Our Alumni
Hebrew College alumni are Jewish leaders and lifelong learners all over the world. Learn more
300,000 – Jews Worldwide Reached by Hebrew College Ordained Rabbis
Our rabbinical alumni serve as congregational rabbis in affiliated and independent congregations, Hillel rabbis and executive directors, hospital chaplains and organizational innovators.
90,000 – Students in the past Two Years Educated by Hebrew College Graduate Education alumni.
Our graduate education alumni are heads of day schools, directors of religious schools, teachers, curriculum experts, and tutors for congregations and organizations across the country.
18,000 – Individuals Served by Hebrew College Ordained Cantors
Our cantorial alumni bring leadership, music and spirituality to congregations the U.S., Canada and Singapore.
8,000 – Adult Learners Enriched by Hebrew College Programs
Alumni of our community learning programs have gone on to become rabbis, educators, lay leaders, and lifelong Jewish learners.
5,500 – Teens Inspired by Hebrew College Teen Learning Programs
Our Prozdor alumni attend top colleges and have gone on to leadership and lay positions in their Jewish communities across the U.S.
Where our alumni are working
California
- Rabbi Adina Allen Rab`14 | Co-founder and Creative Director | The Jewish Studio Project | Berkeley
- David Derin, `MJED16 | Abraham Joshua Heschel School, Northridge
- Rabbi Rafi Ellenson Rab`25 | Assistant Rabbi | Congregation Shir Hadash | Los Gatos
- Moshe Fisch MJED`08 | Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School | Palo Alto
- Rabbi Genevieve Greinetz Rab`22 | Director of Jewish Learning | The Brandeis School of San Francisco | San Francisco
- Sarah Hartman `MJED19 | Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin & Sonoma Counties| San Francisco
- Emily JK Holtzman MJED’17 | Temple Beth Am | Los Angeles
- Rabbi Stephanie Kennedy Rab`22, MJED`22 | Rabbi Educator | Jewish Gateways | Albany
- Rabbi Chaim Koritzinsky Rab`08 | Rabbi | Congregation Etz Chayim | Palo Alto
- Rabbi SAM Luckey Rab`20 | Rabbinic Program and Community Builder | Kehilla Community Synagogue | Piedmont
- Sophie Needelman MJED`18 | University of California San Diego Hillel, San Diego
- Dorielle Parker MJED`15 |Oakland Hebrew Day School | Oakland
- Carina Rock MJED`11 |San Diego Jewish Academy | San Diego
- Rabbi Frankie Sandmel Rab`22, MJED`22 | Rabbi | BASE Bay Area | Oakland
- Rabbi Stephen Slater Rab`18 | Dean of Rabbinical School | Academy for Jewish Religion California | Los Angeles
- Rabbi Alyson Solomon Rab`09 | Rabbi, Taube Center for Jewish Peoplehood | Oshir Marin Jewish Community Center | Santa Venetia
- Rabbi Dena Trugman Rab`19 | Palliative Care Chaplain | UCLA Health, Santa Monica Medical Center | Santa Monica
- Rabbi Josh Weisman Rab`18 | Rabbi | Temple Beth Sholom | San Leandro
- Aron Wolgel MJED`09 | Jewish Community High School of the Bay | San Francisco
Canada
- Rabbi Eli Herb Rab `16 | Rabbi | Congregation Emanu-El | Victoria, British Columbia
- Cantor Audrey Klein Can `17, MJED`17 | Director of Family & Young Adult Engagement | Beth Tzedec Congregation | Toronto, Ontario
- Rabbi Rick Kline Rab`15, MJED`15 | Spiritual Health Practitioner/Chaplain | Banff Mineral Springs Hospital | Banff, Alberta
