THE JEWISH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY DIVISION OF RELIGIOUS LEADERSHIP סדר טקס ההסמכה לרבנים ולחזנים Ceremony of Rabbinical and Cantorial Ordination

י”ב בסיון תשפ”א MAY 23, 2021 סדר טקס ההסמכה לרבנים ולחזנים Ceremony of Rabbinical and Cantorial Ordination

The Jewish Theological Seminary Opening Blessing ...... Vice Chancellor Gordon Tucker Professor Shuly Rubin Schwartz, Chancellor Welcome ...... Chancellor Shuly Rubin Schwartz Rabbi Gordon Tucker, Vice Chancellor Dr. Stephen Garfinkel, Provost Tribute to Rabbi Daniel Nevins ...... Rabbi Stephanie Ruskay, Cantor Nancy Abramson, Viki Bedo, and Kevin Peters

Words of Torah Rabbi Daniel Nevins The Division of Religious Leadership Rabbi Daniel Nevins, Dean Private Words of Blessing Ordainees and Guests Rabbi Jan Uhrbach, Director of the Block / Kolker Center for Spiritual Arts Sheheheyanu ...... Ordainees and Incoming Interim Dean Ordination of Cantors Rabbi Daniel Nevins, Cantor Nancy Abramson, Cantor Nancy Abramson, Director of and Cantor Natasha Hirschhorn H. L. Miller Cantorial School and College of Jewish Music Ordination of Rabbi Daniel Nevins, Rabbi Stephanie Ruskay, Rabbi Stephanie Ruskay, Associate Dean and Rabbi Jan Uhrbach of The Rabbinical School Rabbi Naomi Kalish, Director of the Joshua 1:8-9 Rabbi Julia Andelman Center for Pastoral Education Rabbi Matthew Berkowitz, Director of Kaddish D’Rabbanan ...... Ordainees Programs Welcome and Blessing from the Rabbinical Assembly and Dr. Jason Rogoff, Academic Director Cantors Assembly ...... Rabbi Stewart Vogel and Cantor David Lipp of Israel Programs Rabbi Rafi Cohen, Director of Admissions Greetings and Blessings ...... Faculty

Closing Words and Blessing Rabbi Jan Uhrbach

PROGRAM NOTES

The tallitot presented to the rabbinical and cantorial ordainees are funded through an endowment established by Ivan Levinsohn (z”l) in memory of his wife, Tres (z”l), to symbolize their love of The Jewish Theological Seminary and its students. May their memory and their commitment to JTS be for a blessing. The beit din (court) for investing our cantors will include Rabbi Daniel Nevins, Cantor Nancy Abramson, and Cantor Natasha Hirschhorn. The beit din for ordaining our rabbis will include Rabbi Daniel Nevins, Rabbi Stephanie Ruskay, and Rabbi Jan Uhrbach.

2 H. L. Miller Cantorial School and The Rabbinical School

THE JEWISH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY CEREMONY OF RABBINICAL AND CANTORIAL ORDINATION

LIST OF OUR GRADUATES AND THEIR MENTORS

GRADUATES MENTORS Shani Abramowitz ...... Rabbi Amy Kalmanofsky Viki Bedo ...... Rabbi Ethan Witkovsky Emily Cobert ...... Rabbi Burt Visotzky Mira Davis ...... Cantor Joel Caplan Chaim Eliezer Edelstein . . . . . Rabbi Abigail Treu Ben Freed ...... Rabbi Barry Dov Katz Marcelle Hohl ...... Rabbi Jan Uhrbach Margo Hughes-Robinson . . . . Rabbi Burt Visotzky Eliana Kissner ...... Cantor Jacob Mendelson Noam Kornsgold ...... Rabbi Jay Kornsgold Deborah Megdal ...... Rabbi Mychal Springer Blair Nosanwisch ...... Rabbi Ariel Russo Ben Perlstein ...... Rabbi Mychal Springer Kevin Peters ...... Rabbi Mychal Springer Jonathan Posner ...... Rabbi Carie Carter Daniella Risman ...... Cantor Natasha Hirschhorn Jake Sandler ...... Cantor Michelle Rubin Eryka Velazquez ...... Rabbi Cantor Marcia Tilchin Abigail Weber ...... Rabbi Felicia Sol Maya Zinkow ...... Rabbi Yonah Hain

3 CANTORIAL SCHOOL

THE JEWISH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY CEREMONY OF RABBINICAL AND CANTORIAL ORDINATION

SHANI ABRAMOWITZ שושנה אריאל בת הרב שמשון ניסן וחנה שפרה

The Jewish Theological Seminary has given me the gift of self-actualization. When I arrived five years ago, I wondered what parts of my identity would carry me through the ensuing journey of coursework, internships, and study. And to my great delight, I found that I could bring my full self to my studies and my work. When I started rabbinical school, I knew that I had happened upon something extraordinary. I fell in love, time and again, with Torah, with poetry, with the devotional practice of poring over a piece of Talmud with a beloved hevruta.

