From June 8–11, JTS welcomed 35 adult learners from across the United States—and even one participant from Switzerland—for the inaugural Text and the City, a new four-day learning experience that combined intensive Jewish text study with unique opportunities to explore New York City through a Jewish lens. 

Participants represented a wide range of ages and levels of experience with Jewish text study. Some had been engaging with JTS remotely through programs such as Context, weekly webinars, Biblical Hebrew, and Open Classroom, and were excited for the opportunity to learn together in person. For others, Text and the City was their first experience studying with JTS.

A distinctive feature of the program was studying the same biblical chapter with four different JTS scholars. In the morning, participants gathered in the Beit Midrash for an immersive study of Genesis 18. Each scholar focused on different passages and brought distinctive questions and interpretive approaches to the text. Through close reading, intertextuality, comparative interpretation, and philosophical reflection, learners engaged with enduring questions—questions of hospitality and justice, faith and doubt, and the complex relationship between the human and the divine.   

For Andie Levinger of New York City, this was one of the program’s highlights. “The concept of taking one text and exploring it in four different ways was remarkable,” she reflected. “From each teacher, I gained curiosity, excitement, and inspiration. It makes me want to look at every Jewish and secular text in a similar way—with multiple perspectives.”&�Բ�����;

As part of the morning text study, participants also had the opportunity to learn in hevruta, the traditional practice of paired learning. For many, this approach was new, but it quickly became one of the most meaningful aspects of the experience. Through thoughtful conversation and collaborative inquiry, learners deepened their understanding of the text while building connections with one another. 

“The way the program was structured enabled people to participate fully,” said Beryl Levinger of Carmel, CA. “Each person brought a unique set of experiences, and those experiences were treasured and valued by everyone else.”&�Բ�����;

The hevruta model, combined with opportunities to pray together and share meals, fostered a vibrant learning community. Carol Ehrlich of Brookline, MA, observed, “We formed a lovely community after just a few days—a community of respectful dialogue, willingness to challenge ourselves, willingness to be vulnerable in our approach to text, and a commitment to seeing what others saw in the text.”&�Բ�����;

In the afternoons, the learning extended beyond the classroom. Participants joined JTS scholars, who applied the different interpretative tools that they were using in the Beit Midrash to other cultural artifacts: books, documents, visual art, and NYC landmarks. Participants enjoyed visits to some of New York City’s most significant cultural institutions, including The JTS Library’s world-renowned special collections with Dr. Marcus Mordecai Schwartz, a walking tour of Jewish life on the Lower East Side led by Dr. Sandra Fox, a special visit to The Met Cloisters with Dr. Julia Perratore and Dr. David Kraemer, and a private tour of Paul Klee: Other Possible Worlds at the Jewish Museum. The group also attended the opening night of the Israel Film Center Festival. 

“���ij�Ʒ is part of the fabric of New York City,” reflected Michael Ratney of Washington, D.C. “Participants walk away with a great appreciation for how JTS contributes to the life of Judaism in the city.”&�Բ�����;

Plans are already underway to grow the program next summer, enabling even more learners to experience the powerful combination of rigorous study, meaningful community, and cultural exploration that made this inaugural gathering such a success. Sign up here for news about the program.

The Forward recently featured JTS in an article highlighting the growing rabbinical class enrollments of JTS and Hebrew Union College. This coming fall, JTS will be welcoming a Rabbinical School class of 25 aspiring rabbis, our largest class since 2011.

“We are seeing a beautifully diverse population of students, which I think mirrors the people who are in our Jewish communities,” said Rabbi Ayelet Cohen, the Pearl Resnick Dean of The Rabbinical School and Dean of the Division of Religious Leadership at JTS.

Read “”

Dr. Marjorie Lehman, Professor of Talmud and Rabbinics, discusses traveling with a cohort of Gladstein rabbinic fellows on a mission to Buenos Aires, Argentina and Santiago, Chile.

I have spent my career at JTS in the world of rabbinic texts. I have sat with students in our beit midrash and embraced those moments when an ancient page comes alive for them. I have outlined Talmudic passages, scribbled charts across blackboards, and read hundreds of assignments. I have listened to countless students as they interpret our complicated textual tradition. This is the most sacred work I know. This is my contribution to the development of Jews who love Torah, as I do. To have the opportunity to learn every day and contribute to the formation of rabbis, teachers, and Jewish leaders, is an incredible gift for which I am utterly grateful.  