- Rabbi Ryan Leszner Rab`23, MAJS`23 | Assistant Rabbi, Director of Jewish Living and Learning | Congregation Darchei Noam | Toronto
- Rabbi Matt Ponak Rab`20, MJED`20 | Co-Founder, Teacher and Somatic Spiritual Guide | Mekorah Institute | Victoria, British Columbia
- Jonah Potasznik MJED`10 | Hebrew Foundation School | Quebec
- Tema Smith MJED`18 | Holy Blossom Temple | Toronto
- David Wallach` MJED16 | Herzliah School |Montreal
Colorado
- Ori Bieder MJED`17 | Denver Jewish Day School | Denver
- Jacob Chatinover Rab`24, MAJS`24 | Director of Congregational Learning/Clergy | Congregation Bonai Shalom, Boulder
- Brooke Fisher MJED`20 | Congregation Nevei Kodesh | Boulder
- Sarah Levy MJED`10 | Denver Jewish Day School | Denver
Connecticut
- Rabbi Emmanuel Cantor Rab`24, MAJS| Assistant Campus Rabbi | Joseph Slifka Center for Jewish Life at Yale | New Haven
- Rabbi Shamarya Gershon Rab`08| Kosher Supervisor/Mashgiach | Vaad Hakashrus of Fairfield County (Ladle & Loaf) | New Haven
- Rabbi Bekah Goldman `16 | Rabbi | Farmington Valley Jewish Congregation-Emek Shalom | Simsbury
- Cantor Kochava Munro Can`23, MJED`23 | Cantor | Congregation B’nai Jacob | Woodbridge
- Rabbi Daniel Schaefer Rab`18 | Rabbi | Congregation Mishkan Israel | Hamden
Florida
- Beth Pennamacoor MJED’17 | Temple Beit HaYam & Cantorial Soloist | Stuart
- Cantor Kim Singer Can`09, MJED`09 | Cantor | Temple Shir Shalom | Oviedo
- Cantor Rachel Slusky Can`20, MJED`20 | Cantor/Director of Education | Temple Beth Torah Wellington | Wellington
Georgia
- Rabbi Jordan Braunig Rab`14 | Jewish Chaplain | Emory University Hillel | Atlanta
- Rabbi Eric Feld Rab`23, MAJS`23 | Associate Rabbi and Director of Lifelong Learning| Ahavath Achim Synagogue | Atlanta
- Drew Cohen MJED`11 | Weber School, Atlanta
- Ilan Weismark MJED`13 | Davis Academy | Atlanta
Illinois
- Natan Anderson `MJED17| Rochelle Zell Jewish High School | Chicago
- Rabbi Ezra Balser Rab`17 | Rav | BASE Loop | Chicago
- Rabbi Sarah Mulhern Rab`17, MJED`17 | Rabbi | BASE Lincoln Park | Chicago
- Cantor Dara Rosenblatt Can`18, MJED`18 | Cantor | Am Yisrael Conservative Congregation | Northfield
- Rabbi Philip Sherman Rab`13, MJED`13 | Senior Rabbi | Congregation B’nai Jehoshua Beth Elohim | Deerfield
- Rabbi Becky Silverstein Rab`14, MAJS`14 | Faculty/Co-Director, Trans Halakha Project | SVARA | Chicago
- Matthew Teitelman MJED`22 | Luria | Oak Park
- Rabbi Moshe Webber Rab`23, MAJS`23| Rabbi | BASE Chicago | Chicago
Indiana
- Rabbi Hal Schevitz Rab`13 | Rabbi | Congregation Beth-El Zedeck | Indianapolis
Israel
- Rabbi Deborah Anstandig ’25| Educational Director for Engagement | Pardes | Jerusalem
- Rabbi Minna Bromberg ’10 | Founder & President | Fat Torah | Jerusalem
- Rachel Shapiro Fink MJED`08 | Journey Early Childhood Center |Tel Aviv
- Rabbi Lila Veissid Rab`11, MAJS`11 | Regional Rabbi – Emek Hefer | Israel Reform Movement | Jerusalem
- Rabbi Matthew Schwartz Rab`25, MAJS`25 | Rabbi | Moriah Congregation |Haifa
- Rabbi Shuki Zehavi Rab`19, MAJS`19 | Rabbi | Fuchsberg Jerusalem Center | Jerusalem
Kansas
- Rabbi Elizabeth Bonney-Cohen Rab`18, MJED`18 | School Rabbi | Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy | Overland Park
Louisiana
- Rabbi David Cohen-Henriquez Rab`09 | Rabbi | Shir Chadash Conservative Congregation | Mataire