Nurtured by wonderful teachers, mentors, and lifelong friends, I feel that I am leaving rabbinical school with a clear sense of purpose, and an even deeper well of gratitude.

VIKTORIA BEDO חוה ביילא חן בת שרה

What led me to rabbinical school is what brought me to the Jewish people in the first place: a love of intellectual challenges and thirst for spirituality, a desire to be surrounded by community. Even more importantly, from the very moment I set foot in our ancient tradition, I have been humbled. I have been humbled by ritual that has existed long before my existence, and by the recognition that I am one tiny piece in God’s masterful puzzle. While in secular culture I was taught that individuals are the center of the world, introduced me to a paradigm shift. At JTS, too, I have been constantly humbled: by breaking my teeth over one line of Talmud, or by sitting at the bedside of a dying person, or by standing on the bimah of Park Avenue Synagogue. I am thrilled and, yet again, humbled, to take everything I learned at JTS and serve Am Yisra’el. My journey is as much about them as it is about me.

EMILY DIANE COBERT איטה דובה בת שמחה אברהם וחנה אלישבע

My journey to the rabbinate started with education. It was during preparation for my bat mitzvah that I became inspired to be a rabbi. My tutor showed me how words and lessons of the ancient Torah can be relevant to my modern life. I work hard to emulate her philosophy on education and have made that my philosophy for the rabbinate—one grounded in passion, curiosity, meeting people where they are, and a love for Judaism. To be a rabbi is to be an educator and a compassionate caregiver, ensuring everyone is heard, seen, and valued through empathy, empowerment, and inclusivity. My passion for teaching allows me to learn from others. By learning about people’s stories, we widen our view of the world, and ourselves. My time at The Jewish Theological Seminary has helped reinforce these lessons, open new avenues, and prepare me to step into the world as the rabbi I desire to be.

4 THE JEWISH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY CEREMONY OF RABBINICAL AND CANTORIAL ORDINATION

MIRA DAVIS ציפורה דבי בת ישראל מנדל וברכה שירה

I am blessed to have attended the H. L. Miller Cantorial School. While in cantorial school, I have served as cantorial intern at Congregation B’nai Amoona in St. Louis, Missouri; the Brotherhood Synagogue in Gramercy Park, Manhattan; and am currently working at Park Avenue Synagogue, where I am so excited to be remaining after graduation as the Cantorial Fellow. I graduated from Columbia University in 2017, where I majored in music. I am a product of the Conservative Movement, having grown up at Golda Och Academy, a Conservative day school.

I joined my first choir at my synagogue, Congregation Agudath Israel in Caldwell, New Jersey, when I was six years old. I also participated in HaZamir: The International Jewish Teen Choir throughout high school and fell in love with Jewish music through the program. My cantor, Joel Caplan, mentored me and inspired me to be a cantor. I hope to pay it forward by inspiring the next generation of Jewish musical leaders.

COLLIN SHORE EDELSTEIN חיים אליעזר בן אברהם ושרה

My journey to the rabbinate began when a mentor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill asked me, “Have you thought about going to rabbinical school?” Once I started considering becoming a rabbi, The Jewish Theological Seminary was a natural choice for its preeminent faculty and rigorous program. In order to get there, I studied at the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem, where I learned how much studying Jewish texts could mean when learning with great teachers who cared about their students even more than the material. I found teachers and mentors at JTS and during internships who likewise guided me in my learning and spiritual quest. This is something I want to bring with me into my rabbinate: teaching Torah and guiding a congregation through caring and example, paying close attention to their spiritual and intellectual needs while building a closer community by continually learning to recognize the image of God in each other.

BEN FREED בנימין שושן בן גבריאל ואילנה

As a journalist, I told people I loved my job because I was afforded the opportunity on a daily basis to ask questions, tell stories, and help people better understand the world around them. As a rabbi, I look forward to being a part of communities that ask challenging questions, leading synagogues that tell stories that connect and enrich, and working with people to explore how living out Jewish values can make the world around us a better and more holy place.