But recently, through the extraordinary generosity of Ned and Jane Gladstein, I was given the chance to step beyond the walls of the JTS classroom and join something far larger than myself. I traveled with a remarkable cohort of Gladstein rabbinic fellows on a mission to Buenos Aires, Argentina and Santiago, Chile. These are young rabbis, many of whom were my students, who had been selected in their very first year of rabbinical school and mentored by the Gladstein Fellowship with intention and care to develop the kind of rabbinic leadership skills needed to transform Jews. 

We were also joined by inspirational lay and professional leaders, people whose devotion to the mission of building and sustaining Masorti Judaism across the globe is nothing short of incredible. Together, we immersed ourselves in the living reality of Masorti communities in South America. Together, we sat with rabbis, teachers, and lay leaders who have planted Masorti Judaism deeply into their communities, reaching Jews of every age and every background. There is something rare about traveling with a group of people who are bound together by a commitment to vibrant, serious, engaged Jewish life. That was the spirit of this mission, and it set the tone for everything that followed.  

What moved me most profoundly was encountering the Gladstein Fellows, who were at various stages of their rabbinic careers. They shared their struggles and triumphs with boundless energy and hope. I could sense that they were working hard to shape the present moment, each trying to find the place where they could be the most contributive. To hear about their lives in the field enabled me to understand the role that the Gladstein Fellowship in Entrepreneurial Rabbinic Leadership plays in their rabbinic formation. They are living proof that when you invest in the right people, in the right way, at the right moment in their formation, something extraordinary becomes possible.  

And then there were Ned and Jane Gladstein. 

To travel alongside the very people whose generosity and vision made all of this possible was a privilege I did not take lightly. What struck me most was not simply their philanthropy, remarkable as it is. It was their presence. Their genuine curiosity about the communities we visited, their warmth toward the rabbis they have helped to form, their obvious joy in seeing the fruits of what they set in motion. They were true models for me of people who enter into a relationship with the individuals committed to the mission they support.  

I have long admired the work of Masorti Olami from a distance. This mission brought me close enough to see it whole. We were able to visit Lamroth Hakol and Casa Malka/Amijai in Buenos Aires. We were also hosted by Nueva B’nai Israel and Círculo Israelita de Santiago in Santiago. There we were joined by rabbis, lay leaders, and members, each with a different story about their Jewish journey, each with different models of how to build energetic communities. What I witnessed was the remarkable power of integration and what becomes possible when excellent rabbinic leadership, utterly devoted lay leaders, and skilled, passionate professionals are working in genuine concert toward a shared vision. Each piece matters: The rabbi who can teach and inspire, the lay leader who gives their time, their resources, and their heart with devotion, the professional who holds the organizational threads together with competence and care. Remove any one of these, and the structure weakens. But together they create something that is greater than the sum of its parts. Thank you to all our hosts and those who shared this journey with me. I am honored to be working alongside you.  

Last Thursday, JTS hosted a full-day convening exploring the limits of law and the ethical commitments required to sustain justice in democratic societies.

We were honored to welcome leading scholars and practitioners who examined how moral responsibility, empathy, and civic norms can complement legal frameworks when the law alone is insufficient to address complex social challenges.

Rabbi Dr. Jane Kanarek, Professor of Rabbinics and Dean of Faculty, Hebrew College, and Imam Dr. Khalil Abdur-Rashid, Muslim Chaplain and Lecturer, Muslim Studies, Harvard University, began the event with a discussion about Jewish and Muslim views on the relationship between religious law, secular law, human reason, and empathy.

The second session explored the idea that law can help solve human problems, but justice depends on the values and actions of the people who live under it. Courts and constitutions matter, yet lasting change often comes from education, dialogue, civic engagement, and sometimes challenging unjust laws. The panel featured Lincoln Caplan, Journalist and Senior Research Scholar in Law at Yale University, Hon. Judith Bartnoff, Senior Judge at the Superior Court of the District of D.C., Talia Milgrom-Elcott, Founder and Executive Director of Beyond100K, and Dimitry Anselme, Smith Family Senior Vice President and Chief Officer of Facing History & Ourselves, and Assistant Attorney General in Charge of Special Litigation in the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office David Leit moderated the discussion.

Participants also took part in interactive workshops, exploring “Ethics in Action: Applying Legal Principles to Civic Challenges,” covering a wide range of additional topics.

The day concluded with the Henry N. and Selma S. Rapaport Memorial Lecture. Chancellor Shuly Rubin Schwartz moderated a conversation on law, repair, and civic life between Martha Minow, 300th Anniversary University Professor, Harvard Law School, and Susan Sturm, George M. Jaffin Professor of Law and Social Responsibility, Columbia Law School.

