wisdom she was teaching, modeling discernment, honesty, and deep compassion.
Even in those brief encounters, Rabbi Weiss left an indelible impression on me. I will always remember her kindness, her intellectual generosity, and the way she made students feel valued. I will treasure the moments I had the privilege of learning from her, and I hope to carry forward some of her wisdom as I continue in my own journey toward the cantorate.
May her memory be for a blessing
With deep sympathy,
— Dana Bederson, Student
I am grateful for all Rabbi Andrea Weiss taught me both at HUC and beyond. At school, she taught me to love text and read deep into and around it for all it has to offer. And here in Philly, she welcomed me into her sukkah (both literally and metaphorically) and taught me the value of colleagues and connection. May her memory be for a blessing!
— Cantor Lauren Goodlev
On behalf of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, I would like to extend our deepest condolences to the loved ones of Rabbi Andrea Weiss z”l. Our community has benefitted profoundly from the incredibly passionate Reform rabbis whose lives and leadership were shaped by her influence. Reading the reflections from Rabbi Dan Moskowitz and Rabbi Carey Brown underscores that we have lost a true giant.
We can take solace in knowing that her soul will continue to live on through the actions, values, and teachings of the countless clergy and students she inspired. Her impact will remain a blessing to our community for many years to come.
May her memory be a blessing.
— Ezra Shanken, Chief Executive Officer, Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver
To Dr. Weiss’ family –
My sincere and deep condolences for your loss. I was at HUC-JIR from 2014-2019 and was blessed to be Dr. Weiss’ student and advisee.
I never really got over calling her Dr. Weiss. In my intermittent emails to her since ordination in 2019, it is how I always addressed her – it seemed appropriate.
I had a realization sometime in rabbinical school: I wanted to be Dr. Weiss. After all, we had things in common: an appreciation for colored highlighters, a desire to learn and understand the Tanach, a sense that striving for excellence was the only way to be. I don’t know when it was that I realized I couldn’t ever: she got up at 5am and worked out. I liked to work out, but not at 5am. I had always been good at school, but Rabbinical school was uncharacteristically hard for me. Her scholarship – incredible, and seemed untouchable.
And yet –
All my worries about who I could be were entirely in my head (I’ll thank sexism for that). In 2016 I wrote her with anxiety about my upcoming student pulpit. Her thoughtful response culminated with this: “And above all, have confidence in yourself and in your ability to grow into the position.” I wish I could have listened better to her.
In the years since my ordination, I was always surprised and impressed that she responded to every email I sent. They weren’t many, but she was the provost – so much on her plate. Her continued diligence and commitment not only to the school but to responding – was incredible. it felt magical to receive a response from her.
Here is the note that I sent her on January 10 of this year. I was so grateful that she responded.
“Hi Dr. Weiss,
I’m writing you from my maternity leave, with my sweet six week old Solomon drifting to dreamland in my lap. It’s five am, a time you used to take the bus in to HUC to teach us hopefuls. You crossed my mind, and it struck me that what better time to write you?
I wanted to say thank you for all you’ve taught me at HUC and beyond: that you can be a rabbi and be strong. I can’t do as many push ups as you, but I did run the NYC marathon in 2024. That you can be a rabbi and dress amazingly. Enough said.
I have also been endlessly grateful for and inspired by your mix of pushing for excellence and kindness. As an advisor, you took the time to know me and see me, and to push me toward my potential. I remember especially once meeting you at the end of a long day at a cafe nearby, and another time having Shabbat dinner in your home in Philly. Your generosity is boundless.
Right now I am a rabbi educator at temple Micah and I proudly tell my students when we pick up The Torah: A Women’s Commentary that you were my advisor. You taught us to always take our students seriously, no matter their age, and I strive to do so. I think your example and your own academic accomplishments helped me overcome my own imposter syndrome as a student of Jewish texts. I remember you telling me that creating a new translation of psalms seemed a particular challenge- the poetry of Tehilim being hard to capture. Whenever I struggle to translate something, this gives me some comfort. We created a new cycle of Haftarah readings at Micah, from the נ״ך, and your work helped pave the way for me.
HUC and all your students, not just me, have been so blessed by your commitment to us. Thank you, thank you, thank you. ”
Ilan, in response, she told me to savor the time with my new son – mentioning that you are in college. This has touched my heart to its depth – sending you and Rebecca so much love.
One other memory: once the only available time for an advising meeting was around 8pm. We met at a bar/restaurant a block or so from HUC. She was sort of falling asleep but managed to listen and inquire after me and my plans. I remember she was excited that I was engaged. Behind her, a couple was making out on the couch and I really had to try and focus. I was in a sort of awe that she managed to make a rich family life work while commuting between Philly and NYC.
Thank you for sharing so much of her with us. We are in your debt.
With love,
— Samantha Frank, Rabbi Educator, Temple Micah in DC
I don’t teach in the Rabbinic School, so I never had Andrea as a student. Yet, I remember her so clearly from the 3 years she spent on the LA campus— she had, it’s hard to into words, a “presence” that shone even then. I didn’t get to know her until she became provost in 2018 and I had the wonderful opportunity to work with her in my role as chair of both the Faculty Council and the Academic Planning Committee. I quickly came to be astounded by her creativity, organization, discernment, commitment to HUC, and profound integrity.
Because of who she was, we also got to be friends; and this friendship, though brief, will always be a treasure to me. Amidst our many intense and often exhausting deliberations, we also shared with me many stories and tidbits about her family, and I want to let her family know how proud she was of her husband and children and much delight she had in them.
— Bruce Phillips, Professor of Jewish Communal Service, Faculty Council Chair, APC chair
Sadly, I did not receive the blessing of studying with Andrea at HUC-JIR while I was there. BUT, I was gifted the opportunity to get to know her better at my last kallah. She was one of our collaborating t’filah partners, and before I deserved or had earned it, she honored me and our whole team with respect for what each of us brought to the bima (so to speak). She also jumped into the mix like “one of us” students, though of course she was not. Looking back, I wonder if that was a part of her greatness. Perhaps in this case, she was a master of observation, drawing out in this active situation each of our ideas and our strengths and helping us put them all together into a beautiful morning of t’filah.
For the entire year after (prior to ordination), she treated me like a peer. I’m not even sure I’m a peer now, but I will cherish her gentle and strong, kind and generous, interesting and passionate way she lived and operated.
Later, I was grateful to be able to share her teachings with my congregation and community. After a number of years out in the clergy world, I cherished her being able to see and have a taste of the wonderful congregation I am privileged to be a part.
It’s hard to believe that she will no longer walk this earth, but there is no question her spirit will live on – in every person she impacted, in every teaching she shared, and in me. zichrona livracha
— Cantor Andrea Markowicz
I am sad beyond words at Andrea’s passing. She fought a good battle and she will be missed by all who were lucky enough to have crossed paths with her.
Even though Andrea and I only worked together a short time, I knew from the start that she was an exceptional human being, welcoming me immediately into the HUC fold, and I count her among my friends.
I have so many memories of time shared with Andrea, too many to put down. So here are just a few things that immediately come to mind when I think of her.
First and foremost, I think about her passion – for her work, for her students, for her colleagues, for her friends and for her family. While I only met Alan a handful of times, their love for each other was immediately evident. And while I only heard about Rebecca and Ilan, her love for them and her pride in all they did were palpable in every story she shared, and there were many.
I remember the dinner Jon and I shared with Andrea and Alan in Tel Aviv. It was our first trip to Israel and they, of course, had been there many times. They picked the restaurant, and it was an easy, relaxed dinner, like we were old friends, despite being in a foreign country, the newness of our relationship and the context of a business trip.
I was not a rabbi, I was not even a particularly observant Jew, but watching Andrea at Ordination was a treat. The care and special attention she gave to each ordinee was so thoughtful. I can’t imagine anyone else caring as much as she did.
Andrea and I were late night buddies, often trading emails and/or texts into the wee hours of the night (or morning). We often chided each other that we both needed to work less, find more balance in our lives, and be less of a perfectionist. But it was not in her DNA to do that.
As we grappled with challenges at HUC, I loved her stories and analogies. In particular the one about the tree in her yard that had to be cut down in order to grow and flourish (or something like that). And another one about about the bear that couldn’t go over or under, but had to go through. There were many, and they always hit the mark.
Despite our different roles at the College, which could easily have put us at odds with each other, we worked together as partners, her instinctual collaborative nature always shining through.
Mostly I just remember what a special person she was. I am a better person for having known her and HUC is a better place for having benefited from her passion and wisdom. I will miss her, as I know we all will.
My thoughts are with her family at this difficult time. May Andrea’s memory be for a blessing!
— Amy Goldberg, CFO Hebrew Union College 2020-2024
Dear Alan , Rebecca and Ilan, Marty Weiss, Mitch, Laura, Roger, Catherine and family,
Please accept my deepest condolences on the loss of our beloved Andrea.
Andrea was an exemplary rabbi, a consummate scholar, and a loving, kind, and caring friend. She was my rabbinical thesis advisor, and she guided me with endless wisdom and patience. She was so generous with her time and never, ever seemed bothered when I knocked on her door. She always opened it and greeted me with a smile. Knowing how many responsibilities she juggled, I still marvel at her bottomless warmth.
We both grew up at the same synagogue in San Diego, and I have always been proud to share that origin story with her. What a role model. What a guiding light. What a human.
I last saw Andrea at our student cantor, David Epstein’s senior recital in December. It was December. We sat next to each other. And it was a joy.
I will miss Andrea so very much. Her legacy of scholarship and menschlikeit will live on forever, and her memory will be an eternal blessing.
May you all be comforted in your hour of grief.
In profound sadness, deep admiration, endless gratitude, and love,
— Rabbi Sara Sapadin
What an incredible Rabbi, educator, scholar, and Jewish leader Andrea was!
I admired her gentle, calm demeanor that seemed to amplify her deep scholarly knowledge. I always wanted to listen closely to what she had to say. Her words and teachings were most meaningful and accessible.
I was extremely impressed by the concept for American Values, Religious Voices, and by the book itself. I will continue to treasure my signed copy.
My sincere condolences, thoughts, and prayers are with her family at this most difficult time.
— Ellen Sunness, Board of Advisors Eastern Region of Hebrew Union College
We had the privilege of working with Andrea as part of the program unit on Metaphor Theory and the Hebrew Bible with the Society of Biblical Literature. In this and other contexts, Andrea proved to be a profoundly gracious and generous scholar. She played a pivotal role in advancing research on metaphors in the Hebrew Bible and was admired by fellow scholars and students alike for her capacious intellect and warm personality. Her work on the American Values, Religious Voices project was as courageous as it was transformative. It was an honor and privilege to work with her – we all will miss her dearly.
Ryan Bonfiglio, Pierre van Hecke, Hanne Løland Levinson, and Danilo Verde
— Ryan Bonfiglio, Associate Professor in the Practice of Old Testament, Emory University
Rabbi Dr. Andrea Weiss, z”l, was truly one of the finest rabbis, teachers, thinkers, and leaders of our day. She embodied the teachings of the prophets that she in turn taught us– her students–to understand and love. Without sacrificing academic rigor, she embraced and revelled in the beauty of our texts and tradition; without turning away from the truth of this world, she could see the beauty of the possibility of a better one, just ahead of our reach.
Rabbi Weiss– I am forever grateful that I get to carry your teachings with me, and to pass them on to generations of students to come. I am forever grateful for your mentorship, your care, your encouragement, and your trust and belief in me, and it is the greatest honor that my work is quietly tucked into one of your books, and that your name is featured on the cover of mine. I pray that I may continue to live my life as an extension of the work of those hands that you placed on my head; I still hope that I’ll get to be just a shadow of who you are when I grow up.
