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Flag this messageA Message from Chancellor Arnold EisenFriday, May 30, 2008 12:47 PM
From: "JTS"
May 29, 2008
Dear Friends,
I am pleased to share with you that eight of the thirty-six
individuals named in the Jewish Week's "36 Under 36: The Next Wave of
Jewish Innovators" (May 23, 2008) are graduates of The Jewish
Theological Seminary and represent four of our five schools.
They are: Rabbi Julia Andelman, The Rabbinical School (2006); Sarah
Chandler, William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education (2005)
and The Graduate School (2006); Edoe Cohen, Albert A List College of
Jewish Studies (2007); Adam Gaynor, The Graduate School (2004); Rabbi
Jill Jacobs The Graduate School / The Rabbinical School (2003); Rabbi
Elie Kaunfer, The Graduate School (2006) and The Rabbinical School
(2007); Naomi Less, The Davidson School (2000); and Rabbi Melissa
Weintraub, The Rabbinical School (2006).
As an institution of Torah, JTS is committed to knowing our tradition
so well that our graduates are able to go forward and teach the
tradition in ways that are relevant today. As an educational
institution, we help make the world a better place by teaching the
people going out in the world as clergy, educators, academics, and lay
leaders.
So it is with great pride that I say yasher koach to all of the young
innovators, but especially to our alumni, who are using their JTS
education to make the world a better place. The excerpts about our
graduates are below; the full article can be found at The Jewish Week.
Please enjoy.
http://support.jtsa.edu/site/R?i=U5TvTtmWkwmO6afUMQXfpQ..
Yours,
arnold eisen signature 2
Chancellor Arnold Eisen
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
36 Under 36: The Next Wave of Jewish Innvoators
The Jewish Week
May 23, 2008
By The Editors
They're the community's new young
guns--forward-looking rabbis, social-justice junkies, campus
crusaders, arts entrepreneurs, bridge-builders, new media mavericks
and hedge-funders with heart--who are reshaping the landscape of
Jewish life. They're all grass-roots, bottom-up thinkers and
doers who are (mostly) bypassing the Establishment and pushing for
change--now. Brace yourselves.
36 Under 36: FORWARD-LOOKING RABBIS
Melissa Weintraub, 32
Rabbi, Israeli-Palestinian reconciler, terror and torture expert
Like many life decisions, Rabbi Melissa Weintraub's work was
determined by an element of destiny. She had always been interested in
peace-building, but it wasn't until she encountered a group of
Palestinians in Beit Zahor, outside Bethlehem, as a student in 1996
that the path to her future coalesced. "I went [to the village
to see an Israeli-Palestinian dialogue group] and was mind-blown and
moved and really deeply impacted by the Palestinians and Israelis in
that group," says Weintraub. "Curiosity drove me there,
and a deep commitment to the Jewish people," she says. "I
felt a real sense of calling in hearing their stories, felt right away
that my destiny was going to be wrapped up with theirs, building that
nonexistent bridge."
After six years of living in Israel and rabbinical training at JTS,
she developed the idea for Encounter (http://support.jtsa.edu/site/R?i=ivpx-Squak_gjnAM5latVw.. )
an educational organization that provides Jewish leaders from across
religious and political spectrums a chance to engage with
Palestinians--and each other.
"Our mission is every bit as much about catalyzing dialogue
within the Jewish community as between Jews and Palestinians,"
she says.
Encounter brings together "unlikely suspects" to talk
directly and "build an environment that creates a safe enough
container religiously and emotionally that they can hear the narrative
of the other and take it in," she says of the Jews and Arabs who
have met over the four years of Encounter's existence.
As for the future, Weintraub will continue her reconciliation work and
plans for "Encounter having become a laboratory and catalyst for
all kinds of projects and helping to restore a healthier spirit to the
internal Jewish conversation about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,
and [playing] a role in moving the peace process forward."
Favorite City (other than Jerusalem): Luang Prabang, the Holy City of
Laos. Liquid Obsession: Passionate about a significant number of the
850 kinds of Belgian beer. In a Past Life: A Pakistani Qawwali singer
and a Sufi musician.--Carolyn Slutsky
Rabbi Julia Andelman, 32
Rabbi, composer championing multi-generational Judaism
When Rabbi Julia Andelman began serving as the first female rabbi of
Congregation Shaare Zedek (founded in 1837), she anticipated a
challenge bringing what she had learned in the independent minyan
movement, comprised mostly of young people, to a long-established,
multi-generational community. But two years into her job, Rabbi
Andelman says working with everyone from children to the elderly has
been one of the most gratifying, substantive experiences. "It
feels more real, like a communal version of a Jewish family,"
she says. "There's something really holy about feeling we
come together according to patterns of Jewish life."