If you weren’t able to join us in-person, you can now watch these important conversations.

Religious Law and Ethical Foundations

• Moderator: Rabbi Gordon Tucker, Vice Chancellor for Religious Life and Engagement, JTS
• Rabbi Dr. Jane Kanarek, Professor of Rabbinics and Dean of Faculty, Hebrew Collegek
• Imam Dr. Khalil Abdur-Rashid, Muslim Chaplain and Lecturer, Muslim Studies, Harvard University

When the Law Meets Ethics: Understanding Limits and Responsibilities

• Moderator: David Leit, Assistant Attorney General in Charge of Special Litigation, New Jersey Attorney General’s Office •
• Lincoln Caplan, Journalist and Senior Research Scholar in Law, Yale University •
• Hon. Judith Bartnoff, Senior Judge, Superior Court of the District of D.C. •
• Talia Milgrom-Elcott, Founder and Executive Director of Beyond100K •
• Dimitry Anselme, Smith Family Senior Vice President and Chief Officer, Facing History & Ourselves

Rapaport Lecture: A Conversation on Law, Repair, and Civic Life

• Moderator: Chancellor Shuly Rubin Schwartz
• Martha Minow, 300th Anniversary University Professor, Harvard Law School
• Susan Sturm, George M. Jaffin Professor of Law and Social Responsibility, Columbia Law School

Rabbi Naomi Kalish, Harold and Carole Wolfe Director of the Center for Pastoral Education and Assistant Professor of Pastoral Education, recently attended the Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains (NAJC) annual conference in West Palm Beach, Florida. The four-day gathering centered on the theme “Finding Strength, Courage, and Healing in the Wilderness” and brought together chaplains and spiritual care professionals from across the country.

Rabbi Kalish, who is a past president of NAJC, presented a session titled “The Story of Hagar and Meeting People in the Wilderness.” She explored the biblical narrative of Hagar and examined the ways Torah study and theological reflection can inform and enrich the practice of chaplaincy and spiritual care.

JTS was well represented throughout the conference. Rabbi Lynn Liberman, a JTS alumna, presided over the event in her new role as president of NAJC. Another JTS alum, Rabbi Ed Bernstein, was honored with the Ner Tamid Award, which recognizes outstanding leadership in chaplaincy and a “commitment to bringing light, hope, and healing to others.” The conference was also attended by four graduates of the MA in Spiritual Care and Counseling program, one current student, and numerous alumni from JTS’s Division of Religious Leadership.

JTS also extends mazal tov to Rabbi Hector Epelbaum, who was honored with the Rabbi Dr. Barry and Anita Kinzbrunner Award. Rabbi Epelbaum is a graduate of Seminario Latinoamericano, a Conservative/Masorti seminary based in Argentina.

The conference provided a meaningful opportunity for chaplains to learn together, share experiences, and strengthen their professional and spiritual communities. It was an inspiring gathering that fostered connection, support, and renewed purpose among colleagues dedicated to caring for others.

The JTS faculty continues to pursue scholarship and excel in their areas of expertise. Here are a few highlights from this past semester:

Professor Benjamin Sommer, Professor of Bible and Ancient Semitic Languages, was part of a panel at Duke University honoring Professor Marc Brettler on his retirement. Other panelists included Dr. Rabbi David Starr, Rabbi David Steinberg, and Tova Hartman. The panel was entitled “Academic Scholarship and Jewish Life.” He also delivered a lecture entitled “Biblical Monotheisim: Exculsive or Inclusive? The Bible and the Ancient World Seminar Series” in May at UCLA. This lecture examined the discussion of pluralism in the field of comparative theology in light of a core question in the story of Israelite religion.

Professor Shira Billet recently taught a class entitled “Affective Power: Hermann Cohen’s Critique of Spinoza on the Negative Emotions” at the Franz Rosenzweig Minerva Research Center at Hebrew University, as part of the Center’s yearlong seminar on Emotions in the German-Jewish Experience. She was also at the Angelicum in Rome (Pontifical University of St. Thomas), where she participated in a conference on the Holy Spirit, presenting a paper on this theme in modern Jewish thought. 

Over the past few months, Prof. Billet presented several other talks in the United States and internationally, such as “Eudaimonia and Negation of the Diaspora: Rethinking Hermann Cohen on Zionism After 100 Years,” at the International Workshop in Memory of Paul Mendes-Flohr at Bar-Ilan University, co-sponsored by the Joseph Carlebach Institute and the Institute for the History of German Jews; “Prophecy and the Biblical Prophets in Modern Jewish Thought,” at the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Yeshiva University; “Virtue and Power in Hermann Cohen’s Ethics and Philosophy of Religion” as part of the Toldot & Tarbut Series (University of Bonn); and “Can Commentary Be Philosophy? Hermann Cohen’s Contested Legacy” as part of the conference Commentary and/as Philosophy (Princeton University), sponsored by the Program in Judaic Studies.