- Cantor Kevin Margolius Can`13, MJED`13 | Cantor | Touro Synagogue | New Orleans
Maine
- Cantor Beth Strassler Can`17, MAJS`16 | Congregation Etz Chaim | Biddeford
Maryland
- Cantor Melanie Blatt Can`18, MJED`18 | Cantor Educator & Director of Community Engagement | Beth El Congregation | Baltimore
- Lisa Bodnizer MJED`08 | Towson University Hillel | Baltimore
- Cantor Sarah Bolts Can`16 | Associate Hazzan | B’nai Israel Congregation | Rockville
- Rabbi Tyler Dratch Rab`21, MJED`21 | Rabbi for Tefilah Leadership and Director of Youth and Family Education | Beth Am Synagogue | Baltimore
- Julie Gordon MJED`12 | Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation | Bethesda
- Cantor Hinda Labovitz Can`14 | Cantor | Ohr Kodesh Congregation | Chevy Chase
- Orna Siegel MJED`16 | Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School | Rockville
Massachusetts
- Rabbi Leora Abelson Rab`17 | Rabbi | Nehar Shalom Community Synagogue | Jamaica Plain
- Rabbi Elyse Pincus Abrahams Rab`23, MJED`23 | Assistant Rabbi | Temple Beth Shalom | Needham
- Cantor Steve Abramowitz Can`08 | ESL Teacher | Fitchburg Public Schools, McKay Elementary School | Fitchburg
- Rabbi Alison Adler Rab`08 | Rabbi | Temple B’nai Abraham | Beverly
- Cantor Elise Barber Rab`11 | Cantor | Temple Beth El | Springfield
- Rabbi Joel Baron Rab`14 | Interfaith Chaplain | Hebrew SeniorLife | Canton
- Rabbi Laura Bellows Rab`18 | Director of Spiritual Activism and Education | Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action | Dorchester
- Rabbi Tiferet Berenbaum Rab`13, MJED`13 | Rabbi of Congregational Learning and Programming | Temple Beth Zion | Brookline
- Rav Hazzan Aliza Berger Rab`17, Can`17 | Rav- Hazzan | Temple Emanuel | Newton
- Roberta Bergstron MJED`19, Temple Israel | Boston
- Rabbi Dan Berman Rab`10 | Rabbi | Temple Reyim | Newton
- Rabbi Sam Blumberg Rab`21 | Rabbi | Temple Beth Am | Framingham
- Rabbi Sara Blumenthal Rab`22 | Bar/Bat Mitzvah Coordinator and 6th & 7th Grade Teacher | Temple Beth Zion | Brookline
- Rabbi Josh Breindel Rab`09 | Rabbi | Congregation Beth El | Sudbury
- Cantor Vera Broekhuysen `Can 16 | Cantor | Congregation Beth El of the Sudbury River Valley | Sudbury
- Leah Carnow Rab`24, MAJS`24 | Assistant Rabbi | Temple Beth Zion | Brookline
- Rabbi Oksana Chapman Rab`09 | Cantor | Temple Emmanuel of Chelsea | Chelsea
- Rabbi Shahar Colt Rab`’16 | Rabbi | Congregation Ahavas Achim | Westfield and Rabbi | Community Hevra Kadisha of Greater Boston, Inc. | Lexington
- Rabbi Getzel Davis Rab`13, MJED`13 | Director of Interfaith Engagement | Harvard University | Cambridge
- Rabbi Jevin Eagle Rab`19 | CEO and University Chaplain | Boston University Hillel | Boston
- Rabbi Judi Ehrlich Rab`08 | Rabbi/Chaplain | NewBridge on the Charles, Hebrew SeniorLife | Dedham
- Benjamin Einsidler Rab`24, MJED/MAJS`15 | Rabbi | Temple Beth Sholom | Framingham
- Rabbi Batya Ellinoy Rab`22, MJED`23| Part-time Associate Rabbi & Rabbinical Vocalist | Temple Sinai Community | Marblehead
- Rabbi Lisa Feld Rab`23, MAJS`23| Rabbi | B’nai Tikvah | Canton
- Rabbi Aaron Fine Rab`09, MJED`09 | Executive Director | University of Massachusetts at Amherst Hillel | Amherst
- Rabbi David Finkelstein Rab`14, MAJS`14 | Rabbi | Congregation Or Atid | Wayland