Andelman is an accomplished singer and arranger/composer, and her CD
of Hebrew lullabies, "The Bedtime Sh'ma," along with
a children's book of the same name, won three national Best of
2007 awards. She brings new meaning to Jewish ritual and community
with what she considers a mixture of tradition and young, savvy
perspective. One of her favorite parts of being a pulpit rabbi has
been preparing life cycle events; she finds she is especially skilled
at writing thoughtful eulogies. And working with people who she would
otherwise never be close to brings a special holiness. "I see
the image of God in people where I couldn't see it
before," she says. "Not being able to write anyone off
shows me we shouldn't write anyone off."
In the next few years, she plans to bring a new social justice focus
to Shaare Zedek, and hopes to create a consultancy program to go to
communities across the country and enhance davening.
"Ultimately," she says, "I care about making life
more meaningful for people through Judaism."
TV Obsession: "Law and Order" ("who
isn't?" she asks). First job: Working on an assembly line
for medical devices, which taught her a bit about what most
people's lives are like on a daily basis. Olde Music: Sang with
the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum, which specializes in
Renaissance and early music.--Carolyn Slutsky
36 Under 36: GIVING THE SYNAGOGUE A FACELIFT
Rabbi Elie Kaunfer, 34
Independent minyan leader pushing for new worship style
After graduating from the Jewish Theological Seminary, Rabbi Elie
Kaunfer searched New York City for somewhere to pray. "We were
looking for a place that would basically express our ideal davening
community," says Kaunfer of the impetus for starting Mechon
Hadar: An Institute for Prayer, Personal Growth and Jewish Study
(mechonhadar.org). The organization, includes an independent minyan
that has spawned a network of independent minyanim across the country,
as well as the first egalitarian yeshiva for lay people in America, is
going on its second summer this year.
Ordained at JTS and a graduate of Harvard University, Kaunfer's
vision for an ideal prayer community included a participatory,
spirited, non-denominational service, a place that would include men
and women equally while drawing on traditional
liturgy--"something that would move your kishkes."
Kehilat Hadar has become a model for other independent minyanim, and
Kaunfer hopes Yeshivat Hadar will grow to be a full-time program for
people who "desire to be empowered by Judaism and live in an
intensive Jewish community."
In the next few years, Kaunfer hopes to see the expansion of
independent minyanim and yeshivot across the country and to turn his
summer yeshiva into a full-time program for lay leaders. This he will
do with money from the Avi Chai Fellowship, of which he was a
recipient this month. Kaunfer says of the yeshiva,
"Institutionally it certainly has been a dream that reflects the
values and community that I would like to be a part of. It's the
yeshiva I wish I had gone to."
A post-denominational Jewish world: "People are less concerned
with denominational labels and more concerned with finding an
appropriate intensive community to become empowered Jews."
Coolest gig: Kaunfer worked as a corporate fraud investigator, cold
calling the likes of Enron employees to discuss their wrongdoings. He
also investigated corruption in the New York City public schools,
which on one occasion required him to wear a wire.--Carolyn
Slutsky
36 Under 36: MUSIC ENTREPRENEURS & THE ARTS
Naomi Less, "35 going on 24, maybe going on 13"
Jewish rocker chick
Naomi Less could sit still no longer. Having spent three years working
for the National Ramah Commission and seven years for the Foundation
for Jewish Camping, she saw firsthand the problems modern Jewish girls
face growing up: the cattiness, the unrealistic expectations.
Less is known for her blend of Judaism and performance through outlets
such as Storahtelling, which combines Jewish text study and
interpretation with ritual theater and storytelling. Her new endeavor,
Jewish Chicks Rock, uses music to guide Jewish teen and 'tween
girls through the rough patches of adolescence.
While working in the field of Jewish camping, Less observed
girls' destructive behavior toward themselves and others, from
bullying and peer pressure to obsessive dieting--issues reflected
in the songs she's currently creating for an album due out late
summer.
"I'm not sure how girls are supposed to grow up resilient
with so many mixed messages," Less says. "Media surrounds
our boys and girls with Girls Gone Wild, while pharmacists are allowed
to deny birth control... All this had been hitting me in the face and
I was standing on the sidelines watching."
