Hebrew College Blog

In the wake of the market meltdown and Madoff affair, the Jewish community faces tough choices about how to spend fewer dollars. Declining philanthropy and shrinking endowments threaten our investments in Jewish life and require hard thinking about priorities. But make no mistake about it. Our greatest resource is our tradition of learning. Jewish identity is carried by knowledge, a thick web of traditions, stories, practices, texts, melodies and more, passed from one generation to another. Without study and teaching, Jewish identity grows thin and assimilation becomes inevitable. For the Diaspora, Jewish survival and Jewish education are one and the same.

The pinnacle of Jewish learning is the training of future leaders, professional and lay heads of Jewish communities for the next generation. Those who pass on the torch of knowledge and commitment, of faith in the Jewish people and renewed visions for its future, must be trained within strong Jewish educational institutions, where the values of Jewish continuity are paramount.

For nearly ninety years, Hebrew College has been a leader among such institutions. But we are tackling significant financial challenges. Some argue that the age of Jewish colleges has passed, that we’ve become an anachronism. Nothing could be further from the truth. Hebrew College is a hothouse of innovation for Jewish education and leadership training, and cannot be allowed to fail.

Established in 1921 to train teachers for Boston’s Jewish schools, the College has re-emerged as a pioneer in revitalizing Jewish education—from our revival of serious adult Jewish learning through Me’ah to our highly innovative, pluralistic Rabbinical School; from the vibrant re-conceptualization of our popular Prozdor high school to our leading-edge Cantor-Educator Program. Hebrew College is breaking new ground in on-line Jewish study, training and research in Jewish special education, and interfaith dialogue as a cornerstone of clergy training.

True to our Hebraist roots, we have always accepted a wide range of students, from Orthodox to secular—a pluralistic legacy that dovetails with the growing demand for leaders of inclusive Jewish communal organizations. Our new rabbis and cantors join the ranks of distinguished alumni in Greater Boston and around the world, building vibrant Jewish learning communities.

The academic environment that produces these leaders cannot be replicated in a university Jewish studies department. Having taught at major universities as well as Jewish institutions, I can testify that the aura is not the same. Universities are committed, above all, to critical, objective study of cultural materials. When it comes to religion, which raises the specter of possible ideological commitment, they need to be most firm in setting boundaries. Any connection between Jewish studies and either faith or observance is strictly frowned upon.

By contrast, a Jewish institution’s first commitment is to the Jewish future. We study the texts and history of past ages because we want to use them in building a rich and thoughtful Jewish life in our own age, one that will be attractive to the next generation, one they will want to carry forward. A Jewish institution lives by the Jewish calendar, celebrates Jewish creativity and Jewish values, including the love of Torah and of the entire Jewish people. This is especially true in the pluralistic Jewish setting of Hebrew College.  

In the midst of this perfect storm of economic crises, Hebrew College is intensely focused on implementing a sustainable business model that ensures a balanced budget and well-managed growth, having learned from past mistakes. But the College’s traditional supporters among Boston Jewry are immersed in meeting the demand for local social services. They cannot alone sustain a national institution (fewer than 25 percent of rabbinical students come from New England; more than 15 percent are international).

As an institution serving the entire Jewish people, Hebrew College is in need of broad-based support. We receive significant grants from a variety of leading foundations and private donors. But in this era of great family foundations and Jewish philanthropists, we need these and others to step forward, even in the face of their own losses, to help us navigate our short-term crisis and reset the College on a stable course.

Jonathan Sarna laid down the challenge in the Forward a few weeks ago. “But who will fund them?” he asked. Who indeed? We need to hear from you, sooner rather than later. Who needs Hebrew College? We, the Jewish people do.

—Art Green
Rector, Rabbinical School of Hebrew College