- Rabbi Giulia Fleishman Rab`22 | Director of Spiritual Care | 2Life Communities | Brighton
- Cantor DJ Fortine Can`22 | Cantor | Temple Beth Shalom of Needham | Needham
- Rabbi Shoshana Friedman Rab`14 | Rabbi | Self-Employed
- Rabbi Dena Glasgow Rab`21 | Director of Jewish Education | Gann Academy | Waltham
- Rabbi Josh Greenberg Rab`23, MJED`23 | Jewish Chaplain | Philips Academy | Andover
- Rabbi Hillel Greene Rab`14 | Jewish Studies Faculty | Gann Academy | Waltham
- Rabbi Naomi Gurt Lind Rab`25, MAJS`24 | Rabbi | Temple Ahavat Achim | Gloucester
- Cantor Marc Guttman Can`22 | Freelance Musician and B’nei Mitzvah Tutor | Framingham
- Cantor Maayan Harel Can`19, MJED`19 | Cantor | Temple Ohabei Shalom | Brookline
- Rabbi Janie Hodgetts Rab`09 | Ikvotecha Spiritual Director | Hebrew College | Newton
- Rabbi Cantor Idan Irelander Rab`09, MJED`09 | Founding Rabbi | Congregation Ahavat Olam | North Andover
- Rabbi Eliana Jacobowitz Rab`10 | Senior Rabbi | Temple B’nai Brith | Somerville
- Rabbi Suzie Jacobson Rab`15, MJED`15 | Rabbi and Director of Congregational Learning | Temple Israel | Boston
- Cantor Marcie Jonas Can`10 | Clergy | Greater Boston
- Rabbi Randy Kafka Rab`08 | Rabbi | Temple Kol Tikvah | Sharon
- Rabbi Marcie Kamerow Rab`15, MJED`15 | Development Associate | Combined Jewish Philanthropies | Boston
- Rabbi Rachel Kaplan Rab`21 | Director of Student Life | Hebrew College | Newton
- Rabbi Gita Karasov Rab`20 | Dean of Admissions | Hebrew College | Newton
- Cantor Becky Khitrik Can`14 | Cantor | Temple Sinai of Sharon | Sharon
- Cantor Lisa Kipen-Hershenson Can`14 | Shabbat Clergy Team Member | Newbridge on the Charles, Independent Living | Dedham
- Rabbi Daniel Klein Rab`10, MJED`10 | Dean of the Rabbinical School | Hebrew College | Newton
- Rabbi Marjorie Klein Ronkin Rab`11, MJED`11 | Executive Director | Essex County Community Organization | Lynn
- Rabbi Elie Lehmann Rab`17 | Director | Hadar, Boston | Cambridge
- Rabbi Navah Levine | Rabbi-in-Residence | The Boston Synagogue | Boston
- Allen Lipson Rab`24, MAJS`24 | Organizer, Essex County Community Organization | Lynn
- Heidi Lovitz MJED`22 | Shalom Learning | Westford
- Rabbi Jessica Lowenthal Rab`19 | Rabbi and Education Director | Temple Beth Shalom | Melrose
- Rabbi Emily Mathis Rab`14 | Rabbi | B’nai Torah Metrowest | Wayland
- Rabbi Alex Matthews Rab`23, MAJS`23 | Rabbi | Congregation Ahavas Achim | Newburyport
- Cantor Michael McCloskey Rab`07, MJED`07 | Rav-Hazzan | Temple Emeth | Chestnut Hill
- Rabbi Sara Meirowitz Rab`13 | Associate Dean of Jewish Education | Gann Academy | Waltham
- Rabbi Margot Meitner Rab`14 | Community Rabbi/Psychotherapist/Faculty-Hebrew College | Jamaica Plain
- Rabbi Jackson Mercer Rab`23 | Head Rabbi | BASE Boston | Cambridge
- Rabbi Jessica Kate Meyer Rab`14 | Rosh Tefillah and Artist-in-Residence | Hebrew College | Newton
- Rabbi Mimi Micner Rab`20 | Rabbi | Temple Beth Torah | Holliston
- Rabbi Jim Morgan Rab`08, MJED`08 | Rabbi/Chaplain | Hebrew SeniorLife | Brookline
- Rabbi Sarah Noyovitz Rab`20, MAJS`20 | Education Director and Music Specialist | Congregation Beth Shalom of the Blue Hills | Milton
- Rabbi Suzanne Offit Rab`09 | Suicide Loss Survivor Support Group | JF&CS| Waltham