Professor Yitz Landes hosted Dr. Gene Matanky for a talk on “Esoteric Labor: Scholarly Practices and Safedian Kabbalah.” Dr. Matanky is a Harry Starr Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University and a Golda Meir Postdoctoral Fellow at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The day began with remembering Rabbi Jerry Schwarzbard, former Ripp Schnitzer Librarian for Special Collections at the Library. After the talk, Dr. Matanky gave a tour of the Rare Book Room.

Professor Jonathan Milgram has been on a well-deserved sabbatical this past semester and has been working on his book on the topic of Pidyon Haben. He also recently published, “The Textual Formation and Redaction of the Babylonian Talmud,” in What is the Bavli?, ed. Jay Harris and Christine Hayes, Harvard University Press, 2025.

Congratulations to Professor David Fishman, who was elected as a Fellow of the American Academy for Jewish Research. This honor represents the high regard that Jewish studies researchers have for Professor Fishman and his work.  He was also appointed to the Advisory Committee of the Vilna Gaon Jewish State Museum in Vilnius, Lithuania. As director of the Jewish Archival Survey in Ukraine, he co-edited the newly published Jewish Documentary Sources in Chernivtsi Archives: A Guide (Bucharest University Press). His study “Rabbi Joseph Isaac Schneersohn: The Making of a Jewish Religious Leader in the Soviet Union”&�Բ�����; has appeared in the book Religion and the Russian Revolution of 1917 (Indiana University Press).

Several faculty members participated in the JTS learning series, America at 250: Jewish Ideas and the American Experiment, including Professors Robert Harris, Sandra Fox, Jack Wertheimer, Sarah Wolf, Shira Billet, and Benjamin Sommer.

Professor Robert A. Harris, Irma Cameron Milstein Chair, for Hebrew Bible and Its Interpretation, has been selected by an international committee as the 2027 JTS–Rome Fellow. This fully funded fellowship will support his teaching at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (PUST) in Rome during the Spring 2027 semester. An internationally recognized scholar of medieval Jewish biblical exegesis, Professor Harris will work closely with Professor Gavin D’Costa of PUST, contributing to interfaith dialogue and scholarly exchange. 

���ij�Ʒ is in the midst of an exciting period of growth, expanding in the number of students we serve and in the breadth of their backgrounds, interests, and areas of study. Our Division of Religious Leadership continues to see rising enrollment in both The Rabbinical School and H. L. Miller Cantorial School. Meanwhile, our Division of Lifelong and Professional Studies now offers, among other innovative programs, an MFA in Creative Writing, an MA in Spiritual Care and Counseling, a new MA in Ritual Leadership, a certificate in Biblical Hebrew, and the Emerging Leaders Fellowship for teens that brings them together with JTS faculty and rabbinical students.

In the following pages, you will meet students from our traditional schools and from our new academic programs. You will discover their unique paths to JTS, the passions driving their studies, and the meaningful work they are already undertaking both within and beyond our walls. At ���ij�Ʒ we are educating scholars and professional leaders for academia, preparing highly trained and compassionate Jewish educators, equipping spiritual caregivers to bring a Jewish lens to their sacred work, supporting Jewish writers as they develop their voices, and inspiring the next generation of passionate, thoughtful, and committed Jewish leaders. We are grateful for your support in these efforts, and we hope you feel great pride.

Read the 2026 Student Look Book now.

Yesterday, we celebrated our 2026 graduates and the many ways they have enriched the JTS community. Joined by over 500 family, friends, colleagues, and alumni, graduates received their degrees and set forth to bring their talents to the Jewish and wider world. We take great pride in their achievements. Nearly 450 people also joined us online to witness the next generation of Jewish leaders step forward into the future.

We were also honored to confer honorary degrees on Rabbi Edward Feld, Dr. Ruth Marcus, Ms. Debra Messing, and Dr. Peter Schäfer. President Isaac Herzog delivered the Commencement Address virtually, offering powerful and inspiring reflections and remarks. The day concluded with the ordination of eleven new rabbis in a meaningful ceremony followed by festive dancing.

If you missed the ceremonies or would like to revisit them, we invite you to watch the recordings below.

Download the commencement program and the tekes program.