10
R
abbi Aaron Panken, it is my privilege to formally
inaugurate you as the 12th President of Hebrew
Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. It is
a joy to charge you with the challenge and responsibility
of leading our beloved institution.
I am aware of the great gifts that you bring to your
Presidency:
•
Your passion for Talmud study and scholarship
•
Your inspiring teaching and mentorship of a
generation of students
•
Your love for the people and land of Israel
•
Your commitment to the Reform Movement
•
Your devotion to pluralism and
klal yisrael
•
And your personal warmth, compassion, and integrity,
which are imbued in all your endeavors.
You are inheriting a legacy of great intellectual, spiritual,
and professional leadership that is the hallmark of this
institution.
We are confident that your clarity of vision will foster
the academic excellence of the College-Institute’s faculty,
students, and programs, and broaden its impact on the
larger Jewish world.
i
rWin
e
ngeLMan
C
HairMan
(2010-2014)
,
b
oard of
g
overnors
,
HUC-Jir
As our President, you will have the opportunity to apply
your love of tradition as well as your spirit to advance
innovation, growth, opportunity, and transformation.
And, as leader of this seminary and internationally rec-
ognized institution of higher Jewish learning, we know
that you will take your rightful place in supporting and
defending the Jewish people worldwide.
By the authority vested in me as Chairman of the Board
of Governors of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute
of Religion, I officially charge you on this day of your
Inauguration:
•
To sustain
shalshelet ha-kabbalah
–
the chain of Jewish
learning and teaching, from generation to generation;
•
To preserve Judaism’s sacred texts, values, history, and
memory to ensure Jewish survival;
•
To promote the living interpretation of Judaism
through a dynamic engagement with contemporary
life and liberal thought;
•
And to inspire us all to build a better world where
ignorance and indifference are eradicated, and justice
and understanding prevail.
May God bless you, Lisa, Eli, and Samantha, and
your entire family, as you embark on this new chapter
in your lives.
May God bless your leadership of the College-Institute,
so that Jewish learning and leadership will flourish as a
source of light among the nations for the generations
to come.We pray from the deepest recesses of our heart
that you will know the love and confidence we place
upon you this day as you lead our cherished College-
Institute into the future.
Aaron, this is a great day for you, your family, and for
the College-Institute.