— Rabbi Vanessa Harper
Andrea was so brilliant and so kind. She steadied me when I struggled. She brought figs! I love figs. I am so sorry for this great loss. Thank you for sharing her with all of us. So much love to family and friends and everyone who knew and loved Andrea.
— Nicole Vandestienne, Former Executive Assistant to the President, Hebrew Union College
We have lost a great person, teacher, mensch. Andrea was a true role model – she lived with kindness, compassion, humility and always made me feel seen. Her impact was deep and she will be sorely missed. Her memory will live on in her students and in generations to come. I will miss her. My sincere condolences to her entire family. Thank you for sharing her with us!
— Rabbi Glynis Conyer
Dr. Weiss was truly truly one of the greats. She was a brilliant scholar, a caring teacher, and a world class mensch.
She taught us to find poetry and beauty in grammar. To her class you always brought a full pack of highlighters to dissect whatever poetry or passage was on her carefully and meticulously constructed syllabus. She taught us to be on the constant look out for chiasms, inclusios, and parallelism in biblical text (which I incessantly identify when I teach Torah). We spent hours with her translating and outlining texts, a sweet joy in wordsmithing and working and playing through the semantic range offered in our sacred texts. She’s so deeply informed the way of so many of my classmates and colleagues appreciate, understand, and love the Tanach.
And beyond her scholarship, she helped take care of us. She saw us for who we were. She supported us as we grew into teachers and prayer leaders, and supported us as we learned how to use our moral voice.
There is so much more to say about how she touched and inspired generations of clergy. For now I will just add: I will miss my teacher.
זכר צדקת לברכה
— Rabbi Jason Fenster
Tauber Family,
Although Andrea and I hadn’t connected in years, hearing from Wendy about the beautiful family—and the meaningful work and life—Andrea was building filled me with real joy. I am so deeply sorry for your loss.
Andrea and I lived together at CAL at 2632 with Laurie (Jaffe) Bernhard and Lori (Wolochow) Corenthal. I’ll always remember our Chinese chicken salad dinners, late nights studying and laughing, trips to the library, and enjoying all that both Berkeley and San Francisco had to offer. To me, Andrea was brilliant, kind, insightful, and steady at a time when most of us were anything but. She had a quiet light that lifted the people around her, and I know that light will continue to shine through everyone who loved her.
May her memory be a blessing. Wishing you peace and love.
— Susan (Susie) Stein, College Friend
Dear Ilan,
When my daughter was born on January 29th, 2021, I received an incredibly touching message and blessing from your Mom that my wife and I cherished in our first days of being parents. I wanted to share it with you, as it really belongs to you:
“Mazal tov to you and Myra on the birth of your beautiful daughter. My son Ilan was born on January 29, 2004, so I can attest to the fact that January 29 is an auspicious day to welcome a baby into the world. May she grow in happiness and good health, with curiosity and kindness, always bringing abundant blessings to those around her. It is cliché to say that the time goes fast, but having celebrated the 17th birthday of my sweet baby boy last Shabbat, I can tell you that it does.”
Your Mom was one who brought abundant blessing to those around her. I turned to her for advice and encouragement many times, and she was incredibly generous with her support as I navigated the earliest days of my career. But I mourn her most deeply when I think about how she was the kind of Rabbi and person who thought to encourage one of her students in their earliest days of becoming a parent. Our hearts go out to you and Rebecca and your whole family and may your Mom’s memory be a blessing and source of love to you always.
With love and prayers for comfort for you and your family,
— Rabbi Ben Gurin
אשא עיני אל ההרים מאין יבוא עזרי? עזרי מעם ה׳ עושה שמים וארץ. I lift my eyes to the mountains; from where will my help come? My help comes from God, maker of heaven and earth. (Psalms 121:)
Andrea loved the Psalms, perhaps because they represent the most intimate, prayerful, personal, powerful, yet vulnerable aspects of human and divine life. I will long remember a call Andrea initiated to me just before Yom Kippur, when it is traditional to seek forgiveness for an unintentional hurt one may have caused. It is often a perfunctory, almost ceremonial act. Not this time and not this person. In some ways, Rabbi Andrea Weiss, PhD, Provost, celebrated author, ordainer of rabbis and cantors, was larger than life. But, in other ways, she was a rare, remarkable, reflective human being who could see people clearly and deeply. Andrea will be missed. Her absence will be felt, and yet for those of us who were blessed to know her, Andrea will continue to be present, in her words of wisdom and in her acts of righteousness.
יהי זכרה ברוך – May her memory be a blessing
— Jan and Alane Katzew, Rabbi, PhD Associate Professor Emeritus of Education and Jewish Thought
How can someone so petite be a giant? How can someone so expansive in her vision be so grounded? How can someone so sensitive and quiet be so fierce facing so many crises? How can someone so learned and brilliant in her scholarship be so able to teach, preach and just talk to everyone regardless of their background? HUC has lost an inspiring leader; our broken Jewish world, a healing compassionate rabbi; our feminist movement has lost a beacon for change and voice for Women’s Torah… and so much more! Andrea Weiss changed us forever. Her legacy lives. Our hearts are with her family and dearest friends. Her memory will be a blessing that keeps giving.
— Rabbi Naamah Kelman
Dear Alan, Rebecca, Ilan and your entire family,
I started my current position at HUC 5 years ago, I worked under Andrea’s inspired leadership. She was always my beacon for how to do the holy work of training the next generation of rabbis, cantors and educators. I will miss her terribly. Please accept my sincerest condolences on your most profound loss. For my part, I will rededicate myself to her work and her teaching to help realize the blessings of her memory and legacy.
B’vracha,
— Reuven Greenvald, Rabbi, Hebrew Union College Year-In-Israel Director
Just as Andrea’s strength, wisdom and mentschlekheit were powerful inspirations to me and to so many in the Jewish world, so may her strength in turn be a source of strength to her family and friends at this time, may her wisdom continue to inspire future generations of rabbis and Jewish leaders to seek wisdom in our tradition, and may her mentschlekheit live on through the countless souls who she demonstrated this for, directly and indirectly. Baruch Dayan Ha’Emet.
— Rabbi Leah Lewis
I will continue to carry the supreme honor of having known Rabbi Andrea Weiss. In our shared commitment to the values and success of Hebrew Union College, we were colleagues. I drew, and will continue to draw, inspiration from my friendship with Andrea. Her death is a great loss for all who knew her. I send my respect and affection to her entire family.
— Daniel Hoffheimer, Member, Hebrew Union College Board of Advisers
For ten years, I had the extraordinary privilege to work with Andrea on the New York Campus of HUC-JIR. In my role as Associate Dean and Director of the Rabbinical Program, I experienced closely Andrea’s brilliance, compassion and vision. I learned so much from her, certainly from the opportunities I had to study Bible with her, but more from witnessing her leadership in action. She led an incredible transformation of our annual Kallah because she listened to and empowered students in taking on leadership roles to vision the kallah anew. She was always seeking ways to strengthen our rabbinical program to better meet students’ needs and interests. I marveled at the model she set for Rebecca and Ilan, as each year she brought them to kallah with a craft project that they would make and sell to support an organization doing some good work for Tikkun Olam. Ilan always had his moment at the end to announce how much they raised! I was most sorry at the end of my tenure at HUC that I would not have the opportunity to be part of the team working under Andrea’s leadership as Provost. It was wonderful to see the changes she brought about through her leadership. Such a bright light has been extinguished far too soon, but her essence will live on in countless ways.
My deepest condolences to Alan, Rebecca, Ilan and the entire Weiss family for your overwhelming loss. In gratitude for the great gift of her life. May Andrea’s memory be an abiding blessing.
— Renni Altman, Rabbi Emeria, Vassar Temple, Poughkeepsie, NY
To my dear friend Andrea:
Well, Aaron promised us we would have a “good time”!
Please ask him when that is going to begin!!
You will be missed by all——
Love,
— Sue Hochberg, Immediate Past Chair Hebrew Union College
Andrea Weiss loved active verbs, which feels so fitting because a foundational feature of Biblical studies is, of course, the excavation of verbs. I remember how Andrea taught us to mine biblical passages for meaning, to surface hidden gems that made the text sparkle in our modern eyes, especially repeated roots and key words. And when I reflect on Andrea’s life and legacy, I think that “verb” is one of the key words of her story. Because Andrea was a living verb (Andrea, please forgive the “was”). She was a person who kept doing and doing and doing, who never stopped, who never settled for anything less than absolute mastery and incomparable excellence. Her consistently cutting-edge pedagogy, prolific scholarship, and visionary leadership transformed so many lives. A giant walked among us, and we were blessed.
— Dan Ross, Director of Alumni Engagement, Hebrew Union College
I have many good memories from all the times that I got to work with Andrea, learn from her, and socialize when she came to my home and I to hers.
But one memory that really stand out is from the week that followed the October 7 attack. I was standing outside the house of my dear friends who lost their son on that terrible day, inside the house my friends were sitting Shiva, Andrea was on the phone with me, checking on me from afar. I broke down and cried my heart out. “You don’t need to explain” she said to me “I am here” she continued to listen to me crying for a while until I calmed down, “I will call you again tomorrow” she said, before we said goodbye. And she did. First every day, and then every shabbat. “Just checking in” she would write. Sometimes it was too hard for me to answer, so I would just send her an emoji heart as a reply, a blue one, when I felt strong, a colorless heart when I felt sad, and a red one when I felt love.
When Andrea got sick, I tried to do what she has taught me. At the beginning I would check on her every Shabbat, “just checking in” I would write, “sending love, how are you?” And she answered with reports on her treatment, on her hopes, her thoughts. These catchups became less or more frequent, depending on where we each were. The last time I wrote to her was on Shabbat. I wrote: “Hi, I am thinking about you and sending my love. You don’t need to respond. Just know that you are in my thoughts and prayers” . She replied with an emoji. It was a heart. It was red.
זכרונה לברכה
— Rabbi Dganit Timor Jenshil, Hebrew Union College Jerusalem Campus
Please accept my deepest condolences on the loss of Rabbi Andrea Weiss.
I had the privilege of working with Andrea during my time at Hebrew Union College, and I will always remember her as a truly extraordinary colleague, leader, and friend. She was absolutely brilliant—thoughtful, insightful, and deeply learned—but she wore that brilliance with such warmth and generosity. Andrea was a pleasure to work with: engaging, kind, and fully present with the people around her. She had a way of bringing wisdom, integrity, and humanity to everything she did.
Her passing is a tremendous loss for Hebrew Union College and for our wider world. But most of all, my heart is with her family, who have lost someone so deeply beloved.
Her memory is a blessing.
— Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback
Rabbi Weiss’ passing is a painful moment. She was a vital part of my daughter’s rabbinical training, along with other administrators at Hebrew Union College. My daughter came from a small country with a single Reform community, founded more than 20 years ago, with limited access to funds for the beautiful buildings our Judaism deserves or to prepare academic Rabbis. Yet, through a scholarship, she was able to pursue her rabbinical training. I personally saw her in 2023 when my daughter received her Master’s degree in Hebrew Language , Rabbi Weis was with each graduate during that year’s ordination ceremony, offering words of blessing to each of them. Thank you so much, Rabbi Weis. May the Eternal One grant that there will be people like you who support young people eager to deepen their Jewish knowledge and fulfill their dreams, as our prayer books say: Leor Vador. May her memory be a blessing.
