York School of Education student, wants to
return to her native France to create adult
Jewish studies programs and help bring the
Reform Movement to Europe. Ariel Jenick is
entering our School of Jewish Communal
Service in order to help the Jewish communi-
ty in his native Argentina. Gersh Lazarow
hopes to “return to an Australian congrega-
tion and grow old as its rabbi.”
Lisa Helfman hopes that her studies in the
School of Jewish Communal Service will pre-
pare her “to work in a synagogue or JCC as a
program/membership director. My special
areas of interest include doing outreach to Jews
in their 20s and 30s to keep them connected
to Judaism.” Entering rabbinical student
Esther Lederman is also interested in outreach;
she tells us “I want to work with young Jews,
especially those who believe that Judaism has
nothing of value to them. I want to show how
Judaism can allow us to make more meaning-
ful life choices.” Entering rabbinical student
Daniel Mikelberg sees himself as a congrega-
tional rabbi. Andrew Gordon is not yet certain
where his rabbinical studies will lead him, but
he would like to “work in a small congregation
or to explore his love of informal Jewish educa-
tion, perhaps through camping or youth work.”
Entering rabbinical student Laura Baum
sums up the feelings expressed by most of
our students when she says, “It will be an
honor and a privilege to serve the Reform
Movement and
klal yisrael
.”
Inspirations,
E
XPECTATIONS
,
Aspirations:
AND
A TALK
WITH OUR
INCOMING STUDENTS
(
continued from page 3)
Age:
20-22 17%
23-25 34%
26-29 15%
30-39 18%
40-49 14%
50-59 1.5%
Citizenship:
United States 91%
Canadian 8%
Israeli 5%
German 1.5%
British 1.5%
(
students with dual citizenship have been
counted in both categories)
Are you…?
Single 77%
Married 20%
Partnered 1.5%
Engaged 1.5%
Divorced or Widowed 0%
Do you have children?
Yes 12% (children’s ages range from 6
months to 26 years)
Highest degree obtained:
Bachelor’s Degree 63%
Master’s Degree 20%
J.D. 5%
Ph.D. 3%
Affiliation of Childhood Congregation:
Reform 75%
Conservative 14%
Reconstructionist 3%
Orthodox 5%
Secular Israeli Household 1.5%
Not Raised Jewish 5%
Did you attend the following?
Sunday School 83%
Afternoon Hebrew School 62%
Jewish Day School 23%
Jewish High School (full-time) 1.5%
Jewish High School (part-time) 23%
Adult Education Programs 54%
Seminary: HUC-JIR 8%, Leo Baeck 1.5%
Did you attend a Jewish Summer Camp?
Yes 66% (34% attended a UAHC Camp;
58%
worked as a counselor or staff member)
Did you belong to a Jewish Youth Group?
Yes 72% (49% belonged to a Reform
Movement Youth Group)
Were you involved in a Jewish organiza-
tion on your university campus?
Yes 68% (49% were involved in Hillel; 54%
held leadership positions)
Were (are) you involved in leadership
positions in your congregation?
Yes 54%
Have you ever visited Israel?
Yes 86%
Rank the influences that were most
important in your decision to follow
this career path:
Rabbi
Parents
Israel
Congregation
Camp
Adult education
26%
are relatives of a rabbi, cantor,
educator, or Jewish professional
List what attracted you to HUC-JIR:
I wanted to attend a Reform Seminary
Reputation
Faculty
Year-in-Israel program
List your preferences for your
future rabbinical career:
Congregational rabbi
Rabbi in organizational position
Hillel Rabbi
Rabbi/Educator
Professor/Academia
Hospital Chaplain
Military Chaplain
The National Office of Admissions and Recruitment
surveyed
the entering rabbinical class. We thought you would be interested
to know what we found out about these students.
All percentages are based on 65 respondents.
Faculty and Administration
A P P O I N T M E N T S
For faculty and administration
appointments, visit our website at
www.huc.edu/kesher
30
THE CHRONICLE