Whether pairing in hevrutot to parse lines of Tanakh for hidden meanings or assembling in a group for a pluralistic prayer service, students at Hebrew College's Rabbinical School are first and foremost living out unique spiritual journeys. Now, thanks to several large donations this year totaling more than $600,000, the Rabbinical School will be facilitating an even greater number of these journeys.

"We at the Rabbinical School are deeply gratified by the interest shown in our program by both foundations and individuals," says Dr. Arthur Green, dean of the Rabbinical School. "We hope this will be the beginning of growing support for our unique experiment in taking a transdenominational approach to rabbinic education."

Among this year's major gifts:

The Morris and Rose Sokolove Rabbinical Fellowship. Donated by noted personal injury attorney James Sokolove and his wife, Stephanie, in memory of James's father and in honor of his mother, this is the first endowed fellowship specifically earmarked for the School. The $200,000 gift will allot $10,000 in tuition assistance to one rabbinical student each year.

The Burstein-Cail Fellowship. Given by two long-time supporters of the College and leaders in the Greater Boston Jewish Community, Maxwell Burstein and Hebrew College board chairman Mickey Cail, this non-endowed fellowship will also provide $10,000 in tuition assistance to one rabbinical student per year.

An anonymous, unrestricted $250,000 gift to the Rabbinical School. This gift will support the operation and continuous improvement of the School. The donors have also provided a $50,000 matching fund to encourage further giving to the School, and additional monies to support the 2005 Summer Bet Midrash Institute.

A $150,000 gift from the E. Rose and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation of Philadelphia. The Foundation, whose areas of giving include theological schools, contributed $150,000 this summer to support the Rabbinical School's Spiritual Direction Program, known as Hadrachah Ruhanit. This three-year program provides rabbinical students with a spiritual director to meet with individually and talk through personal spiritual experiences. Over the next five years, the money will be used to train and employ spiritual directors who will tailor the program to meet students' needs.

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