— Jeannette Orantes, Former President of Asociación Judía Reformista de Guatemala, Adat Israel
Andrea and I studied together in Jeff Tigay’s class in the late 90s at the University of Pennsylvania. Andrea’s dedication to scholarship was legendary. She would come to each class carefully prepared, and always spoke in class based on sources and clear arguments. Prof. Tigay expected us to demonstrated proficiency in all sections of the Hebrew Bible, and Andrea took a full year to study. Of course, she passed all four tests with flying colours. Thoughtful, engaged, deeply involved in her scholarship, Andrea was an inspiration to us all. At the same time, as a late-career student, she was raising a family and serving as a mentor to congregations.
I received the news of her passing with great shock and sadness. All of us who studied with her will always remember her. Condolences to Andrea’s family.
— Shawn Zelig Aster, Associate Professor, Bar-Ilan University
We–the rabbinic students of the Virtual Pathway – exist because Rabbi Andrea Weiss dreamed us into existence, believing that second-career people with full-time jobs, marriages, divorces, kids, and mortgages can and should serve the Jewish people in this capacity. We exist because she thought that maturity, experience, and being embedded in Jewish life could make a difference for Jewish congregations. It is her dream that made our dreams possible for us.
Andrea’s wise advice to me in several intimate conversations about career, motherhood, how to handle antisemitism in academia, how to dream up a better Israel, and how to manage high expectations from multiple quarters has been priceless. I feel wretched at the prospect of arriving at the finish line without her at my side at ordination. I feel wretched for all of us. Our life’s work in the rabbinate is the continuation of her work.
— Hadar Aviram, Rabbinical Student, Virtual Pathway Cohort 1
My sincere condolences to Andrea’s family, friends and colleagues.
Of all of Andea’s wonderful qualities mentioned in these tributes, I was especially impressed with her as a visionary and implementer. She worked tirelessly to create a new iteration of the rabbinical school curriculum and did so by engaging all of the stakeholders, establishing the relevant committees and ensuring that all the parties were on board. Her meticulous notetaking, follow up and implementation were the result of enormous energy and tireless commitment to her goals. As I understand the same commitment was shown in the development of the new Pathway program to the rabbinate. In this, as in so many other ways, she was a model for us all.
יהי זכרה ברוך
— David Mendelsson, Former Director of the Year-in-Israel Program and Faculty of Jerusalem Campus
“Be a learner, not a judger.” These were words that Rabbi Andrea Weiss taught us at one of our most recent Virtual Pathway gatherings in Cincinnati. I will miss her smile, her approachability, and her commitment to all of her students and the ongoing work of Hebrew Union College. We were honored to bring Rabbi Weiss to Congregation Beth Israel in Houston, Texas, as a Scholar-in-Residence in January 2024, and it was during this time that we hosted “Holy Sparks: Celebrating Fifty Years of Women in the Rabbinate.” This art exhibit prominently featured Rabbi Weiss, among many others, and her legacy of scholarship. Subsequent to her visit, I enjoyed dinner with Rabbi Weiss in Memphis at the Annual Gathering of the Association of Reform Jewish Educators (ARJE). It was during that dinner when she laid out her vision of what would become the Virtual Pathway of rabbinic ordination at HUC and how I might be able to apply. I’m so grateful for everything she contributed to the Jewish world, to academia, and to her students including me. May her memory always be a blessing.
— David Scott, Virtual Pathway Rabbinic Student
Such a beautiful soul. May Rabbi Andrea Weiss memory forever be a blessing.
— Rochelle siegel-Day, Member of Synagogue Emanu-el
When Rick and I were in a serious accident in 2021, Andrea visited me when she came to Cincinnati and was as much the rabbi as she was a scholar and teacher. She embodied the rabbinic role and modeled it for her students and the HUC community. To her beloved family I join Rick in sending deepest condolences and gratitude for life. May the comfort of community help to ease your grief
— Anne Arenstein, Faculty spouse
Dear Alan, Rebecca and Ilan,
I was so saddened to learn of Andrea’s passing. I did not know she had been ill.
Andrea literally saved the publication of The Torah A Women’s Commentary. I was the lay chair of the edition and was so excited when Andrea took a leadership position that truly propelled the publication to its finish.
It was an always a pleasure to see her at Reform events and reminisce about our years working through the commentary’s publishing. We also knew each other originally with her living in Bala Cynwyd and I in Lancaster.
She will be so missed by so many. May her name be for a blessing
Warmly,
— Rosanne Selfon, WRJ Past President
Dear Alan, Rebecca and Ilan, I am heartbroken at the news of Andrea’s death. She was such a wonderful person. As the teacher of our Torah study class, she was an inspiration to us all. She was so smart, so kind, so ppatient, putting up with all our “mishigas” for all those years. She made each one of us a better person. As a friend, I was in awe of everything that she did with ease and compassion. Please know that Louis and I are thinking of you- and sending you our love. Susan (and Louis) Bricklin
— Susan Bricklin, Student and Friend
Andrea’s kindness and compassion touched my life in ways I will always carry with me. Over the years, she helped guide me through several transitions with different registrars and supported me through the loss of one of them. During that difficult time, her patience and understanding meant more to me than she probably ever knew.
When my father passed away, Andrea showed that same care by asking about him and checking in on my family. Over the years, she continued to ask about my daughter and how we were doing. Those small but meaningful gestures made it clear that she cared about me as a person, not just as a colleague. That kind of compassion is rare and something I will never forget.
Andrea was also someone who took the time to acknowledge others. She often thanked me for the work we did together and reminded me that what I contributed mattered. Her encouragement helped me see my own value during moments when I needed that reminder.
I hope her family finds some comfort in knowing that Andrea’s impact reached far beyond the work she did at HUC. She contributed not only to the institution, but also to the lives of the people who had the privilege of working with her. Her kindness, warmth, and genuine care for others will stay with many of us for years to come. I will always be grateful for the kindness she showed me and my family.
— Monisha “Mo” Ringler, Associate Registrar
One of my favorite memories of Dr. Weiss was at one of the HUC-JIR New York retreats. We organized a “battle of the classes and professors,” a playful competition where we tested different skills. One of the activities was called “testing the core.” Usually at HUC that phrase referred to the core curriculum—but this time it meant something else entirely. We challenged one person from each team to see who could hold a plank the longest.
Andrea stepped up to represent the professors. She held that plank far longer than anyone else. One by one the students dropped, and she didn’t seem fazed at all. She just stayed steady and strong. That moment captured something true about Andrea. She was one of my favorite professors at HUC-JIR. She taught with passion and clarity, and she gave her students the tools and confidence to carry her learning forward. She was an incredible to the core!
— Rabbi Ethan Prosnit
It is difficult to find the words to describe the profound impact that Rabbi Weiss has had on my life. Our check in Zooms and in-person meetings whenever she came to visit LA were always the highlights of my semesters. She constantly offered me invaluable advice, and guidance. Hearing Rabbi Weiss speak so passionately about her projects and works always inspired me to dig deeper into my studies. Her calm presence, masterful leadership, and unwavering compassion are just a few of the traits I hope to emulate in my rabbinate. This loss is monumental. I am sending my deepest condolences to Alan, Rebecca, and Ilan. May her memory be a blessing, and may her legacy live on throughout the generations.
— Lisa Friedman, Rabbinical Student (’28)
I am so incredibly brokenhearted to hear of Rabbi Dr. Weiss’s death. She was such a role model to me in every way. From the moment I saw her name on my first edition of the Women’s Commentary she was a gadol in my mind. While at HUC I got to know her and learn from her: she taught me how to love the Psalms, and helped me grow as an adult educator. Having her on my Capstone committee, helping me review things that are still at the core of my work every day, was the biggest honor.
We have lost one of the most important voices in Jewish life today, and I will miss her immensely.
May her memory be for a blessing to us who knew her, and to the many future generations who will continue to benefit from her work here on earth.
— Liana Wertman, MEdL, 2022
Like so many colleagues and friends, I am heartbroken by Andrea’s passing. She was a wise and gracious colleague and role model. Her work on The Torah: A Women’s Commentary elevated the role of women’s scholarship and enriched so many of us who studied its pages. I feel blessed to have learned much from her over the years and will remember her fondly. Her memory is surely a blessing to us all and the legacy of what she leaves behind will continue to inspire for years to come.
— Marla Feldman, Women of Reform Judaism, Executive Director Emerita
I was lucky enough to hear Rabbi Dr. Andrea Weiss teach at my synagogue on two occasions, once, on the heels of the most recent presidential election, when Rabbi Sarah Berman asked her to speak about “American Values, Religious Voices;” and once, earlier in 2024, when several of us were studying the Psalms with Rabbi Andrew Kaplan Mandel and he invited her to speak to us. I also use the Torah Women’s Commentary that Rabbi Weiss co-edited. From these experiences and readings, I found Rabbi Weiss to be smart, thoughtful, warm, and relatable. She leaves a hole in the hearts of all of us who have had the honor of learning with and from her. May her memory be a blessing.
— Jill Gross, Congregant, Central Synagogue
Rabbi Andrea Weiss was a towering figure in the American Jewish Community. Her groundbreaking work, the Women’s Commentary to the Torah was/is/and will be an invaluable contribution to Jewish feminist studies, as well as to Biblical studies in general. The loss of Rabbi/Dr. Weiss is as momentous as were her contributions.
May her family, friends and colleagues be among the mourners of Zion.
— Lisa Ellison (Kogen), Women’s League for Conservative Judaism
Knowing and working with Andrea was a great privilege. I first met her while interviewing for my job at Hebrew Union College. With what I would later learn was her trademark clarity, she offered a single metaphor that captured exactly what the role would demand. But even then, I knew she saw the heart of things.
Andrea modeled what it means to lead with strength and values. During our time together I was fortunate to receive so much of her wisdom. I will miss her ability to examine an issue from every angle, her love of language (and her impeccably pointed editing “feedback”), her appreciation for great ice cream and comfortable shoes, and the deep passion she brought to everything she touched. Listening to her speak about her work and her beloved family was life affirming. Alan, Rebecca, and Ilan: she lit up every time she talked about you—your joys, your pursuits, and the moments you shared. I am so sorry for your loss.
May her memory always be a blessing.
— Patricia Keim, Assistant Vice President, Marketing and Communications Hebrew Union College
Andrea was a dear friend, colleague, and inspiration to me for the past thirty years — and it feels like only yesterday that we joyfully bumped into each other in a stairwell at Tufts University while moving our children into the same corridor of their first-year dormitory.
Like all of Andrea’s colleagues, I will forever be reminded of her bright light as I continue to lean upon the excellence of her scholarship, which literally changed the landscape of contemporary Jewish life. However, the memories I will cherish even more are of her gentle wisdom and menschlichkeit. Every opportunity I had to work with her revealed a little more of her integrity, vision, and human touch. The Jewish world is greatly diminished by her loss, but how blessed we have been and will always be that she chose to devote her life’s work to us.
I am especially crestfallen for all of you, Andrea’s loved ones, who have lost your wife, mother, daughter, and sister. The hole in your hearts is no doubt immeasurable. I hope there is some small measure of comfort in knowing how precious Andrea was to the wide circle of friends, students, partners, and admirers whose lives she influenced so greatly for the better. May her memory be an abiding blessing and a source of consolation and peace for you at this terribly painful time.
— Rabbi Ken Chasen
Dear Andrea,
I am forever grateful for the time we spent together while I was a student at HUC-JIR. Not only were you a brilliant teacher and rabbi, but you were a compassionate, caring, and loving human soul. I am blessed to have spent even a brief time in your classroom and feel grateful for all you taught by the example you set. We are all better clergy and educators for knowing you – your memory will be a blessing to us and all who knew you.
