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 Rabbi 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 Rabbis 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 Israel 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, Judaism 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.