- Jonah Peretz MJED`18, | Jewish Community Day School of Boston | Watertown
- Rabbi Allison Poirier Rab`19, MJED`19 | Rabbi | Temple Aliyah | Needham
- Rabbi Elaine Pollack Rab`08 | Educator | Dorshei Tzedek | West Newton
- Wilma Sack-Poyser MJED`19 | Temple Aliyah | Needham
- Rabbi Elli Pripas Rab`25, MJED`19 | Jewish Chaplain and Hillel Advisor | Emerson College | Boston
- Rabbi Rachel Putterman Rab`20 | Rabbi | Temple Etz Chaim | Franklin
- Rebecca Redner MJED`19 | Gateways: Access to Jewish Education | Newton
- Rabbi Shayna Rhodes Rab`08 | Faculty and Director, Beit Midrash | Hebrew College | Newton
- Rav Hazzan Cantor Ken Richmond Rab`21 | Co-Senior Rabbi| Temple Israel | Natick
- Cantor Jeri Robins Can`13, MJED`13 | Cantor | Beth El Temple Center | Belmont
- Devora Rohr MJED`20 | Congregation Dorshei Tzedek | West Newton
- Rabbi Shani Rosenbaum Rab`21 | Faculty | Hebrew College | Newton
- Emmeline Rosenberg MJED`22 | Maimonides | Brookline
- Rabbi Sonia Saltzman Rab`08 | Rabbi | Boston University Hillel | Boston
- Cantor Nancy Sargon Can`08 | Jewish Chaplain | Spaulding Rehab Network, Boston | Cambridge
- Rabbi Josh Schreiber Rab`23, MAJS`23 | Rabbi | Congregation Agudath Achim | Taunton
- Rabbi Philip Sherman Rab`13, MJER`13 | Rabbi | Temple Beth Elohim | Wellesley
- Andrea Shapiro MJED`19 | Temple Emanuel | Newton
- Talya Shalem MJED`22 | Congregation Agudas Achin | Attleboro
- Rabbi Shira Shazeer Rab`10, MJED`10 | Learning Center Teacher | Gann Academy | Waltham
- Cantor Wendy Siegel Can`13 | Cantor Spiritual Leader | Temple Emanuel | Marlborough
- Rabbi Karen Silberman Rab`10 | Nongregational Rabbi | Sharon
- Rabbi Becky Silverstein Rab`14, MJSR`14 | Principal | Horizon Philanthropy | Boston
- Cantor Linda Sue Sohn Can`11, MJED`11 | Cantor | Temple Aliyah | Needham
- Cantor Sarah Spierer Can`07 | Cantor | Congregation Beth Elohim | Acton
- Rabbi Talia Stein Rab`20, MJED`20 | Associate Rabbi | Temple Sinai | Brookline
- Rabbi Ashira Stevens Rab`23 | Director of Congregational Learning | Temple Beth David Westwood | Westwood
- Cantor Marc Stober Can`21, MJED`21 | Religious School Director | Temple Beth Shalom | Melrose
- Rabbi Jamie Stolper Rab`21 | Educator, Rabbi and Life Cycle Officiant | Newton
- Rabbi Mona Strick Rab`19 | Interfaith Chaplain | Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center | Boston
- Cantor Lynn Torgove Can`05 | PhD Student | Tufts University | Medford
- Rabbi Aron Wander Rab`25, MJAS`25 | Community Organizer | Merrimack Valley Project | Lawrence
- Rabbi Seth Wax Rab`13, MJED`13 | Jewish Chaplain | Williams College | Williamstown
- Rabbi Rebecca Weinstein Rab`18, MJED`18 | Associate Rav Beit Sefer | The Solomon Schechter Day School | Newton
- Jacob Weiss Rab`24, MAJS`24 | Rabbi | Northeastern University Hillel | Boston
- Rabbi Ora Weiss Rab`15 | Community Rabbi | Newton Centre
- Eliana Willis Rab`24, MAJS`24 | Assistant Rabbi, Temple Emunah | Lexington
- Rabbi David Winship Rab`17 | Director of Toshba | Jewish Community Day School | Newton
- Stephanie Wolfe MJED`19 | Temple Shalom Emeth | Burlington
- Cantor David Wolff Can`20 | Cantor/Lower School Education Director | Temple Beth Am | Framingham
Michigan
- Rabbi Alana Alpert Rab`14 | Executive Director / Rabbi | Detroit Jews for Justice / Congregation T’chiyah | Oak Park