Not anymore. As the lyrics to her song "Responsibility,"
now available through Oysongs.com and her MySpace page, say, "If
I don't speak then I'm to blame." Offering herself
up as a positive role model for Jewish girls, she hopes to counteract
the negative. When the album is finished, she hopes to expand the
focus of Jewish Chicks Rock to include a Jewish Chick Rock tour and a
"youth group meets School of Rock meets self-esteem development
program" to teach teen girls about the music industry from
creating music to production.
"If one Jewish girl can answer the question why she rocks,
I've done my job."
Favorite food: Pizza or anything with melted cheese. "A vat of
Velveeta, just give me a spoon." Secret passion: "I always
wanted to be a second baseman," she says. "I can name the
entire starting lineup for the 1984 Chicago Cubs."--Randi
Sherman
36 Under 36: NEW MEDIA TYPES
Sarah Chandler, 29
Synagogue educator by day, blogger by night
For the past year and a half, Sarah Chandler has been serving as
education director at the Upper West Side's West End Synagogue,
where she organizes Hebrew school courses and works with lay leaders
to plan programs for the entire community.
After earning two master's degrees from the Jewish Theological
Seminary, she applied for the job and was told that she would be the
perfect candidate--in five years. But persistence paid off and
Chandler proved that her seven years of part-time teaching experience
qualified her for the position.
"I had never run a school, but I had a lot of specific ideas of
what I wanted to do," she said. "I have a lot of creative
energy and passion."
This past February, Chandler led a group of teenagers on a volunteer
mission in rural Jamaica under the auspices of the Sid Jacobson JCC in
Plainview, L.I. She enjoys empowering students and mentoring teachers,
she says.
Chandler also volunteers as the director of programming at
Zeek--A Jewish Journal of Thought and Culture, where she heads a
staff of interns and organizes six to eight events per year in New
York City and Boston. Since 2002, she has been blogging for
Jewschool.com, where she currently serves as a senior editor.
"Once you get into it, it's kind of like a
compulsion," Chandler says of blogging. "It's in my
blood."
By immersing herself in "New Jewish Media," Chandler hopes
to provide disaffected Jews with convenient, virtual options for
involvement in Jewish activities. Both Jewschool and Zeek ignite a
"do it yourself" attitude toward Jewish education and
strengthen Jewish identity across the country, she says.
Does Broadway beckon? Chandler choreographed the play "Shalom
Birdie" while studying at the Jewish Theological Seminary in
2005. Location, location, location: Since she was a graduate student,
Chandler has periodically lead services at a small synagogue on the
island of Saint Croix, in the Virgin Islands.--Sharon Udasin
36 Under 36: PRO-ISRAEL ADVOCACY
Edoe Cohen, 29
Israeli restaurateur feeding a love of Israel
While an undergraduate at Columbia, Edoe Cohen organized Destination
Israel," a study-abroad fair featuring Israeli musician Hadag
Nahash.
The event's success prompted him to try his hand at one of the
most difficult businesses: owning a restaurant. And so in 2006, he and
partners transformed the second floor of Columbia's Hillel into
a kosher Middle Eastern shuk-themed restaurant. They called it Café
Nana (http://support.jtsa.edu/site/R?i=SXq4b3Amast0KDvJjJAm_Q.. ). "The nana leaf is a symbol of
hospitality," Cohen says. "We wanted to bring a taste of
Israel."
Café Nana is the sort of place where all the "little
touches" add up. Visitors dine in genuine Moroccan pillow-filled
tents (bought in the Arab shuk in the Old City of Jerusalem). A photo
exhibit of Jews in Uganda, taken by Columbia graduate Shaanan
Meyerstein, graces one of the walls. And the Mediterranean menu is
carefully crafted with names like "the Chayal sandwich,"
so called because Israeli soldiers eat a lot of tuna.
"We wanted to create a space where Jews from all walks of life
feel comfortable sitting and eating together," Cohen says.
"A lot of non-Jews have started coming in, too."
Café Nana regularly hosts Israeli artists and musicians; to celebrate
Israel's 60th, members from the popular Israeli band Shotay
Hanevuah performed there.
Cohen is most proud of Café Nana's role in bridging the divide
between Israelis and American Jews on Columbia's campus.
"An Israeli would not walk into the Hillel before," Cohen
says. "Now they have reason to come and be exposed to everything
else going on there."
Now a Legacy Heritage Fellow working in the Israeli Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, Cohen says his experience designing mission plans as
a squad commander in the Israeli army taught him crucial management
and leadership skills.