With love and gratitude,
— Cantor Tracy Fishbein
To Alan , Rebecca and Ilan, Marty , siblings Mitch, Laura, and Roger and Catherine ,
I wanted to express my sincere condolences on the death of Andrea. Her loss cuts the deepest for you her family, her pride and joy.
This is a tremendous loss for our entire community, as we have lost our teacher and good friend . When I started at HUC in NYC back in 2001, she was our bible teacher and she was so energetic and thoughtful and taught prophets in a way I never seen before. She was passionate and cared about each student and I was always so impressed by her. After ordination, it was easier to connect to professors as colleagues. I remember particularly one convention in LA, she had just become provost and came out with Michael Marmur to a restaurant where many of us were eating and we called Michael and her over to have a drink. I knew her to be very proper and seemed to be always so serious but we got to see another side of her as she had a few drinks and laughed and maybe let her guard down a bit and we had such a fun night. After that I loved seeing her at conventions or other shared rabbinic events, she found that balance of being an excellent leader and teacher but also a down to earth friend and colleague. I will miss her very much but I know she had a huge impact on hundreds of reform clergy and leaders who got the chance to learn from her and get to know her. May Andrea’s name always be remembered as a blessing, zichrona livracha.
— Rabbi Stephen Wise
Rabbi Weiss always exuded vitality and presence, and she made me feel seen on a personal level amidst the many students she worked with. She was so excited to connect me with her daughter, Rebecca, when we were living in the same city. I’m grateful for the time we shared and am sending Rebecca and your whole family this wish: Let this grief take all the time it needs. Zichronah livrachah — we will all carry on her memory, in ways big and small, as she continues to bless our lives.
— Lizzie Frankel, Rabbinical Student (’26)
The pain of losing a loved one lives with us always, and the love we shared continues to grow alongside us always. May Andrea’s love, passion and compassion continue to bring strength to you – her dear family – as well as to all her students from near and far.
May her memory be for a blessing, may her work be for ongoing inspiration, and may you find comfort in the memories and the stories today and each day.
— Rabbi Simone Schicker, Hebrew Union College class of 2018
My deepest condolences go to the family of Andrea Weiss. I have wonderful memories of her taking precious time out of what were certainly busy days guiding me through psalms as they related to my thesis on lament. Surely, I know a collective lament is arising for Andrea, and out of that lament will form a psalm of comfort and healing, guidance for these next unknown steps and filled with her loving memory. May the source of peace comfort you, and all the mourners of Zion, may her memory forever be a blessing and comfort to all who knew her. Zichronam Livrachah.
— Cantor Lauren Furman Adesnik
I only met Rabbi/Dr. Weiss once – the day that Dr. Rehfeld introduced us at his own father’s funeral. I was immediately impressed with Rabbi Weiss’ warmth and knowledge. She was a face and voice that I recognized, and knew that she was part of a strong network of leaders working to form our next generation. Baruch Dayan Haemet. May her memory always be for a blessing.
— David Golaner
Rabbi Weiss, in addition to being an incredible scholar, was also wonderfully kind. I didn’t know her as well as some others, but she was always so helpful with advising me on my unusual class schedule and ordination requirements. Any time I had a question (and that was quite often), she was there to support me. She was beloved by our entire community, and my heart goes out to her family at this difficult time. I know that her memory will always be for a blessing.
— Julia Bennett, HUC Rabbinical Student/RJE
נָֽפְלָה֙ עֲטֶ֣רֶת רֹאשֵׁ֔נוּ
“The crown has fallen from our head…” (Lamentations 5:16)
My heart is with you at this very tender time. Andrea and I only overlapped during our first year of Rabbinic school. She was so smart, so kind, and the model of what it means to be a learned leader of the Jewish people. She readily shared her insights and her wisdom. What a gift! And yet, on the few occasions that we interacted at conferences, she wouldn’t really talk about HUC or Reform movement things. She talked with me about family. It was clear that whatever goodness she shared with the rest of the world was greatly eclipsed by what she gave to you…and what you meant to her. May her name always live on, and do so as a blessing and inspiration.
— Rabbi Andy Koren, Temple Emanuel Greensboro, NC – HUC Class of 1993
I was at Penn with Andrea. We had the shared experiences of HUC-JIR in common, which was an instant bond. I have wonderful memories of sitting together in her living room and sharing all the blessings and challenges of our current studies. I remember numerous lunches with her and other women in the PhD program. It was a pleasure getting together with such a smart group of people!
I treasure the Women’s Torah Commentary, which she had such a large roll in creating!
I was also privileged to see her again several years later when she visited Sarasota. She taught a lesson for one of the local synagogues. I loved her teaching. I loved seeing her again. She was such a talented person!
She and I exchanged short emails since her illness.
I will miss her.
May her memory always be a blessing to all the lives she touched.
— Rabbi Dr. Susan Marks
I was in a weekly chevruta with Andrea and Rabbi Paula Goldberg during our first year at HUC-JIR in Jerusalem. Andrea was, of course, brilliant, but also kind and helpful. She was serious about her studies, so no one was surprised when she became Provost, just honored to know that our dear friend was put in such an important position. While career and time often separated us, I always sought out her teachings at Reform movement gatherings. She was taken too soon from her family, friends, and the HUC-JIR community. Our ordination class remains quite close since we started together in Jerusalem. She was universally loved and respected among her classmates. I can only imagine what more good she could have done with more time. My memories of her are indeed a blessing that will lift me up moving forward.
— Rabbi Greg Kanter
Andrea and I were hired the very same year, so my entire HUC career overlaps with hers.
We shared so many milestone moments. We brought our kids to Kallah together; together they made crafts and sold them to raise money for malaria nets in Africa and other important causes of Andrea’s choosing.
We worked closely on so many projects, most notably, on strengthening Hebrew education and proficiency at HUC. To that end, we traveled together to Middlebury College and to Jerusalem, and instituted new programs. We shared a love of poetry and metaphor and shared writing and podcast recommendations. Andrea was a great supporter and collaborator in all of my teaching and writing on Hebrew poetry, including of my most recent book, which is a Kaddish memoir — a devastating but comforting fact at this moment: Andrea shared with me that she had been reading the book over the holidays and these past few months.
I constantly marveled over Andrea’s skill as an administrator: her organizational abilities, meticulousness, seeming unflappability, and unflagging ability to listen even when she didn’t agree, and most incredibly, her ability to bring people together constructively to get good things done. She was a consummate teacher, leader, and reader of biblical texts.
I am struck, right now, by two important, moving things that Andrea wrote, that typify her as a person, leader, and religious personality.
First, the introduction to the second volume of American Values, Religious Voices:
“While I was walking my dog on Friday, November 11, 2016, just three days after the election of Donald Trump—an idea started to form. Months of provocative rhetoric, and audacious campaign promises had left me wondering what happened to “liberty and justice for all,” or “Give me your tired, you poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free.” News footage of violence breaking out at campaign rallies and tales of families torn apart by politics had made me question what happened to :Love your neighbor as yourself,” or the notion of all human being created in God’s image.
Meandering through my neighborhood in 2016, I thought to myself. Maybe Bible scholars like me have something to say at this fraught moment in our national history. Maybe our politicians, particularly those who profess to come to elected office with strong religious commitments– need to hear from those of us who dedicate our lives to understanding the ancient stories of wisdom that are filled with enduring truths about what is right and just. Maybe, I thought, everyone in our country could benefit from wisdom, especially at a time when many people were feeling unmoored and anxious, uncertain of where we were headed as a nation.
So that gave me an idea: What if I could get 100 scholars of religion — people across the country of all faiths and backgrounds—to write a letter a day to the president, vice president, and members of Congress reflecting on our core American values that connect to our different religious traditions?
… This project aims to contribute constructively to our national discourse, reaffirming who we are as Americans and modeling how we can learn from one another and work together for the common good.”
The thing about Andrea is that she had this sensitivity about the world and this idea, and she knew how to bring people together, so constructively, to make it come to fruition, not just once but twice.
The second is the poem that she wrote for The Torah: A Woman’s Commentary, which she so masterfully co-edited. The poem beautifully encapsulates the blessing of her spiritual leadership, and the sad lonely journey of her passing:
Lekh Lekha
Go forth on a journey
Go by yourself:
Standing at a crossroads
You venture from the known to the unknown.
Some journeys must be made alone.
Go to yourself:
Spiral inward and unwrap your past
And your potential.
Remember that the soul which you havce made
is unique and holy.
Go by yourself
Smell the fragrance
Which spreads across the land
As you roam an wander.
Refresh yourself
Under the tree which grows by the spring,
At the side of the road.
Make your name great and
Make your life a blessing.
With love, appreciation and so much sadness,
— Wendy Zierler, SIgmund Falk Professor of Modern Jewish Literature and Feminist Studies
Dear members of the Tauber and Weiss families,
I’m deeply saddened by the news of Andrea’s death. My heart is low, and I mourn for your loss and the loss of the Jewish world.
I knew Andrea from HUC where she was a class ahead of me in NYC (til I took a year off and then was a couple of years behind.) I remember her upbeat nature and her determination. As I recall we served many dinners to the hungry at the HUC soup kitchen.
Then I remember her as a terrific biblical scholar teaching at many events I attended. I particularly recall one session about feminine names and characteristics of God. I’ve used that lesson many times since then with various groups. I’m indebted to Andrea.
I also got to work a bit with her when she edited my short piece in the Women’s Torah Commentary. She was exacting, because of her rigorous attention this commentary made a big impact then and it is still the commentary that most of my congregants reach for at Torah study each week.
I hope that the caring and support of loving family helps sustain you through this devastating loss. May the kindness of your friends help shine light on your path through grief.
Sincerely,
— Valerie Lieber, Rabbi – Hebrew Union College NY ordinee 1995
Dear Family of Dr. Weiss,
I was deeply saddened to learn of Dr. Andrea Weiss’s passing, and I wanted to share a small reflection of what she meant to me as one of her HUC students.
Dr. Weiss taught the Hebrew intensive for the executive MA which I was fortunate to be a part of when I returned to HUC-JIR to pursue my executive master’s degree later in my career. Going back to school while working full time was both exciting and intimidating, and Hebrew was not always easy for me. Dr. Weiss met me — and all of her students — with patience, kindness, and a quiet steadiness that made us feel capable and supported.
She always made time for me, even when work responsibilities caused me to miss a class and fall behind. Rather than making me feel embarrassed, she offered encouragement and gentle guidance that helped me find my footing again. That generosity of spirit is something I will never forget.
What stayed with me most was her deep love for Hebrew and the intentionality she brought to her teaching. Hebrew was never just a language in her classroom — it was a doorway into meaning, tradition, and connection. Her presence carried both warmth and wisdom, and it left a lasting imprint on me.
As someone who has spent my career working in Jewish communal life, I can say with certainty that Dr. Weiss’s influence reached far beyond the classroom. The care she showed, the respect she had for her students, and the reverence she held for our tradition have shaped my own personal and professional journey in ways that continue to unfold.
Please know that her teaching, her spirit, and her love of Hebrew live on through the many students whose lives she touched.
May her memory be for a blessing.
With deep gratitude,
l’shalom,
— Cathy M Rolland, Vice President, Congregational Services & Community Vibrancy, Union for Reform Judaism
My words will fall short, but Rabbi Weiss was my teacher, my mentor and a shining example of what a rabbi, a mother, a teacher and more could be. From being in awe of her intellect, to witnessing her compassion and dedication to her students, I have always admired the rabbi she is, but not only that, also the person she is. My own rabbinate follows the example she set. Her legacy continues to live on. Zichrona Livracha.
