STUDENT SPOTLIGHT:
Benjamin Rosen (he/him)
Third-Year Rabbinical Student, HUC/Cincinnati
Please tell me about your Jewish journey and your journey to HUC.
As a Cincinnati-native, HUC and the Reform Movement have always been relatively central to my Jewish experience. My Jewish journey began at home, celebrating Shabbat with my parents and three younger siblings, but it was my experience as a camper at the URJ’s Goldman Union Camp Institute that super-charged my love of Jewish community and set me on a path toward rabbinical school. I remained involved in the Jewish community during my time at Ohio State University, where I majored in Political Science, but was struggling to find a post-college career path that truly spoke to me. Through mentorship from Rabbi Benjy Bar-Lev, I came to realize that rabbinical school was calling to me and it wasn’t calling to just one aspect of my being. The rabbinical program at HUC spoke to my entire being; my love of the Jewish community, my interest in critical text study, and my ever-evolving spirituality.
This month’s newsletter theme is Gratitude. What has HUC has given you, and how do you give back to your community?
HUC has given me the gift of sacred learning and it is my goal to spread that gift to the larger Jewish community through creative and meaningful Jewish learning.
Please tell me about any internships or fellowships you have undertaken.
I have had the pleasure to serve as the Summer Rabbinical Fellow at Rockdale Temple and the Education Fellow at Temple Sholom. I am currently serving as the Rabbinical Fellow for the Jewish residents of Cedar Village, a retirement community in Mason, Ohio.
Describe HUC in one word.
Adventure.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I’m a big film buff; pre-COVID you could find me at the movie theater once a week, but during the pandemic I have turned to building my home video collection!