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Loving God, Loving Torah, and Loving Others a Lecture in Memory of Rabbi Eugene Borowitz, Ph.D., Z’’L by Rabbi Rachel Sabath Beit Halachmi, Ph.D

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Loving God, Loving Torah, and Loving Others a Lecture in Memory of Rabbi Eugene Borowitz, Ph.D., Z’’L by Rabbi Rachel Sabath Beit Halachmi, Ph.D Loving God, Loving Torah, and Loving Others A Lecture in memory of Rabbi Eugene Borowitz, Ph.D., z’’l by Rabbi Rachel Sabath beit Halachmi, Ph.D. Sunday, April 2 at 4 p.m. Rodef Shalom Congregation Dr. Eugene B. Borowitz, z’’l, served as Distinguished University Meaning of Judaism, Judaism After Modernity, and Exploring Professor and Sigmund Falk Distinguished Professor of Jewish Ethics: Papers on Covenant Responsibility. Education and Jewish Religious Thought at Hebrew Union An academic of the highest caliber, Dr. Borowitz was the only College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in New York, Jewish individual to serve as President of the American where he served the College-Institute, the Reform Movement, Theological Society. In 1982, Harvard University Divinity School and the greater Jewish community with distinction for more invited him to inaugurate its newly established List than half a century. Professorship of Jewish Studies. He wrote the featured, Rabbi Aaron D. Panken, Ph.D., President, HUC-JIR, stated, “Dr. comprehensive article on Judaism in the 16-volume Borowitz’s passionate commitment and love for God and the Encyclopedia of Religion. His 1974 work, The Mask Jews Wear, Jewish people has inspired generations of students within the received the National Jewish Book Award in the field of Jewish Jewish community and those of all faiths. His scholarship and thought. groundbreaking theology have been a hallmark of Reform and Rabbi Borowitz was widely known in the Jewish community as contemporary Judaism.” the Founder and former Editor of Sh’ma, a journal of Jewish An esteemed member of the HUC-JIR faculty since 1962, Dr. responsibility, a magazine of Jewish social responsibility he Borowitz was honored in 1996 by the National Foundation for founded in 1970 and edited for 23 years. He was active in Jewish Jewish Culture with its medal for Jewish Cultural Achievement in publishing as Vice-President of the Jewish Publication Society. the realm of scholarship, the first time it had been awarded for He served as visiting professor of religion at Columbia work in the field of Jewish thought. He was appointed University, Princeton University, State University of New York at Distinguished University Professor at HUC-JIR in 2004. Stony Brook, City College of the City University of New York, He was a prolific author, having written numerous articles and Drew University, Temple University, Teachers College of seventeen books. The book that stands as the central statement Columbia University, the Jewish Theological Seminary of of his theology is Renewing the Covenant: A Theology for the America, and Woodstock College (the Jesuit graduate school of Postmodern Jew. Renewing the Covenant, in which he identified theology). the dialectical themes of Covenant and self, God and community Dr. Borowitz received his bachelor’s degree from Ohio State that he emphasized throughout his theoretical writings. This University in 1943. He was ordained at HUC-JIR in Cincinnati in volume was the first systematic Jewish theology since Abraham 1948 and earned his Doctor of Hebrew Letters degree in Joshua Heschel’s seminal publications in the 1950s. His books Rabbinic Literature at HUC in 1952. He also earned the Ed.D. at were directed at a broad range of readers, from Explaining Columbia University’s Teachers College. He received honorary Reform Judaism, written with Naomi Patz, (a book for doctorates from Colgate University, Lafayette College, and Gratz confirmation class students on religious belief) to Jewish Moral College. He served congregations in St. Louis, MO, and Port Virtues, co-authored with Frances Weinman Schwartz, Washington, NY, and was a Navy Chaplain during the Korean addressed to lay learners. His other works include A New Jewish War. Prior to his academic position at HUC-JIR, he was National Theology in the Making, How Can a Jew Speak of Faith Today?, Director of Education for Reform Judaism at the Union of Choosing a Sex Ethic, The Masks Jews Wear, Contemporary American Hebrew Congregations, editing its books, curricula, Christologies: A Jewish Response, Choices in Modern Jewish and educational publications. Thought, Liberal Judaism, Reform Judaism Today, Studies in the Rabbi Rachel Sabath Beit-Halachmi serves the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion as President's Scholar and the National Director of Recruitment and Admissions. Prior to this appointment, Rabbi Sabath served as Vice President of the Shalom Hartman Institute and concurrently, taught liturgy and theology at HUC-JIR in Jerusalem. Sponsored by the Reform Clergy of Greater Pittsburgh in partnership with the Jewish Life and Learning Department of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. .
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