I am grateful for all I learned from my teachers, madrikhim, and rabbis at the Hebrew Day School, Beth Israel Congregation, Young Judaea, the University of Texas, and The Jewish Theological Seminary. I’m indebted to the mentorship I received as a Gladstein Fellow at Ramot Zion, the Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of Riverdale, and Agudath Achim in Little Rock, Arkansas. Most of all, I am blessed to bring with me boundless wisdom and love from my family and my partner. 5 THE JEWISH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY CEREMONY OF RABBINICAL AND CANTORIAL ORDINATION

MARCELLE HOHL מרים בת אברהם ושרה

As a passionate rabbi, I am eager to lead Jewish communities toward a closer connection with our texts, liturgy, and traditions. I embrace Jews of all backgrounds and levels of observance, interfaith families, and Jews by choice. I am deeply committed to social justice and pastoral care. My metaphor for the rabbinate is a mountain spring of living waters—“mayyim hayyim.” Jews may come and sit down by it and just gaze into the water, finding solace in the sound of its flow. They can also tentatively take some sips and savor its freshness; they may arrive at the spring very thirsty after a long journey and gulp the water down eagerly until their thirst is finally quenched. The spring welcomes everyone and is always inviting. Once people drink from the living waters, they become like “mikvaot,” and realize that “God is a mikvah of hope for Israel” (Jeremiah 17:13).

MARGO HUGHES-ROBINSON צפורה בת אברהם ושרה

I feel blessed to have been raised in a family that emphasized the cultivation of leadership through service: to reinvest in and take care of the communities and places where I have felt most nourished. It has been a privilege to serve and be nurtured by communities including B’nai Jeshurun, the Milstein Center for Interreligious Dialogue, Fort Tryon Jewish Center, and others as I honed the skills to better meet and care for people in their search for the Sacred. I feel humbled by the call to bring Jewish tradition out into the world, and strengthened by the expansive resilience of the mesorah and by the creativity of the Creator—“from the narrow place I called out to God/God answered me in grandeur” (Psalm 118:5). Through my time at JTS, I feel blessed to have encountered a living Torah, bolstered by the wisdom of teachers, colleagues, and friends.

ELIANA KISSNER אליענה רחל בת שמואל חונה וחיה אלית

My path has been winding, but I am filled with gratitude to be ordained as a cantor with the class of 2021! For the past decade I studied and worked at multiple Jewish institutions. I was an Arts Fellow at the Drisha Institute, lead singer of Safra Jewish Middle Eastern Ensemble, and a Dorot Fellow in 2015–2016 where I studied and performed at the Center for Middle Eastern Classical Music in Jerusalem. I worked as a ritual leader and/or educator at Lab/Shul, New Shul, and Temple Emanu-El in San Francisco, California. While at JTS, I was the cantorial intern at Fort Tryon Jewish Center in Washington Heights and Oheb Shalom in South Orange, New Jersey, where I will be continuing on as cantor this year. As a cantor, I hope to foster Jewish musical experiences that promote healing, the arts, social justice, and the continuous rediscovery and reinvention of Jewish traditions.

6 THE JEWISH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY CEREMONY OF RABBINICAL AND CANTORIAL ORDINATION

NOAM EZRA KORNSGOLD נועם עזרא בן הרב יהושע מוני וחיה לאה

Since I was a boy, I have been inspired to enter the rabbinate, taking cues from my rabbinic mentors and teachers and desiring to aid and support Jews in their highest and lowest moments. As I have grown, I have imbibed the teachings of my family, Beth El Synagogue, Abrams Hebrew Academy, Ramaz, Camp Ramah in the Berkshires, and The Jewish Theological Seminary, both as a List College student and as a Rabbinical School student. These institutions instilled within me an expanded vision of my rabbinate, a commitment to the Jewish people, a love for the State of Israel, and an appreciation for the transformational and Brobdingnagian power of halakhah within Jewish life. Channeling these experiences, I hope to funnel my initial impulse to become a rabbi, inculcating and teaching a love for God, Torah, and Israel. Through this work, I plan to contribute to the chain of Jewish tradition, ensuring that the values and laws of Torah are eternal.

