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3/27/08
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News at HUC-JIR
  • Dr. Michael Marmur Presents Keynote Address at World Union for Progressive Judaism's Biennial Conference in Vienna
    Rabbi Michael Marmur, Dean of HUC-JIR/Jerusalem, delivered the keynote address at the WUPJ Conference. Rabbi Marmur spoke on Progressive Judaism in contemporary society and how it deals with modernity and tradition.
  • Dr. Ruth Westheimer Speaks to HUC-JIR/NY Students
    Dr. Ruth Westheimer joined HUC-JIR/NY students for a dinner and discussion Tuesday evening, March 25. Rabbi David Ellenson, Ph.D., President of HUC-JIR, introduced Dr. Westheimer who, in May of 2000, received an Honorary Doctorate from HUC-JIR. Students received copies of her book Heavenly Sex: Sexuality in the Jewish Tradition.
  • Dr. Steven Cohen on American Jewry and Interfaith Marriages; Tour of HUC-JIR's Excavations at Tel Dan on Shalom TV - Free Video on Demand Coast to Coast
    HUC-JIR Professor Steven Cohen shares his own sense of where American Jewry is today, and what the Jewish future might hold in store. "Intermarriage is a major challenge to American Jewish life, and whether you're a hawk on it or a dove on policy, you at least ought to agree on the problem," Dr. Cohen says.
    Also on Shalom TV, Rabbi Shalom Gold leads viewers on a tour of HUC-JIR's excavations at Tel Dan, the remains of the walled biblical city of Dan, the northernmost city of the ancient Kingdom of Israel.
    Upcoming Events at HUC-JIR
  • Attention Rabbinical Alumni: Attending the CCAR Conference? Join HUC-JIR and Help Recruit the Next Generation of Jewish Professionals on Monday at 12:15 p.m.
    The College-Institute will host a session that invites rabbinical alumni/ae to partner with us in recruiting the next generation of Jewish professionals for their alma mater. Rabbi Aaron Panken will update the community on new initiatives in recruitment, technology and admissions; Rabbis Amy Perlin and Debra Robbins will share their particular expertise in helping shape congregational programs that recruit the best and the brightest.
  • Cinema Judaica: The Epic Cycle (1947-1971) on View at HUC-JIR/NY Museum; Opening Reception and Lecture April 9, 2008
    Hollywood films in the three decades after World War II portrayed 4,000 years of Jewish historical identity and, in some of the biggest box office hits of all times, transformed the image of the Jew from embattled to triumphant. Ken Sutak, author, collector, and guest curator of Cinema Judaica, will speak at 6:30 p.m., following a 5:30 p.m. reception.
    HUC-JIR in the News
  • Reconciliation Should Be In the Air – Newsday
    Endeared to the Jewish people since his Polish childhood, John Paul II affectionately called Judaism the "elder brother" of Catholicism. Rabbi Martin A. Cohen, Professor of Jewish History at HUC-JIR/NY, prefers the term "two sister faiths."
  • Jewish Leaders Debate Results of New CJP Intermarriage Study – The Jewish Advocate
    According to the results of a newly released study conducted by Harvard University researchers and funded by Combined Jewish Philanthropies, the majority of Greater Boston's intermarried couples are raising their children as Jews. "The numbers are right – the interpretation is selective," said Steven Cohen, professor of Jewish social policy at HUC-JIR/NY.
  • Religion Panel Seeks Fresh Inroads into Comprehending the 'Other' – The Jewish Exponent
    A professor of medieval Judaism and Islam at HUC-JIR/LA, Dr. Reuven Firestone was one of four panelists who analyzed "Interfaith Encounters: Reading and Writing the Other" on March 12. The moderator was Rena Potok, Senior Acquisitions Editor at the Jewish Publication Society, which sponsored the event as part of its 120th anniversary programming.
  • Ahasuerus' First Wife Reappears as a Feminist Role Model – Haaretz
    Ruhama Weiss, Instructor of Talmud at HUC-JIR, believes the sages were in conflict regarding the fact that "Vashti fights for her modesty and her honor, while our heroine Esther is willing to work through the bedroom."
  • Stars of David – The Jewish Exponent
    "Shabbat Musaf Kedushah," written especially for the Elkins Park Temple by Cantor Benjie Ellen Schiller, Professor at the School of Sacred Music at HUC-JIR/NY, will have its world premiere this Saturday night.
  • Delectable New Book Combines History, Biography, Compassion, and Cooking
    In Food for Thought, Character and Soul: Recipes and Blessings Included, author Rabbi Philip M. Posner, C '68, L '93, makes the discussion of character ethics palatable by honoring famous historical role models and connecting them to their favorite foods.
    Spotlight on HUC-JIR's Programs and
    Research Resources
  • After 2,000 Years: "Chumash with the Daughters of Rashi's Commentary" Event Launches Groundbreaking Women's Torah Commentary in Tel Aviv
    A unique, first-time event co-sponsored by HUC-JIR and Beit Daniel, the center for Progressive Judaism in Tel Aviv, will celebrate and launch the new anthology The Torah: A Women's Commentary in Israel.
  • HUC-JIR/NY Traveling Museum Exhibition "Waldsee 1944" in Cleveland
    The postcard-sized pieces of art in the exhibit "Waldsee 1944" at The Temple-Tifereth Israel are small, but their message looms large: They commemorate the annihilation of Hungarian Jews during the summer of 1944. The exhibit is on loan from the HUC-JIR Museum.
  • One for the Ages: The Washington Jewish Week Features HUC-JIR/NY Museum Traveling Exhibition 'Art of Aging'
    New York-based artist Mark Podwal, 63, told HUC-JIR that "as an artist, I am able to rejoice in the creative process. Of course, I would be dishonest if I did not admit to trying to cheat death through my work."
    Founded in 1875, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion is the nation's oldest institution of higher Jewish education and the academic, spiritual, and professional development center of Reform Judaism. HUC-JIR educates men and women for service to American and world Jewry as rabbis, cantors, educators, and communal service professionals and offers graduate and post-graduate degree programs for scholars of all faiths. With campuses in Cincinnati, Los Angeles, New York, and Jerusalem, HUC-JIR's scholarly resources comprise renowned library, archive, and museum collections, the American Jewish Archives, biblical archaeology excavations, research centers and institutes, and academic publications. HUC-JIR invites the community to an array of cultural and educational programs that illuminate Jewish history, culture, and contemporary creativity, and foster interfaith and multi-ethnic understanding. Visit us at www.huc.edu.
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