36
THE CHRONICLE
ROGER E. JOSEPH PRIZE
ACCEPTANCE SPEECH
At Congregation Emanu-El
of the City of New York
Awarded to
Daniel Pearl,
posthumously, and
The
Daniel Pearl Foundation
Accepted by
Professor Judea
Pearl,
Daniel Pearl’s father
The U.S. is now facing the
challenge of building bridges
of friendship toward the
Muslim world, and of restor-
ing America’s image as a
beacon of values, progress and
basic freedoms. The legacy of
dialogue makers like Daniel
Pearl, who earned the respect
of decent people on both
sides of the East/West divides,
and who symbolize America’s
humanity and goodwill, will
become a powerful catalyst in
forging a new and better
world in the aftermath of the
current conflict….
This gives us the hope that,
some day, I will be able to tell
my grandson:
“
You see, Adam? Your
father’s legacy helped us win
that battle! Humanity has
triumphed!”
David A. Harris,
Executive
Director, American Jewish
Committee
Permit me to applaud you,
the graduates, not only for
your impressive academic
achievements but, every bit
as much, for taking a personal
stand.
By choosing to pursue gradu-
ate studies and a career in
pastoral care and counseling,
education, sacred music, and,
of course, the rabbinate, you
say something profound about
yourselves.
You say that the work of repair-
ing this broken world is not
someone else’s task, it is yours.
You say that in a world where
self-gratification and self-enti-
tlement are increasingly, even
obsessively, the watchwords of
the day, you choose instead to
focus on those in need….
In other words, in a world in
which quality-of-
life
issues
dominate, you are preoccupied
with quality-of-
living
issues.
You say, in the words of Rabbi
Stephen Wise, founder of the
Jewish Institute of Religion, a
component of this school, that
life is “not a matter of extent
but of content.”
You say that in a world in
quest of the material, you are
in search of the sacred.
You say that in a world focused
on the here and now, you are
linked to a timeline that
stretches back millennia and
that you are determined will
stretch forward no less far....
Henceforth, you will have the
chance day in and day out to
touch the lives of others in
meaningful ways – to awaken
consciences, to stir souls, to
lift spirits, to open hearts, to
expand knowledge, to fortify
hope, to build community, to
pursue justice, and, in doing so,
to mobilize those around you
to stand with you….
To have the twin blessings of the
sovereign state of Israel and the
democratic societies of the West,
led by the United States, as our
homes is to be given the gift of
an unprecedented, previously
unimaginable opportunity. Use
that gift wisely. Never, never take
it for granted. And always bear
in mind the remarkable exam-
ples of those men and women
who bequeathed us that gift.
May you find strength and inspi-
ration in their exceptional lives.
Investiture and
Ordination Ceremonies
New York, May 4, 2003
Graduation/Ordination/Investiture Address Excerpts 2003
Rabbi Uri Regev (J ‘86)
Executive Director, World Union for Progressive Judaism
It’s possible that from the time of creation it was destined that
Bamidbar
would be read on your ordination because, indeed, what
we read in the
parasha
is a stage in the transformation and the
progress of religious leadership. We read in the
parasha
that initially
it was the firstborn in each tribe who would be destined to serve
God and lead the religious life of the community. From this fate of
birth the religious leadership was handed to a select group, the
Levites, and among them the priests – the sons of Aaron.
In this modern era, we are witnessing yet another transformation. Today, we are no longer willing to
afford the responsibility for leading religious life to those who are destined by fate of birth but rather
to those who have selected themselves, dedicated themselves to their cause, and are accepted as such
by our respective communities and the Jewish people. This is one example of the progress in address-
ing the challenge of leading the Jewish people in our religious undertaking.
Ordination Address
Cincinnati, May 31, 2003
Graduation Address
New York, May 1, 2003
Graduation/Ordination/
Investiture Addresses
can be found at:
www.huc.edu/faculty
/
faculty/pubs/index.shtml