Hebrew Union College Celebrates Leadership at the Zelikow School of Jewish Nonprofit Management Culmination/MSOLI Graduation and DeLeT Culmination Ceremony

In a year marked by global conflict two ceremonies at Hebrew Union College became affirmations of hope and purpose. This summer, the Day School Leadership through Teaching (DeLeT) Culmination Ceremony (Tekkes Siyyum) and the Zelikow School of Jewish Nonprofit Management Culmination/MSOLI Graduation honored graduates prepared to lead Jewish communities with skill, compassion, and vision.

Watch the 2025 Zelikow School of Jewish Nonprofit Management Ceremony:

On August 7, 2025, Hebrew Union College celebrated the next generation of Jewish organizational leaders at the Zelikow School of Jewish Nonprofit Leadership Master of Science in Organizational Leadership and Innovation (MSOLI) Graduation and culmination ceremony for Certificate in Jewish Organizational Leadership (CJOL). The following certificates and degrees were awarded to Alexina Haefner, CJOL, Mikey Mitgang, CJOL, Rebecca Orantes, CJOL, Morgan Tobey, CJOL, Heni Bizawi, MSOLI, Anna Dyson, MSOLI, Hannah Fuller, MSOLI and Joele Levenson, MSOLI.

Rabbi Shirley Idelson, Ph.D., ’91, Director of the Zelikow School, opened by the ceremony by acknowledging the graduates’ commitment during a time of uncertainty. “They have stepped up courageously to apply both Jewish wisdom, as well as the hard and soft skills of leadership and management in ways that will enable them to become much-needed changemakers serving the Jewish people as we navigate challenge today and in the years ahead,” Idelson said.

President Andrew Rehfeld, Ph.D., reinforced this sense of responsibility, telling graduates, “You will be a light unto the world and the institutions that you will lead with great purpose, dignity, and integrity. I have hope and confidence in you for what you will go on to do.”

Representing her classmates in a welcome address, Hannah Fuller reflected on the collective nature of their achievement noting that their graduation was not just a personal milestone, but a collective one. “We’ve supported each other through challenge and change, applied our learnings to our organizations, and built a community that reflects the values we hope to lead with beyond this school,” Fuller remarked.

The keynote address was delivered by Rabbi Delphine Horvilleur ’08 and offered personal insight into leadership. As a rabbi, author, and major leader of the Liberal Jewish movement in France, Horvilleur spoke on how self-doubt, often perceived as a weakness, can become a source of strength and moral clarity in leadership. Drawing on biblical stories, such as the story of Balaam, who turned a curse into a blessing, she described how her own “imposter syndrome” evolved into what she calls a “blessing of doubt.” This ongoing self-questioning, she explained, keeps leaders grounded, connected to vulnerability, and aligned with the tradition of biblical figures who led with humility and uncertainty. As she concluded, this outlook equips leaders to “raise the prophetic voice and… speak truth to power.”

Both ceremonies underscored that even in a time of profound challenge, educators and leaders are emerging with the skills, perspective, and heart to meet the moment. The graduates of DeLeT and the Zelikow School of Jewish Nonprofit Management are stepping into their roles ready to light the way forward for Jewish communities everywhere.

Watch the DeLeT Culmination Ceremony:

On July 18, 2025, the DeLeT Cohort 23 Culmination Ceremony celebrated seven new Jewish day school educators, Lauren Ashkenazi, Adelia Hunt, Morgan Justiss, Ryan Kanne, Micaela Kelman, Samuel Korobkin, and Hadar Sharf who earned their Certificates in Jewish Day School Teaching. Lauren Applebaum, Ed.D, Interim Director of School of Education, welcomed attendees, followed by Rabbi Joshua Garroway, Ph.D., Dean of the Los Angeles campus, who spoke to the core of the profession. “Being a teacher is not something people do, it’s something people are,” Garroway said. “If you truly are a teacher, whatever the circumstances are, you find a way to learn and to teach.”

During the ceremony, graduates Hadar Sharf and Lauren Ashkenazi, offered a D’var Torah that reflected on their journey. Sharf recalled the moment she realized she was joining a generational chain of Jewish educators dedicated to shaping minds, nurturing souls, and passing on Jewish values with purpose and heart. Ashkenazi expanded on that vision, urging her peers to protect and honor the spark within each student. “Teaching isn’t about being the source of that light, it’s about recognizing it,” Ashkenazi said. “Every child’s soul is a candle, and our role is to protect that light, honor it, and make space for it to shine.”

Fellow graduates Micaela Kelman and Morgan Justiss described how the program transformed their understanding of teaching. Kelman reflected how the program made her and her cohort more intentional and confident as an educators with the power to nurture proud, curious, and kind Jewish souls. “DeLeT taught us that teaching is a balance of structure and flexibility, of holding space and offering challenges, of guiding and growing alongside our students,” Justiss shared. “In order to do that authentically, we as educators must also be willing to grow, reflect, and show up with courage.”