— Rabbi Debra Bennet
I just adored Rabbi Weiss. She was such a giant both at HUC and in the Jewish world more broadly, but she was always so humble and approachable. I remember her guest teaching a session for our Bible class and blowing everyone’s minds. I remember finding myself on the subway with her after ordination in 2024. We spent the ride chitchatting about San Diego and the beach. I feel so lucky to have a signed copy of American Values, Religious Voices. I will forever cherish it. I will miss her dearly.
— Morgan Tobey, Rabbinical Student
My sincerest condolences on the loss of Dr. Weiss. I am eternally grateful to her for what she taught me, and continue to teach Torah of hers to this day.
— Rabbi David Levy
Dear Alan, Rebecca, Ilan, and Family,
I first met Andrea in the early 1980s when she applied to taught in my religious school at Congregation Sherith Israel in San Francisco. When I met her in an interview, I told her within minutes of our talking that I and our congregation would be thrilled should she teach our children, which she did with her characteristic love and commitment to our kids, Judaism, and the Jewish people. Years later, she told me that that experience, and one in particular – she brought her students to my study and we all talked about an issue in her curriculum – persuaded her as a college student to become a rabbi. Already, as the provost at HUC, I did not realize how her decision would influence so many rabbis and the character of the Reform movement. I had been proud of her for years already at that point. Little could I have guessed who she would become, the brilliant scholar she would be, and the immense impact she would have. Though we only saw one another intermittently, I always felt deeply proud of her, and impressed by her intelligence, gentility, and kindness.
Andrea’s death is a huge loss to the Jewish people. I join with the thousands of mourners and hope that somehow you who loved her most might find a measure of comfort among all who respected and loved her and among all who mourn in Zion and Jerusalem.
With the deepest sympathy.
— Rabbi John Rosove, Senior Rabbi Emeritus, Temple Israel of Hollywood, Los Angeles
Andrea’s legacy will be an enduring blessing for the Reform community and for the Jewish People. Sending loving condolences to her family and beloveds.
— Rabbi Jill Maderer, Congregation Rodeph Shalom, Philadelphia
Dear Alan, Rebeca and Ilan,
I am deeply saddened by the passing of Andrea. Much will be said and written on her outstanding achievements at HUC: as a teacher, as the first woman rabbi to ordain new rabbis, as the founder of the virtual pathway rabbinical program, as a remarkable provost who navigated the academic programs in times of Covid – and much more. HUC and the global reform Jewry lost a unique leader. Despite being modest and humble Andrea’s presence and leadership were so significant due to her wisdom, scholarship and love and care for students and colleagues. To me, and to my family, Andrea will always also be remembered as a true friend and as the one who opened her house, your house, and heart, to us when we were in Philadelphia in 2019-20. Sigal, myself and our children send our condolences.
מן השמיים תנוחמו!
— Yaron Horovitz
I did not know Andrea well personally, but I have read and used much of her work. She was a fine scholar and, from all I have seen and heard, a marvelous teacher and person. May your family all find the comfort and strength that you need at this time. Yehi zikhra barukh!
— Ed Greenstein, Professor Emeritus of Bible, Bar Ilan University, Israel
It is with a heavy heart that I send my sincere condolences to Andrea’s family, friends and colleagues. She will always be remembered as a gentle, wise and kind soul.
May her memory always serve to be a blessing.
— Cantor Gail Hirschenfang
והחכמה מאין תמצא ואי זה מקום בינה (איוב כ״ח י״ב)
Rabbi Andrea Weiss זצ״ל
I remember this feeling of awe, understanding that our 2019 cohort of Israeli Rabbinical Program alumni would be the first ordained by a woman. That meant the idea of women being rabbis settled fully in the Jewish contemporary life and ascended to a next level. It was the real proof of ללמוד וללמד לשמור ולעשות – “to study and to teach, to preserve and to act”.
I remember Rabbi Andrea teaching us about semikha of Yehoshua in chapter 27 of the book of Numbers in the day of our semikha. Her love to the words of Torah was a true example that taught me I was going to accept my ordination from an extraordinary person.
May her memory be a blessing for her family and for all of her friends and students. She will continue to live in her words of Torah and in us who will teach them to the next generations of students in her name.
כל המביא דבר בשם אומרו – מביא גאולה לעולם (מגילה ט״ו ע״א)
— Rabbi Binyamin Minich, Chairperson of MARAM
Rabbi and Dr Andrea Weiss was my classmate, my roommate of three years, my teacher and friend. I knew that she would do amazing things and like everyone in our class. I am so proud of everything that she achieved. Our hearts are broken for ourselves but especially for the amazing Alan, Rebecca and Ilan.
A great rabbi of Israel lived and graced us with her intellect and kindness. She will never be forgotten.
My heart is with the family and I am so very sorry for your loss.
— Rabbi Karen Bender
Dearest Andrea – it is with tremendous sadness that I write this message, holding the memory of your kindness and your brilliance as a teacher in my heart.
I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to learn from you – especially at a time when you were working on The Women’s Commentary. Your teaching was inspiring and creative, and the high expectations you had of your students allowed us all to believe we could meet them.
Wishing your family comfort and gentle support, knowing the love and respect pouring from all corners of the world. Your memory will always be a blessing.
— Cantor Zoe Jacobs, Hebrew Union College NY 2009
Dear Alan, Rebecca and Ilan,
Your beloved Andrea was and remains a huge blessing in my life. She was my boss, colleague, friend and soul sister. As I mourn her loss, I also recognize just how much she accomplished, what a legacy she left for so many: students, colleagues, friends, scholars, everyone who used her Women’s Commentary and more.
Of course, your loss is the hardest. I lost my father as a young adult, so I know a bit about living with the void. And yet, he remains so strong with me some 36 years later.
I will miss her sage advise and counsel, her time with me in Jerusalem, our many many calls. Sending whatever love and comfort might bring you in the coming days of intense grief and mourning.
I know just how much each of you meant to her.
Respectfully,
— Rabbi Naamah Kelman, Retired Dean…and colleague forever
Andrea was one of the first new friends I made as a counselor at UAHC Camp Swig in the summer of 1984. She was instantly hilarious, kind, and so very smart, and I’m forever thankful for our years of friendship. As a student at UCSD, she would invite me to celebrate the High Holidays or have dinner with the Weiss family when she came home from Berkeley. I will always be grateful for the kindness and warmth of her parents, and for the friendships I experienced with Roger, Laura, and Mitch. Several years ago, she came to St Louis and was a guest speaker at our synagogue. I was blessed with a couple hours of time to catch up with her and to learn about her wonderful husband and children, of whom she was so proud. Please accept my deepest condolences on your loss and may her memory be a blessing forever.
— Andy Zuckerman, M.D.
I didn’t know her well or long. We met once over zoom, but her role in my life was significant. She was part of the committee I interviewed with three months ago when I applied to HUC-JIR’s rabbinical program and thus played a part in selecting me to be a student rabbi to hopefully someday God willing get ordained. I will forever be grateful for that and to have the privilege of meeting her even if it was only once for an hour. May her memory be a blessing.
— Arden Donohue, Prospective Rabbinical Student
I am saddened to hear of the passing of Rabbi Andrea Weiss. Although I did not know her as well as most, I had a chance to spend some time with her on my last trip to Israel. We were part of a delegation of students and faculty who traveled to Israel in the January after October 7, 2023. She was an amazingly encouraging and kind person. Although I do not have a Jewish background, she expressed multiple times to me how glad she was that I came along. She made it easy for me to NOT feel like “the odd man out.” What’s more, she was an incredibly gifted scholar and exemplary Provost. I count it a privilege to have known her for the short while that I did and I pray that her family finds peace and consolation during this time of great loss. May her memory be a blessing to all. הַמָּקוֹם יְנַחֵם אֶתְכֶם בְּתוֹךְ שְׁאָר אֲבֵלֵי צִיּוֹן וִירוּשָׁלָיִם.
— Christopher Beecher, Ph.D. Candidate, Pines School of Graduate Studies, Hebrew Union College Cincinnati
I remember the first time Rabbi Weiss taught me. It was my year in Jerusalem at HUC. She had a strong passion and love for teaching that overflowed. She ordained me in Cincinnati in 2022. I felt God’s presence in that moment as her hands were above my head. In my first year as an ordained Rabbi, I was honored to teach from her Women’s Commentary Torah book. Rabbi Weiss is one our people’s most influential and incredible scholars. She will be truly missed. May her memory live through our works as we bring a love for Judaism like Rabbi Weiss always shared with others.
— Rabbi Ashley Englander
Andrea was such a warm, compassionate, thoughtful, sincere, patient, and inspiring person for me to have the privilege to work with for most of two academic years, work which was well-imagined and executed among all of us, with her thoughtful and creative ideas and efforts, her team building, and her wonderful smile and wry sense of humor. (I especially liked when I got to see – or even elicit – her big smile and laugh.)
I also got to experience her sincere care and empathy during our daughter, Sarah’s, cancer treatments and her joy at Sarah’s return to health.
I will treasure always her words to the community at the end of my first year, characterizing me as “a true mensch”. Her confidence and encouragement continue to ring in my heart.
I hope we get to hear many stories of her family and wide colleagueship at the memorial on Friday and I will certainly treasure my copies of her efforts in conceiving and pulling together the two volumes of “American Values, Religious Voices: 100 Days, 100 Letters”.
Thinking of you all. As so much of her life was, may her memory be a blessing.
— Scott Dittman, Interim Hebrew Union College Registrar, 2022-23 & 2024-25
I came to know Andrea as friend and supporter of HUC-JIR, as a friend and for her leadership of the College-Institute, for her insights of Jewish knowledge and her important books, including “Women’s Torah Commentary” and “American Values, Religious Voices: 100 Days. 100 Letters”. We miss her very much. May Andrea’s memory be for a blessing.
— Alan Warshaw
Barukh dayan ha’emet!
Annie and I are deeply grieved to learn of your beloved Andrea’s passing. We send you our deepest love and caring concern.
Andrea has been a valued colleague and friend for many years. Only when we became administrative colleagues eight years ago did we get to know each other well and collaborate more deeply. Her loss leaves a gaping hole in our collective work. Her influence and aspirations abide with us.
HaShem yinachem etchem b’toch she’ar avilei Tziyon virushalayim.
With all our love,
Rick and Annie
— Rick Sarason, Faculty and Administrative Colleague
It was a privilege to study with Rabbi Weiss during the EMA program. She was a consummate teacher, scholar, professor, and a true role model. She taught us with kindness and compassion, skill and extreme intelligence. Thank you to her family for sharing Rabbi Weiss with all her students. May her memory be for blessing.
— Marla Aviva Bentley, RJE
So many have been inspired by her scholarship and gentleness. May her memory be for blessing. Condolences to all members of her family.
— Rabbi Jason Rosner, Executive Director – Sandra Caplan Community Bet Din
Oh this is such sad news. I will always remember Andrea as that vibrant, generous, brilliant ball of energy whose wise insights turned evrything you thought you know into something new. She led with חסד ואמת, and she will be remembered always as a blessing to the entire Jewish people, and to me. Sending all of her family and circles of friends love and strength in this hard season.
— Rabbi Lydia Medwin
You are in my broken heart. I will be teaching a class tomorrow on Song of Songs dedicated to you with a signed copy of the Women’s Torah Commentary beside me. You are a light and blessing to so many, most especially your family who I hold close in prayer. ❤🙏❤
— Rabbi Kimberly Herzog Cohen, (Temple Emanu-El Dallas), ‘11 Hebrew Union College NY
Dear Weiss family,
I was very saddened to hear of Rabbi Weiss’s passing. I thank her for all of her years of service to HUC-JIR, the Reform movement and to the Jewish people as a whole.
