Chag Urim Sameach

On Chanukah, we at HUC-JIR partner with you as we salute the heroes of our people who served God and humankind, exemplifying the noblest principles of our tradition.

At this season I look to one of the most influential rabbis of the twentieth century as my personal hero. Rabbi Stephen S. Wise devoted his life to fighting for civil rights and racial equality, the establishment of a Jewish State, mobilizing Americans against Nazism and restrictive American and British immigration policies, ending anti-Semitism around the world, and much more.

He did this while running the Jewish Institute of Religion, our beloved seminary, which he founded here in New York City in 1922. Wise brought to fruition his vision of JIR as an intellectual center for the greatest Jewish scholars in the world, and a training ground for rabbis who would serve the entire Jewish people.

Today, our faculty and students training to become rabbis, cantors and educators, continue this tradition--so the next generation of Jews, too, will find inspiration from our people's heroes and teachings, and the courage to bring about a more just and compassionate world.

What Jewish hero are you honoring during this Festival of Lights? Let me know, and if you are able, help HUC-JIR continue the tradition by making a contribution here.

Wishing you a chag urim sameach, a bright and joyous Chanukah,

Rabbi Shirley Idelson
Dean of the HUC-JIR New York School.