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Dear friends,
Paraphrasing Charles Dickens is one way to sum up this moment in the Jewish world: it is the best
of times and the worst of times. It is a festive time of joyous Jewish holy days, and yet we remain
ever mindful of the recent Israel-Gaza War and the significant resurgence of antisemitism facing
our people around the world.
While the battles raged this summer, I was so proud of HUC-JIR’s extraordinary role in Israel. Our
Israeli students and alumni did incredibly meaningful work during the weeks of the conflict. As you
will read in these pages, they provided significant support, comfort, and pastoral care to communities
struggling with fear and isolation during the incessant waves of siren warnings and rocket attacks.
Our Year-In-Israel students, beginning their first year of studies in Jerusalem, and our Cantorial
Certification students, fulfilling their Israel Studies experience this summer, expressed their profound
solidarity with the people of Israel during these trying times.
The commitment of our Israeli and stateside students is a testament
to their deep understanding of our core Jewish value: “
Kol Yisrael
arevim zeh la-zeh
,” “
All Israel are obligated to one another.” During
this holy day period of personal reflection, renewal, and rededication,
we affirm our devotion to Israel and pray for the blessings of security
and peace for all those around the world who are suffering the
ravages of war.
The Sukkah is a powerful metaphor for our thoughts at this time. A temporary dwelling, precarious
and open to the elements, it reminds us of our Jewish journey throughout the ages and our transcen-
dence over persecution and exile. In the Babylonian Talmud (Sukkot 27a), a discussion appears of
just how many meals one is obligated to eat during the seven days in which one must dwell in the
Sukkah. It comprises a quote from the Mishnah and a halakhic inquiry and answer:
“
A person is obliged to eat fourteen meals in the Sukkah, one each day and one each night.”
The Administrator of King Agrippas asked Rabbi Eliezer: “May a person like me, who eats only
one meal a day, only eat one meal in the Sukkah and still fulfill my obligation?” He answered
him: “Every day you draw out the meal with all sorts of delicacies for your own honor, and now
you cannot add one delicacy for the honor of your Creator?”
This short, pithy text goes straight to the point of an important facet of the Rabbis’ worldview, one
that should influence and mold our behavior especially today: what we do and how we act ought
be shaped not solely by our own wants and desires, but by having a constant and unrelenting focus
on our role in God’s world. The occasional elaborate celebration, delicacies and all, is acceptable, of
course, but it must be in the service of God, our obligations to the Jewish people, and the betterment
of the world.
This spring and summer, HUC-JIR’s leadership has been intensively engaged in a number of highly
productive planning and initial implementation endeavors to fulfill this vital mission. Together with
the Board of Governors, we have now established a core set of five goals that will guide our institu-
tion’s evolution in the years to come. These goals include a focus on Thought Leadership by building
HUC-JIR’s position as an intellectual resource for the Reform Movement and the entire global Jewish
community through educational offerings, academic conferences, enhanced web resources, and alumni
What we do and how we act ought
to be shaped not solely by our own
wants and desires, but by having
a constant and unrelenting focus
on our role in God’s world.