May her memory be a blessing and a comfort.
Sincerely,
— Eli Lieberman, Interim Library Director, NY Library
My literal Bible when I converted to Judaism was The Torah: A Women’s commentary. I saved up $70 to buy a used copy from eBay when I was short on cash, since I didn’t know how to get a new copy. It remains my prized possession.
To go to rabbinical school led by one of the women who compiled it was a huge dream made real for me. I consider it an honor of the highest order.
Thank you for all you taught us.
— Rabbi Rachael Houser
Rabbi Weiss was one of my most influential teachers and mentors. We shared a passion for the Hebrew Bible, in particular the poetics of its prophecies. Rabbi Weiss modeled careful reflection, patient pedagogy, and applied scholarship, and she showed me how incisive study of the bible can be an integral component of rabbinic study and work. I relished my time working with her as a student, in particular as part her Worship Working Group, and the opportunity to collaborate with her in the context of alumni leadership and service on HUC’s Board of Governors was very special to me. I always felt both respected and encouraged by Rabbi Weiss; and in particular, she pushed me to pursue my dream of writing a book about applied biblical scholarship, a project that I continue to work on. She was one of my most impactful professors and beloved colleagues, and I am devastated at her tragic and sudden loss. Rabbi Weiss was poised and brave as she faced her illness, inspiring me to confront my own mortality with honesty; and I am deeply grateful for the many legacies and lessons she leaves behind. Her memory will most certainly live on as a blessing as I join so many other students, colleagues, and friends in following her sterling example through our own lives and careers. Zichronah livrachah.
— Rabbi Daniel Kirzane
Dear Alan, Rebecca and Ilan,
No words can match the tragedy. Andrea has been a shining star and a glorious and inspiring presence. She generously shared her brilliant self with students, colleagues, friends, and the world. There is no one like her, who possessed so much compassion, intelligence, care, courage and wisdom.
I met her in my first year teaching at HUC and have had the privilege of watching her blossom into this extraordinary person whom we all know and love.
I cannot begin to imagine the depth of your sorrow and the magnitude of this loss. I know how much she loved you and how proud she was of you and your many accomplishments.
May the love that she inspired in all of us hold you at this time of bottomless sorrow.
May there be comfort ahead.
— Rabbi Tamara Eskenazi, Professor, Hebrew Union College
Dear Alan, Rebecca, Ilan, Marty, Mitch, Laura, Roger, and Catherine,
My heartfelt condolences on the loss of your beloved Andrea. It was a privilege to know Andrea ever since she was a gifted student at HUC, when it was clear that she had an exceptional intellect and profound soul and was destined to be a great scholar, teacher, author, and mentor.
Andrea was my “cover girl” for an issue of our Chronicle magazine focusing on women rabbinical students, was featured regularly in my numerous articles and press releases thereafter that tracked her graduate studies, her teaching on the faculty, her pioneering publications, her administrative leadership, and her vision for HUC’s future.
In curating the “Holy Sparks” exhibition celebrating 50 years of women in the rabbinate, Andrea was featured among the top 24 women rabbis around the world. I commissioned a talented artist to capture her essence — photographing her in her tallit standing in her beautiful, dew-covered garden, to express her biblical mantra about teaching as “words flowing as dew.” That portrait is permanently installed in the atrium surrounding our classrooms, an abiding visual reminder of her devotion to her students and the Jewish people.
We shared an appreciation for the Jersey shore and Asbury Park, the enjoyment of contemporary art at Mass Moca, and, most importantly, the commitment to strengthening HUC as the thriving pillar of Jewish life and learning.
May you all find a measure of comfort in the tremendous love and pride she had for all of you. Andrea’s legacy will endure as a source of inspiration to the many, many lives she touched. Future generations will continue to learn from her brilliant writings.
Please know that our HUC family is holding you in our hearts. May Andrea’s memory be a blessing to you all.
With love and remembrance,
— Jean Rosensaft, Former Asst VP for Communications & Public Affairs; Director, Heller Museum, Hebrew Union College
I didn’t know Andrea well because I just started this year. However, in our short time talking, I realized how lucky I was to have her as a supervisor. She was a real one in every sense. I was the lowest ranking faculty member and she was in charge of everything. But when we talked, we chopped it up like two regular folks. That meant a lot to me. She did not have to reach out at all. Thank you Andrea. You made me feel welcome at HUC. I am bummed I did not get to know you better. Just know you made a big impact on me in our brief meeting. Say what’s up to the rest of my friends who were taken too soon. I am sure you guys will get along.
— Danny G, Visiting Professor
Rabbi Weiss was always such a wonderful presence on campus. She was a brilliant educator and a thoughtful leader. You could tell she really cared about her job and her students and was always looking out for us. In my Year in Israel, I remember she carried around a binder with all of our pictures and bios so that she could get to know us. She would have listening sessions with the students and she always diligently took notes about everything we said. I even remember one time, during a lunch meeting, I knew I was going to eat lunch right after the meeting, so I didn’t bring anything to eat, but she saw that I was without food and offered me half of her own meal. I thought it was such a thoughtful, kind gesture for her to look out for me. Even though I didn’t always see it, I knew she was working tirelessly to make my experience at HUC possible. May her memory forever be a blessing.
— Shoshy Levine, Hebrew Union College Student
Rabbi Weiss was a great person. Her presence around the New York Campus was always bright and distinguished. She was a blessing for so many clergy, who will continue to reshape the world in her memory. My thoughts are with her family as they grieve her loss.
— Spencer Mandell, Rabbinical Student
I always found Dr. Weiss to be a kind and engaged leader at HUC. She was interested in what students were focusing their studies on and she was always genuine in her concern.
— Christopher Slane, Priest-in-Charge St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church Cincinnati, and Doctoral Candidate Hebrew Union College Cincinnati
I am so blessed to have gotten to know Rabbi Andrea Weiss and to have been personally received the Smichah blessing from her in 2024 at my ordination. It is a day I will remember forever and her presence with her hands on her head and her personal blessing she gave me will always have a special place in my heart and spirit. Rabbi Andrea Weiss was a strong leader, visionary, and trailblazer who supported equality and inclusion in the rabbinate, and truly made a remarkable impact on her students and on our beloved institution. She will truly be missed. May her memory forever be for a blessing.
— Rabbi Aria Caligiuri, Hebrew Union College LA class of 2024
For those of us in the pews who only occasionally were taught by a brilliant, kindhearted rabbi, we know what she brought to us through what our rabbis and cantors have told us and for that we will always be grateful, I always loved seeing her bless the newly ordained rabbis and cantors especially when someone tall had to bend so low to allow her to place her hands on the head of our new clergy, and somehow you could see how what she was doing actually elevated the person she was blessing. Her memory will always be that blessing and many more.
— Edward Saslaw
While we don’t know each other except in passing, I do know that professionally, Andrea gave so much. From her deep scholarship, to her teaching and the incredible respect her students had for her, to the connections she made with her students and colleagues, and her incredible leadership in bringing HUC-JIR into the 21st Century, Andrea was a blessing to so many.
May your memories of Andrea warm your souls and bring you comfort.
— Rabbi Harry Rosenfeld
Dear Andrea,
I loved studying with you as a student and was always impressed by your scholarship– and your mastery of professional attire, which I was truly still trying to figure out for myself. I was always struck by your serious side, and the smile that would emerge if you were getting in on some of our gossip, in the most professional way, of course. And I will never forget our bond when we tied in the plank competition for the “core” curriculum part of the Battle of the Classes match at kallah one year. What an honor to get to know you and your strength in multiple ways.
I am thinking of you and your family and holding you in prayer,
— Rabbi Susan Moss
From the years we shared at Camp Swig as Rashei Eidah through our professional connections, Andrea exuded kindness, wisdom, and compassion that were as exemplary as they were inspiring. Zichrona Livracha.
— Rabbi Daniel Weiner, Hebrew Union College ’91/em>
Messages of Support Sent for Andrea During Her Illness
Sending much love and strength to you and your family as you navigate these days. May you find the blessings of family, friendship, love, and peace as your guiding companions. I hold you in my own prayers, wishing you days filled with strength and overflowing with love.
— Rabbi Andrea Goldstein
Andrea,
We are grateful for all the Torah you have shared with us and with so many others including our daughter Ilana. That it was you who ordained her was so meaningful to us.
May the layers and layers of love bring you warmth and comfort.
L’shalom,
— Rabbis Barbara & Ron Symons
Dr. Weiss, Andrea,
Your intelligence, leadership, vitality , kindness and brilliance has made all of our lives better . Your Torah will keep doing so for generations. We are grateful for your partnership and the blessing that you are.
That you have exemplified mentclikite in such a moving way while teaching rabbis to be , and rabbis who have been…wow!
Gratefully,
— Rabbis Jonathan and Beth Singer
Dear Andrea,
Thank you for always welcoming me into your home and for sharing your incredible, loving family with me. You have brought more joy to my life than words could ever express. I feel so lucky to know you. Sending all my love.
— Ben Wolf
I am keeping you and your family in my heart and soul during this challenging time.
Andrea, you have always been an amazing scholar and a mensch. My congregation was blessed to have you in Napa to teach as a few years ago. We will forever be enriched by that experience, and I by your friendship.
B’shalom, Niles
— Rabbi Niles Goldstein, Congregation Beth Shalom
Dear Andrea,
I am sending you my wishes for strength and comfort.
You have always been such a wonderful colleague and teacher. Please know that I hold you and your family in my thoughts and my prayers.
B’yididut u’v’kavod,
— Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback
Dear Andrea:
I will always be grateful, not only for the Torah that you taught me, but for what you taught me about how to be a teacher of Torah. Your support and guidance during my years at HUC were so important in shaping my rabbinate.
How fortunate I was to continue to learn from you as we worked on the Study Guides for the Torah: A Women’s Commentary.
Sending you strength and love and holding you in my heart.
— Rabbi Stephanie Bernstein
My dear colleague and friend. I am so grateful to you for all your Torah. You embody Torah in the deepest most integrated way. I feel like we grew up together as colleagues and share a unique relationship to what we have devoted our lives to. You are loved!
— Amy Kalmanofsky
Dear Andrea,
Please know that you are in my thoughts. Remembering the “blondies” you baked, the Shabbat dinners you included me in so warmly, and the genuine care you showed to everyone around you. I’m so grateful for all the memories, and I’m sending you and your family lots of love and support.
— Spencer Rosenbaum
Dear Andrea,
My thoughts are with you and your family. You are a wonderful colleague whose empathy and wisdom have helped countless students…and at least one fellow provost.
With my best wishes.
— Jeff Kress, JTS
For Andrea who taught me to be a much more thoughtful and diligent teacher, who offered me a poem when I loss my mother that was so perfect for that day, whose writing and public addresses were so beautifully prepared and delivered and for all that you have given to HUC and all of us, I send my love and prayers.
— Adriane Leveen, Retired
With sadness, wishing you and your family peace as you navigate this phase of your illness. You are beloved, accomplished, missed. Hoping there is minimal physical pain and maximal love with your nearest and dearest. With gratitude for all you have done for generations of Rabbinical students. Your Women’s Torah Commentary changed my religious life.
With gratitude,
— Jennifer Moses, 3rd year Rabbinical Student LA
Dear Rabbi Weiss,
I want you to know how deeply grateful I am for you.
You saw me, not as an incoming VP 2 student with doubts, not as a second-career adult wondering if I belonged…but as a rabbi. Before I could see it clearly in myself, you saw it. That gift has shaped me in ways I am still discovering.