- David Fain MJED`11 |Hillel Day School | Farmington Hills
- Ellie Farber MJED`22 | Detriot Program and Partnerships Consulting | Detroit
- Rabbi Joel Goldstein Rab`19, MJSR`19 | Faculty | Yashrut | Ann Arbor
- Avi Spodek MJED`13| Frankel Jewish Academy, West Bloomfield MI
- Rabbi Lisa Stella Rab`14, MJSR`14 | Director of Religious Life and Education | University of Michigan | Ann Arbor
Minnesota
- Michaela Brown Rab`24, MAJS`24 | Associate Chaplain for Jewish (& Interfaith) Life at St. Olaf College and Carleton College | Northfield
- Rabbi Joey Glick Rab`22, MJSR`22 | Assistant Rabbi Shir Tikvah Congregation | Minneapolis
- Rav-Hazzan Matt Goldberg Rab`23, Can`23 | Assistant Rabbi | Beth El Synagogue | St. Louis Park
- Rabbi Justin Held Rab`21, MJED`21 | Director of Jewish Living and Learning | St. Louis Park
- Rabbi Emma Kippley-Ogman Rab`10 | Associate Chaplain for Jewish Life | Macalester College | St. Paul
- Rabbi Arielle Lekach-Rosenberg Rab`17 | Lead Rabbi | Shir Tikvah | Minneapolis
- Rabbi Tamar Magill-Grimm Rab`10 | Senior Rabbi | Beth Jacob Congregation | Mendota Heights
- Heather Renetzky Rab`24, MAJS`24 | Director of Congregational Engagement | Mt. Zion Temple |St. Paul
Mississippi
- Alachua Nazarenko MJED`18 | Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Jewish Life | Brandon
- Rabbi Salem Pierce Rab`18, MAJS`18 | Director of Spirituality | Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life | Jackson
Missouri
- Rina Mangurten MJED`17| Saul Mirowitz Jewish Community School | St. Louis
New Hampshire
- Dale Rosenberg MJED`19 | Congregation Ahavas Achim | Keene
New Jersey
- Rabbi Eric Cohen Rab`12 | Rabbi | Flemington Jewish Community Center | Flemington
- Rabbi Max Edwards Rab`21, MJED`21 | Assistant Rabbi | Temple B’nai Abraham | Livingston
- Avi Mandel MJED`18 | Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls | Teaneck
- Cantor Shana Onigman Rab`07, MJED`07 | Cantor | Morristown Jewish Center Beit Yisrael | Morristown
- Cantor Jana Schachter Can`21 | Director of Religious Services | Lions Gate Senior Living Center | Voorhees
- Cantor Risa Wallach Can`15 | Cantor | Temple Beth-El | Hillsborough
New York
- Rabbi Julia Appel Rab`11 | Senior Director of Innovation | CLAL – The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership | New York
- Leah Beck MJED`20 | Community Synagogue of Rye | Rye
- Tamar Benus MJED`16 |Ramaz School |New York
- Esther DuBow MJED`12 | Solomon Schecter School of of Long Island
- Rabbi Ayalon Eliach Rab`18 | Chief Ideas Officer | Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah | Brooklyn
- Rabbi Micah Friedman Rab`23, MAJS`23 | Rabbi | Temple Israel | Vestal
- Rabbi Hayley Goldstein Rab`18, MAJS`18 | Associate Rabbi | Park Slope Jewish Center | Brooklyn
- Sarah Greenberg MJED`13| Excelsior College | Albany
- Dammara Hall MJED`17 | Rodeph Sholom School | New York
- Rabbi David Joslin Rab`22 | Rabbi | Temple Beth Israel | Plattsburgh
- Rabbi Avi Killip Rab`14 | Executive Vice President | Hadar Institute | New York
- Rabbi Talia Laster Rab`22, MAJS`22 | Campus Rabbi | Cornell University Hillel | Ithaca
- Rabbi Jessica Lenza Rab`15 | Rebel Rabbi | Self-Employed |New York
- Rabbi Noam Lerman Rab`20, MAJS`20 | Associate Clergy | LAB/SHUL | New York