DEBORAH FRANCES MEGDAL צפורה צירל בת דב ברוך ומרים פנינה

I was raised with the blessing of a strong call to sacred service. This echoes in the voices of my ancestors: Rabbi Yom-Tov Lipmann Heller, the Maharsham, and, as our family tradition tells, the Kotzker Rebbe. I know that the blood of brilliant and honorable women also flows through my veins. They could not become rabbis, but they are here today at my side. As we learn in the Talmud (BT Taanit 5b), Rabbi Yitzhak brought a surprising teaching: “Jacob did not die!” When challenged, he explained: “Jacob’s children are alive, so too is Jacob alive.” Just as I am alive, so too are my grandmothers Celia and Selma, and my grandfathers Meyer and Victor (z”l). My blessing is that we hold within ourselves all those we have lost, and that we have the strength and courage of heart to bring their Torah into the world, braided together with our own, in service of the Divine.

BLAIR NOSANWISCH ברא יהודית בת בנציון ויוסעלע

Our kitchens are sacred places. In our kitchens, we prepare food, which crosses the boundary of external to internal multiple times each day. Within Torah are tomes of opinion to contribute to our thinking about how we engage with boundaries. Boundaries between self and other, insides and outsides, life and death. By ritualizing and regulating the liminal, our tradition acknowledges a desire for differentiation and a pull toward integration. When I think about my rabbinate, I think about the Torah we must uncover for today. A resilient Torah. A Torah that holds our laws with reverence and seriousness, affirms us as it challenges us, and encourages us to make space for God in our daily lives. A resilient Torah is one that takes seriously that each of us is on a journey of differentiation and integration, and that to know God face to face is also to be known.

7 THE JEWISH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY CEREMONY OF RABBINICAL AND CANTORIAL ORDINATION

BENJAMIN SAVEL PERLSTEIN בנימין צבי בן סנדר ונחמה אסתר

From that election in our first semester to the pandemic in our final ones, it has often felt like the world that first inspired me to become a rabbi is not the one in which—and for which—we have been training. But I feel deeply inspired today. The potential for renewal—of our tradition, our people, and our contribution to the world’s broader healing and development—is as great as ever, and the sense of opportunity to reveal that potential—across disciplines, identities, oceans, and waves of consciousness—is truly uplifting. I hope to devote myself accordingly and inspire others—to open their hearts, minds, and souls for personal and collective transformation; to pour their life force into acts of righteousness and compassion; and to wholly love the joyous wonder of lived holiness. May we all be on fire for God—in learning, dancing, prayer, and care for all.

KEVIN PETERS עקיבא אריאל בן משה

I have been a spiritual seeker all my life. My seeking brought me on many different paths, but unbeknownst to me, they all headed in the same direction. I am reminded of Joseph getting lost while searching for his brothers. Suddenly an unnamed person takes notice of him and asks Joseph a question that changes his life forever: What are you seeking? That simple encounter with someone kind enough to ask the question changed the course of Joseph’s life. Along the way, I have been blessed to have had people take notice of me. Many of those individuals were my teachers and mentors at The Jewish Theological Seminary. I am indebted to them for their guidance and support these past seven years. It is now my turn to go out into the world and do the same for others who are on their own paths. Thanks to the sacred learning I have done at JTS, I feel excited and ready to do so.

JONATHAN LOUIS POSNER יונתן לב בן חנניה ברוך ונעמי

My life is built on a commitment to hospitality and helping folks feel at home among the Jewish people and in our tradition. Before becoming a rabbi, I worked as a chef, and my life still revolves around food and cooking. Cooking Jewish food became my doorway back into a life of Jewish learning, prayer, and practice after living away from Judaism for some time. I am passionate about helping people from all walks of life find their doorway into a life filled with Jewish meaning and wonder, and I consider it my highest honor to help them walk through those doors.

8 THE JEWISH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY CEREMONY OF RABBINICAL AND CANTORIAL ORDINATION

DANIELLA SHLOMIT RISMAN דניאלה בת ליב זליג וטובה

Love of music and service have shaped the choices I have made throughout my life. In my studies at Oberlin College and Conservatory of Music (Bachelor of Arts, Environmental Studies, and Bachelor of Music, Vocal Performance) and San Francisco Conservatory of Music (Master of Music, Voice), I imagined I would find a way to combine music and tikkun olam into a career. The cantorate eventually became the clear way to build the life and world that I dream. The great loves of my life—my family, dear friends, and children—have built in me a passion and joy in showing people that they are valued and loved. I hope that my work as a hazzan will offer me opportunities to build relationships with, affirm the dignity of, and connect lovingly with ever widening circles of community members. To my family, my teachers, and all of my loved ones: thank you for bringing me to this time and place.