Your vision for the Virtual Pathway changed the landscape of the rabbinate. Because you fought for this program, because you believed the future needed to look different, people like me are here. People who once thought this dream was impossible are now becoming rabbis. We are your living vision. We carry forward what you had the courage to begin.
I will always hold the sacred moment we shared at the Cincinnati intensive, two people who understood the fight inside our own bodies. In that space, we were simply human beings who knew that life is fragile and yet infinitely precious. That this fight requires deep courage and resilience, regardless of the outcome. You have fought with extraordinary strength and dignity.
And now my prayer for you:
May the One who brings peace bring peace to you.
May there be relief where there has been pain.
May love surround you like a tallit gently wrapped around your shoulders.
May the Shechinah rest beside you and not depart.
May your soul feel held, sheltered, and at ease.
I love you. I am so deeply grateful for you.
Thank you for seeing me.
I will honor your vision.
With all my heart,
— Sheri Sinaga, Rabbinical Student (VP2)
Dearest Andrea
I pray that you can bathe in the love and support of your sweet family. You have given so much, to so many. It is your return to receive. I am holding you close in my prayers that you might no longer feel the pain but rather the deep, forever love of those who surround you. As you taught me about the ”love sandwich” in our morning liturgy, may you too, feel this deep and everlasting love.
With gratitude and love,
— Merri Lovinger Arian, Hebrew Union College Faculty Member
Andrea,
I will be forever grateful to you for bringing me into the HUC community and for your support as I entered this role. I will be thinking of you and your family.
Sending love and support,
— Katie Rendon, Registrar
Dear Andrea:
I will always remember and be forever grateful, not only for the Torah you taught me, but for what I learned from you about how to be a teacher of Torah. It was a privilege to work with you and to learn from you during the creation of the study guides for the Torah: A Women’s Commentary.
Your teaching, guidance, and support meant so much to me during my years at HUC and were a foundation of my rabbinate.
I am sending you strength and love and holding you in my heart.
With gratitude,
— Rabbi Stephanie Bernstein
Hi Andrea,
I was so sad to hear that you have begun palliative care. I am sending prayers for strength, comfort and peace.
I have always appreciated your warmth, genuineness and kindness. You have been a gift and blessing to HUC and to so many students and people, including myself. Your impact on the Reform movement is profound.
Please know I am thinking of you and sending lots of love and support.
With care,
— Cantor Todd Kipnis
You are brave, strong, and truly extraordinary.
I will never forget when you came to Sinai. I was feeling unusually emotional that weekend , and just a few days later, I learned I was pregnant with our son, Rafi, who is now almost seven and a half years old. Somehow, your presence is forever woven into that sacred memory for me. I can still picture us sitting around the counter at Ellen Nemhauser’s house, eating vegan chili and sharing.
Your teachings have sustained us and given us strength at so many moments in our lives. We carry your wisdom with us in how we show up, how we lead, and how we love. As a teacher, you never let us settle; you pushed us to become our fullest, truest selves. I was always amazed at how you would commute from Philly to teach us, and so admired your dedication . That gift continues to ripple outward in ways you may never fully see.
My hope is that all the wisdom and strength you have poured into others is now surrounding you, returning to you as a deep reservoir of comfort, courage, and peace as you navigate this journey.
Please know that I am holding you very close in my heart and sending you and your family so much love.
— Rabbi Samantha Trief
I wanted to reach out and thank you for your service to HUC, the Jewish people, and the world. You have brought so much to this community and to me personally when you stepped in as my academic advisor. You helped me and my classmates navigate our rabbinical school journey and have consistently shown up to answer questions with clarity and sensitivity. You truly have served as a leader and an inspiration to so many of us. You are absolutely brilliant. I will forever hold you as one of my role models, and I will continue to teach your Torah with honor. As you enter this next phase, I wish you peace, and I will be holding you and your family in my heart.
— Jamie Gottlieb, Rabbinical Student Hebrew Union College New York
אנדראה אהובה ובני המשפחה היקרים
שולחת לך מעומק לבי את מחשבותיי תפילותיי ואהבתי
את יקרה ללבי
אני מעריכה אותך ומוקירה אותך כרבה, כמחנכת כבת אדם
את בלבי תמיד
זהרה
— Zohara Pardess Feinstein, Teacher in the Jerusalem Campus
Proud to call you my teacher, my rabbi, and — I hope it is okay — my friend.
Love and blessings from Jerusalem.
— Alden Solovy, Hebrew Union College VP Student
Reciting psalms on your behalf. May all of them, recited by your community, encircle you with tenderness.
— Cantor Barbara Ostfeld
Dear Andrea,
I’ve been thinking of you and wanted you to know how much you mean to all of us. You have taken care of so many people around you and now it is time for us to return a little.
Wishing you comfort, peace, and moments of joy.
With so much love,
— Bryan Weng, Hebrew Union College NBO Finance and Budget
Dear Andrea,
I have attended sessions you have taught and hold you in high regard. I also hold you in my thoughts and prayers and wish you a refuah shleimah.
— Amy Scheinerman, Rabbi, Hebrew Union College 1984
Dear Andrea,
I am holding you deep in my heart as are countless others around the world. Your presence has been a constant in my life since you partnered with WRJ to create a seminal Torah commentary that would revolutionize the way we engage with Torah and past scholarship. Your wisdom, grace, and deep intellect permeate every page and you are always within easy reach on my bookshelf.
On another note, I wish to acknowledge how meaningful it was to me to see you wear your WRJ lifeline pin when we had a meeting in Cincinnati in August 2024. I know that you wore that pin knowing that you were meeting with WRJ leaders and that it also gave you great pride to be wearing it.
May God bless you now and forever.
With love,
— Sara Charney, WRJ Immediate past president and Hebrew Union College BOG
Dear Andrea,
I wanted to send you a word from the heart. To me, you have always been a constant source of gentle wisdom, of Torah learned with depth and integrity, of teaching held to the highest and most precise standard, and of spiritual leadership infused with humility, humor, and a profound love of people. So much of what I carry with me today has taken shape through your way in the world.
I think of you often, and I hold you with tenderness in my thoughts and in my heart.
This verse feels to me like the essence of all that you embody and teach in your life:
“Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart.” (Psalms 97:11)
Thank you for all that you have given with such remarkable generosity.
With a warm embrace,
— Talia Avnon, Director of the Israeli Rabbinic Program
During this challenging time, you are in my thoughts, my prayers and my heart. It is my honor to know you.
— Autumn Wheeler-Peterson, Interim Executive Assistant to the Provost
Dear Rabbi Weiss,
Andrea, my prayers for a refuah shleimah are with you as you navigate this next moment in your life and your health.
Your impact on the world is immeasurable; the gifts of scholarship, empathy, wisdom, creativity, kindness, and tenacity you have both demonstrated and cultivated for your students are precious. The joy of knowing you as you built your family, and committed yourself to the highest ideals of rabbinic leadership and education – that joy is an inspiration.
During my years at HUC, your classes were the very best, but even more, your work elevating the voices of women, deepening the field of biblical scholarship, demanding the best from your students, and using wisdom to be a rabbinic voice responding to this crazy world; these are the things I learned most with you and from you.
Sending you the gentle love, enveloping comfort, and deep wisdom you have always provided others. Refuah shleima.
With tremendous respect,
— Cantor Rebecca Robins
With a heavy heart and admiration for your bravery and accomplishments, I remember well your visit to our synagogue and the groundbreaking work you brought us introducing Torah: A Women’s Commentary. I know since then you have guided students on their journey to leadership roles in the Jewish community.
May you feel the love and respect of so many of us who send you prayers of strength and comfort. May the Source of Healing bless you and your family.
— Howard Shapiro, Rabbi Emeritus Temple Israel West Palm Beach
We, Lauren, Jake and I are holding you in our hearts. We pray that each of these days are a chance for you to be together in the most meaningful of ways.
We think of you constantly.
Sending much love!
— Matthew Gewirtz
Dear R. Weiss, thank you for your support and leadership. I smile whenever we analyze psalms and whenever I see someone with a La Colombe cup. Incidentally, I tell my mom she has you to thank every time she compliments the flavor of the giant bag of Corsica beans I gave her before her big surgery a few weeks ago.
I am thinking of you and reciting Psalms, also meditating on Salomone Rossi’s musical settings of them, with you in mind. Much love to you.
— Jordan Friedman, Third year rabbinical student in NY
Dearest Andrea, we are lovingly holding you now in a warm embrace of prayers and hopes and wishes that your soul now on its sacred journey of completion and the fullness of life be peaceful, content and accepting in recognition of the exemplary and inspiring legacy you have crafted for us all to follow. Thank you! Bless you! God be with you always!
— Sally and Michael Klein-Katz
Dear Andrea, I’ve been thinking about you and the wonderful memories I have of when I was your CIT Advisor at Camp Swig. When I saw you at a CCAR convention a few years ago, we smiled together and reminisced about that summer. You have always led with compassion and sincerity, always eager to help others. I’m so very grateful for the time we had together and I am sending you love from the bottom of my heart and giant hugs to your family and loved ones.
— Michelle November
Dear Andrea,
I am grateful for your presence in my life, and have cherished our conversations around our shared love of books. In these coming days, may the companionship of friends buoy you, the loving embrace of family encircle you, and the ruach of the Divine protect you.
Warmest wishes,
— Beth Lieberman, Instructor of Homiletics, Writing Center Director, LA Campus
Andrea – I am so grateful to have been able to learn from you as a teacher and colleague. I hope you know how much of a difference you have made to so many. Wishing you comfort and peace.
— Rabbi Zoe McCoon, HUC Class of 2021
Dear Andrea,
I keep close to my heart the lesson you offered at my cohort’s DD ceremony, drawn from Psalm 90. It was so life-giving and moved me to deep gratitude for life’s fullness. In your teaching and in your living, you have lived out the Psalm’s insight about how to shape a heart of wisdom.
I’m grateful for your friendship and for all the ways you modeled what committed service could look like, without losing your sense of humor. So many times I’ve thought–well if Andrea could do her job, how can I bellyache about mine?
I hope the generosity and grace you extend to so many redounds now to your dear ones.
May God heal the broken-hearted (Ps 147:3).
I am thinking of you and sending blessings for ease and wholeness.
With love,
With blessing,
— Mira Wasserman
My thoughts and prayers are with you all. While I was not one of your students in NY, I always was blessed to learn with you at CCAR conventions. I will forever remember you joining us in Columbus in 2019 for a scholar-in-residence weekend. What I most remember about that weekend is not the wonderful teaching you shared with our community but you sitting on the floor of my living room playing Sleeping Queens with my children 10 and 8 year old daughters. I remember thinking, “They don’t even know they’re playing this children’s game with a world renowned biblical scholar.” Perhaps even more than that, what I remember is the many ways in which you spoke about your family and the pride you had in them. That pride emanated from your heart and soul. I will always cherish the many lessons you taught and the way you modeled those lessons in how you loved your life.
With blessing,
— Rabbi Rick Kellner
Dear Andrea,
Ten years ago, you and I sat across from one another at lunch. I wanted to talk about beginning my family during graduate school as I know you had. I appreciated your candor at that meal, setting aside the student-professor dynamic, and treating me (already) like a colleague. You said it was a great idea become a Mom during HUC because my career would only place more demands on my time. So here we are in 2026, and my son Joshua (born the summer before my fifth year) already has a Bar Mitzvah date in 2030. I could list so many things that you taught me, but by far the most profound was: Don’t wait to build the life and the family you want; start now. And I did just that.
I’m holding you close in my prayers, and I’m thinking of you when I hug my children.