Up next: Cohen plans to launch Omanoot, an online organization that
will provide educational lesson plans using Israeli art as a platform
for teaching about Israel. "Students are thirsty for a cultural
Jewish identity outside the synagogue," he says. "Culture
and art are the ideal ways to connect. They're universal."
He's an artist, too: While in high school in Israel,
Cohen's short film, "Lamb to the Slaughter," won
second prize at the Jerusalem Film Festival.
Claim to fame: He may be the only IDF company commander to take ballet
and an African dance class at Barnard. "You only live
once," he jokes.--Tamar Snyder
36 Under 36: SOCIAL JUSTICE & GLOBAL CHANGE
Rabbi Jill Jacobs, 32
Social justice maven for fair housing
At first she thought she would explore her passion for social justice
as a journalist, but eventually Jill Jacobs decided to become a rabbi,
uniting her love of writing, learning, teaching and leading in one
career path. During her first year of rabbinical school at JTS, Jacobs
got involved in a tenant organization in Harlem. "It was
physically close, but emotionally and spiritually worlds apart."
Hoping to merge her two interests, she began to study Jewish texts
that speak to landlord/tenant issues, which led to new ways of
thinking about social justice.
The issue of social justice, she believes, was not central to the
communal agenda when Jacobs entered rabbinical school in 1998; today,
she meets with current JTS rabbinical students monthly who are
interested in making social justice a focus of their rabbinates.
"[There is] always the sense that the world we're living
in isn't how it's supposed to be, and it's hard to
take Judaism seriously and be satisfied with what's around
us," she says about the connection between Judaism and justice.
"There's a search among young people for meaning
that's not just about continuity, continuing the Jewish people
because we were killed in the Holocaust [or because of] the State of
Israel," she continues. "If Judaism's going to be
meaningful we have to engage in the world."
She is currently rabbi-in-residence at Jewish Funds for Justice, where
she speaks, writes and develops programs around wages, housing,
healthcare and related issues. And a teshuva she wrote about living
wages and unions for Conservative institutions is making its way
through the Conservative Law Committee, coming up for a vote at the
end of this month. She is also writing a book about Jewish social
justice.
Business Savvy: Jacobs designed T-shirts that say, "This is what
a rabbi looks like"; they've been selling well.
(www.cafepress.com/womanrabbi) Civil Disobedience: Once got kicked out
of the General Assembly for doing street theater in the
hallway.--Carolyn Slutsky
http://support.jtsa.edu/site/R?i=jDowabL5bANsDww3aszPGw..
36 Under 36: TRANSFORMING EDUCATION
Adam Gaynor, 33
Equipping unaffiliated Jewish prep school students with the tools to
forge their own Jewish identities
Hebrew school was a miserable experience for Adam Gaynor. "I was
never one of those kids who connected with the Jewish community in any
meaningful way," he says. So when it came time to choose a
college, Jewish life on campus was hardly a consideration.
Ironically enough, it was Gaynor's profound sense of isolation
as one of the few Jews at Bates College in Maine that propelled him to
explore his Jewish identity--largely in outrage against the
pervasive anti-Semitism on campus. After college, he enlisted in the
Israeli army before working in the Israeli Foreign Ministry and then
returning to New York.
In his current role as deputy director of The Curriculum Initiative
(TCI; tcionline.org), Gaynor helps support Jewish life among close to
3,000 Jewish kids enrolled at 75 non-Jewish independent high schools
in the United States. "I experienced a similar trajectory to
that of most of my students," he says. "I understand where
they're coming from."
Most of the prep school students he works with reside on the periphery
of the Jewish community. They're Jews of color or Jews with only
one Jewish parent. "They're embarrassed by their lack of
knowledge about Judaism or being seen as 'not Jewish
enough,'" he says.
Gaynor, a big believer in "open tent Judaism," works with
teachers at prep schools to incorporate educational programming into
the curriculum, and acts as a resource to support Jewish clubs. In
addition to sponsoring a summer institute to train teachers in
text-study techniques from the Jewish tradition, TCI also organizes an
annual student retreat called Jewbilee, where students spend Shabbat
at a New England boarding school, meeting one another and exploring
their Jewish identities.
Side job while in college: Gaynor worked as a wilderness guide for
YMCA (and would frequently go ice climbing). Musically inclined?
Gaynor has tried his hand at playing the oud, a Middle Eastern
pear-shaped instrument.--Tamar Snyder