JACOB HILLEL SANDLER יעקב הלל בן יצחק הלוי וחנה

When people ask me when I knew I wanted to be a cantor, I always say, “about half way through כל-כלי יוצר עליך, לא יצלח my first semester in Cantorial School.” I simply fell in love with it. I have been leading Shaharit and Musaf for Shabbat since my bar mitzvah. I started songleading at Camp Ramah in the Berkshires nearly a decade ago. After getting a degree in secular Music Education at SUNY Buffalo State, I realized something was missing. I often joke that being a cantor will allow me to combine all my favorite things: music, Judaism, spirituality, education, and tuna salad. It is true that my time at JTS showed me how possible it is to live a meaningful Jewish life and how rewarding it can be to share that possibility with others. During my training at JTS, I had the privilege of helping build community as a Jewish Life director. As a cantorial intern at New City Jewish Center, I was able to immediately apply the work from my classes in a real synagogue context. God blessed me with the gift of song, and I feel incredibly blessed to have found meaningful work that suits my skill set and interests so perfectly. I am so grateful that I get to serve the Jewish people and God with joy. I am so excited to begin.

ERYKA VELAZQUEZ שירה עליזה בת צוריאל אלעד ואביבה

Originally from Southern California, I swapped coasts to pursue my dream of becoming a cantor. Music and singing have always played a major role in my life. Also having a deep love for teaching, I recently graduated from the William Davidson School of Jewish Education last May. During my time at JTS, I have taught music, liturgy, b’nei mitzvah, and Judaica at Camp Ramah Wisconsin, Park Avenue Synagogue, South Huntington Jewish Center, and Women’s League of . Currently, I am blessed to call Central Synagogue - Beth Emeth in Rockville Centre, Long Island, home as their cantor. I love utilizing the power of prayer and music to connect present-day Jews with ancient Jewish traditions. I am proud and honored to join the ranks of my mentors and supporters who have guided me along this journey.

9 THE JEWISH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY CEREMONY OF RABBINICAL AND CANTORIAL ORDINATION

ABIGAIL WEBER אביגיל בת יוסף ודבורה

On a trip to Latvia in 2015, I discovered that my great-great-great-grandfather had been a rabbi there. Unbeknownst to me, I came from an established rabbinic dynasty leading all the way back to the Abravanels of Spain and Portugal. It is fitting that I learned of this family connection just as I was in the process of applying to rabbinical school. Becoming a rabbi had felt like a radical act—although Judaism had always been an essential piece of my life, it never occurred to me that it was something I could do as a job. But I realized how powerful a rabbi could be: sharing the magic of Shabbat, connecting people to spirituality, teaching the beauty of Jewish philosophy, leading ecstatic prayer and communal singing, and bringing ancient text to life. As I step into this role, I am grateful for the changes in the world that allow a person like me to become a rabbi, and I am grateful for the continuity with tradition that I embody in this moment.

MAYA ZINKOW מיה עדן בת הרב משה והרב אלקה

In my first year of rabbinical school, I stumbled upon a Kadya Molodwosky poem in translation: “My life is a page ripped from a sefer, a holy book, the first line is torn.” Her words spoke to and through me then, but I didn’t fully understand their poetry until now, in this sacred moment of transition. My spiritual calling is one of guiding others from rupture to repair, from alienation to integration. Our sacred texts hold powers of healing and wholeness, and my blessing is that each of us finds a teacher who might empower us to access this magic. In my rabbinate, I dedicate myself to inviting others in to the study and keeping of our traditions. Earlier in her poem, Molodowksy writes of the inheritance she receives from her matriarchs, who carried it to her “like a sacred wine from the kosher cellars of [their] hearts.” May we merit to make many moments sacred, may our cups spill over with joy, and may our Torah always be sweet. L’haim!

10 THE JEWISH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY CEREMONY OF RABBINICAL AND CANTORIAL ORDINATION

Faculty Blessing for the New Kaddish D’Rabbanan Cantors and Rabbis

Let not this Book of Torah cease from your lips, but With this prayer we extend our gratitude to God for recite it day and night, so that you may observe the gift of Torah and ask God’s blessings upon all those faithfully all that is written in it. Only then will you who study its words. May God’s peace be upon our prosper in your undertakings and only then will you rabbis and cantors, guiding and strengthening them on be successful. We charge you: be strong and resolute; their journey forward as religious leaders of the Jewish proceed with courage and confidence, for Adonai your people. God is with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:8–9)

11