Love,
— Rabbi Juli Karol
Thank you for your wisdom, compassion, and extraordinary brilliance as a teacher and leader.
May God bless you and your family in every way.
— Rabbi Peter Stein
Andrea,
You have truly been a light to so many of us who have been blessed to study with you. With highlighter in hand, we tackled the text to look deep within for meaning. You guided us with a special mix of strength and compassion. There are teachers you will always be grateful to have them in your life. You will always be one of them. Thank you! Sending prayers of strength and healing your way.
— Rabbi Larry Sernovitz, NY ’07
Andrea,
You are an inspiration to me and to so many in the HUC community, and beyond. Wishing you love, strength and peace in the coming days.
L’shalom,
— Marcy Harris
Thinking of you and sending love, strength and light.
— Rabbi רחל Sabath Beit-Halachmi
For the gift of Andrea’s collegiality, friendship, support, and intellectual companionship, I am deeply grateful. My neighbor on the 5th floor of One West 4th Street, what a pleasure it’s been to share stories, challenges and laughter with you! Wishing you and your family blessing and peace.
— Rabbi Kim Geringer, Faculty – Hebrew Union College, New York
Dear Andrea,
Thank you for your wisdom and caring (your classes in Bible were my favorite), and your compassionate leadership during difficult times. Sending you my gratitude, warmest wishes, and prayers for shalom.
Most fondly,
— Rabbi Debra Goldstein, (retired, class of 2007)
Dear Andrea, We are sending you strength and much love and gratitude for all you have given to HUC, your family and the greater Jewish world. Our hearts are with you and we are holding you and your family close. Big hugs from Marci, Marc, Rivi and Shayna Dollinger
— Marci Dollinger, Hebrew Union College board member and friend
Andrea, I was so sorry to hear about the news about your health. I’m thinking of you constantly during this time – when you were supporting the School of Education, I always admired your leadership and advocacy for our programs. I wanted to send my wishes for your comfort and peace during this time, and my thoughts are with you, your family, and all of your loved ones.
— Lauren Rosenblum, Manager of Graduate Education Programs
Andrea, Sending much love to you and your family during this time. You have been an incredible teacher and friend. Sending you all of the blessings of shalom and love.
— Rabbi Peter Berg, The Temple Atlanta
Dr. Weiss, I am so sad reading of this news and wanted you to know I am thinking of you. I’m 19 years out of HUC NY, and still at Central Synagogue. I remember your classes so fondly. You were one of the loveliest teachers I had. I wish you well in this next chapter–never have I meant it more.
— Rabbi Lisa Rubin
Andrea – I want you to know just how grateful I am for my time spent as your student. I recall so vividly and fondly your unique teaching style which combined wisdom and heart together often making the incomprehensible comprehensible. I am sending you my love, prayers, and gratitude in this trying time. You have made such a difference in my life.
— Cantor Shira Ginsburg
Dear Andrea, We only met in person once during my short time at HUC in Los Angeles, but your friendly smile, your curiosity, and your wise words made an impact on me. Meeting a scholar in person after seeing their name for years on the cover of the Torah commentary – meeting the person behind the Weiss in Eskenazi/Weiss – is a wonderful moment. I am grateful I got to finish out my last segment of rabbinical school under your leadership of HUC. I am sending wishes for peace and strength and also even joyful moments in this time to you and your family.
— Rabbi Julia Knobloch ’25
Dear Andrea: As you have strengthened the Jewish people, so may you be strengthened by the love of your people, and by the sure knowledge that everything you have achieved will serve as a powerful link and an abiding blessing to the Jewish future. May the path ahead treat you gently, secure in the knowledge that your contributions to us all matter greatly.
— Rabbi Danny Schiff, Scholar at the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh
Dear Andrea,
I am thinking of you and sending love and strength to you and your family. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with you and learn from you at HUC. You have been a teacher and an inspiration to so many rabbis over the years, including me, and you have had an enormous impact on our seminary and our movement! I am holding you in my prayers.
Much love,
— Rabbi Darcie Crystal
Rabbi Weiss, I am holding you in my thoughts and in my prayers, and I pray God grants you comfort, gentleness, moments of peace, and freedom from suffering. May you feel surrounded by the profound gratitude of your students and the loving arms of your family. I will always remember how kind and supportive you were when I was a new mom in cantorial school, and I thank you always for the generous gift of your learning and your presence. Sending much love and strength to you and your family.
— Jennifer Strauss-Klein, Cantor
Andrea: I pray you strength and courage through this challenging time. For all you do to support others, now it’s our time to be there for you. I am honored to carry your teachings and emulate your patience with me as your lifelong student.
— Kenny Feibush, Cantor
Dear Rabbi Weiss,
I cannot think of a single text that can stand in for my admiration for you and the gifts that you gave me personally and to numberless others at HUC. Please know that I am holding you close and praying that your family and all who love and cherish you will hold your hand virtually and in person at this moment in time. May your incredible life accomplishments strengthen your spirit.
Peace, comfort, and the presence of God With you,
— Rabbi Jan Katz
Dear Andrea,
Wishing you comfort and strength as you go through this difficult journey and hoping you will be surrounded by loved ones to give you the emotional support. You have a brought a graciousness, intelligence and thoughtfulness to the various challenges in your career and life, and I know that continues with you at this stage.
With much respect and appreciation for all you have done,
— Barbara Friedman, Board member emerita
Your teaching and expertise has truly touched all of us. I remember our first conversation in Israel about Tufts and how excited you were for your son to be there. I have always enjoyed our connection moments, even if the circumstances were sometimes challenging, you always approached them with dignity, respect, and care for everyone in the room. Your teaching about navigating personally challenges while in the Rabbinate at kallah will stick with me as a model for how to lead with professionalism while taking care of yourself and showing up for others appropriately. I wish you comfort and strength as you enter this next chapter and I will continue to hold you in my prayers and heart!
— Jess Friedman, Hebrew Union College student
Dear Rabbi Weiss,
Studying with you was a very special experience, and one of the highlights of my time at HUC. I thank you for sharing your wisdom and passion with all of us as we delved into our foundational texts and sought to make meaning.
Sending love and strength to you and your family,
— Jessica Ingram, Executive Director, Temple Rodef Shalom, Falls Church, VA (MAJNM ’09, MARE ’10)
My prayers are with Andrea and all of you at this time. Andrea served as my rabbinic intern at the UAHC Department of Interreligious Affairs. Together we did ground-breaking work in creating interfaith dialogue with the Muslim community which resulted in her first book credit as co-editor and author of Shalom-Salaam: A Guide to Muslim Jewish Dialogue. It was my joy to work hand in hand with Andrea in this critical work. I marveled at her tenacity and dedication to research and writing. I reveled in her ordination and her further studies leading to her doctorate, and her appointments to the HUC faculty and administration. Her impress on my life is always felt. She is and will always be a shining star in the firmament of our movement and the Jewish community writ large. I send my love to her and to you all — ever grateful to the Holy One for her life, her passion, her scholarship, and her impact.
Lech l’shalom,
— Rabbi Gary M. Bretton-Granatoor
It is impossible to express to sufficient breadth or depth the impact that Andrea has had on my life generally, and on my work for HUC and in the congregational cantorate. She has been unsurpassed as an inspiration, mentor, colleague, and friend. Every day I aspire to embody qualities and values she exemplifies, and I will always be deeply grateful for our partnership. Sending concern and support to you all during this sacred time.
— Richard Cohn, Cantor, Hebrew Union College Seminary T’fillah Coordinator, Past Director of the Cantorial Program
Dear Andrea,
You have been in my heart, as you have faced your health challenges with grace and strength. You have always inspired me and so many of your colleagues and students with your brilliant mind and your deeply caring heart. May God bind your wounds with tenderness.
Wishing you laughter, healing, and light on this Purim and in all of the days ahead!
Love,
— Sharon Forman
Dear Andrea,
With this note, I send prayers for your comfort and peace. We see the impact of your leadership and extraordinary work every day in our congregations, communities, and every place that is fortunate so be served by an HUC graduate who was ordained under your leadership. Your legacy is big and widespread. We are forever grateful for you.
With my prayers, I send strength and love.
Warmly,
— Shelley Niceley Groff, URJ Board Chair
May you feel the embrace of your family, friends, students, colleagues, and the Holy, Blessed One as your journey continues. May you receive blessings as you have been a blessing to others.
— Rabbi Danny Gottlieb
The American Conference of Cantors joins me in praying for your family’s comfort and strength. May this precious time afforded to you be full of overflowing love and profound goodness.
— Cantor Josh Breitzer, President, American Conference of Cantors
I am holding you all in my heart at this moment, knowing that words are insufficient for this moment in your lives. All I know is that Andrea, you are a consummate teacher, a kind person, and a rabbi who has lived your values each and every day. You have taught me Tanakh and poetry–and gave me and my children the gift of “The Bear Snores On”. The world (and HUC especially) is better for having you in it, and your legacy is already tremendous.
— Nikki DeBlosi, Freelance Reform Rabbi, Hebrew Union College NY 2013
Dear Andrea,
Thank you for being a friend and an inspiration to me. Going all the way back to our Temple EmanuEl/ETY and locker sharing days at Patrick Henry High School, to Camp Swig summers, to passing along your Jerusalem HUC apartment to me, and being across the street neighbors on Orange Grove Street during our HUC days, our friendship and the memories of those days are fond ones for me.
While our paths did not cross frequently since then, your scholarship and leadership were things I followed. You’ve made a difference in my life and in so many others’. You are in my thoughts and I wish you peace and comfort.
Thinking of you,
— Tamara (Tammy) Lawson Schuster, Hometown friend, Hebrew Union College alumna
I’m so grateful for the wisdom and support I’ve received from you over the last 20+ years, first as a student and later as a colleague. I feel so blessed that I’ve gotten to study with you and work with you. Being a part of The Torah: A Women’s Commentary was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I’m so grateful to have had. You forever changed the way I read the TaNaKh and the way I approach big writing projects and I still quote you often. I am grateful for your kindness and your humor and for welcoming me into your home so many times. I am holding you in my heart and praying that you get the most excellent care, and also sending so much love, along with prayers for comfort, courage, and strength to you and your family.
— Rabbi Leah Berkowitz
Dear Andrea and Family,
Having been through family battles with cancer with my mom, z”l and more recently with our oldest daughter, I send you compassion and the trust that your care team will bring everything they can to their care plan, pain management and support of the whole family as you make this journey individually and together.
While we haven’t been colleagues for many years, as I left HUC in late 2007, I always felt a collegial connection whenever our paths crossed at the LA campus and am proud to have worked with you during my time at the college institute.
May the community closest to you continue to be there for you when you want and need them to be and give you the space you need as well. I join all of the current and former colleagues and students you have touched in sending love and connection to y0ou virtually.
In solidarity,
— Marla (Eglash Abraham), MAJCS.MSW Hebrew Union College/US 1985, Chief Strategy Officer, Jewish Story Partners
Andrea,
I am so very sorry to hear this news. May you be blessed with tender moments with your family. I am thinking of you and praying for you and your family. May love surround you at this time. May you know that your imprint on this organization and the world has mattered deeply. I’m lucky to have had the chance to work with you.
My best,
— Melissa Garai, Zschool Associate Director
Andrea, thinking of you and sending you comfort and strength. As your teachings have always given strength and light to so many of us, may you feel that same strength through the prayers of all who have been touched by your wisdom.
— Cantor Becky Mann
Holding you in my heart, dear Andrea, and sending love from Israel.
— Rabbi John Franken
At the request of the family, donations in Rabbi Weiss’ honor can be made to