- Rabbi Bryan Mann Rab`18 | Rachlin Director of Jewish Student Life and Assistant Director of the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life and Contemplative Practices | Vassar College | Arlington
- Laura Marder MJED`14 | Hannah Senesh Community Day School | Brooklyn
- Amy Martin MJED`11 | Central Synagogue | New York
- Rabbi Lev Meirowitz Nelson Rab`13, MJSR`13 | Director of Scholarship | Sacred Spaces | Brooklyn
- Rabbi Akiva Nelson Rab`25, MAJS`25 | Rabbi | Bet Am Shalom Synagogue | White Plains
- Hannah Perlis MJED`13 |Shefa School | New York
- Rabbi Sarah Pollack Rab`25, MAJS`25 | Engagement Rabbi | Columbia/Barnard Hillel | New York
- David Riemenschneider MJED`10 | Abraham Joshua Heschel School| New York
- Elana Rothenberg MJED`18M |Solomon Schecter School of Manhattan | New York
- Rabbi Michael Silbert Rab`12 | Rabbi | Temple Beth David | Rochester
- Jessica Spencer Rab`24, MAJS`24 | Doctoral Program in Religion, Columbia University | New York
- Rabbi Danny Stein Rab`23, MAJS`23 | Rabbi | BASE – UWS under Mem Global | New York
- Rabbi Benjamin Summers Rab`25, MJSR`25 | Director of Programs and Engagement | Kane Street Synagogue | Brooklyn
- Ari Weber MJED`10 | Beit Rabban Day School | New York
- Rabbi Becca Weintraub Rab`20, MJED`20 | Assistant Rabbi | B’nai Jeshurun | New York
- Rabbi Yael Werber Rab`22 | Associate Rabbi | Congregation Beit Simchat Torah | New York
North Carolina
- Rebecca Weiner MJED`18 | Charolotte Jewish Preschool | Charlotte
Ohio
- Rabbi Elyssa Austerklein Rab`11, MJED`11 | Rabbi and Founding Director | Ivrim Jews Without Borders | Akron
- Brian Freedman MJED`18| Northern Hills Synagogue | Cincinnati
- Rabbi Scott Roland Rab`13, MJED`13 | Rabbi | Congregation Shaarey Tikveh | Beachwood
- Rabbi Micah Shapiro Rab`17 | Founding Rabbi | Nariya Cleveland | Cleveland Heights
- Elana Shilling Perlin MJED`15 |Mandel School | Cleveland
Oregon
- Rabbi Phil Bressler Rab`18 | Rabbi | Beit Am – Mid-Willamette Valley Jewish Community | Corvallis
- Rabbi Alyson Solomon Rab`09, MJSR`09 | Rabbi, Taube Center for Jewish Peoplehood | Oshir Marin Jewish Community Center | Eugene
Pennsylvania
- Cantor Jenn Boyle Can`20, MJED`20 | Cantor Educator | Beth Chaim Reform Congregation | Malvern
- Rabbi Misha Clebaner Rab`19, MJED`19 | Campus Rabbi | University of Pennsylvania Hillel | Philadelphia
- Rabbi Nate DeGroot Rab`16 | Director | The Shalom Center | Philadelphia
- Hindy Finman Rab`24, MAJS`24 | Senior Director of Jewish Life and Director of the Center of Loving Kindness and Civic Engagement | Pittsburgh JCC | Pittsburgh
- Rabbi Ari Lev Fornari Rab`14 | Rabbi | Kol Tzedek Synagogue | Philadelphia
- Rabbi Jessica Goldberg Rab`20 | Chaplain for Jewish Life | Bucknell University | Lewisburg
- Rabbi Mónica Gomery Rab`17 | Rabbi and Music Director | Kol Tzedek Synagogue | Philadelphia
- Will Keller MJED`12 |Jack Barrack Hebrew Academy |Philadelphia
- Rabbi Adam Lavitt Rab`12, MJED`12 | Director of Learning | Jewish Studio Project | Philadelphia
- Adam Mayer MJED`14 |Kohelet Yeshiva High School | Philadelphia
- Cantor Julie Newman Can`17, MJED`17 | President | Tiferet | Wexford
- Cantor Henry Shapiro Can`12 | Cantor | Parkway Jewish Center | Pittsburgh
Republic of South Africa
- Rabbi Rogerio Cukierman Rab`11 | Rabbi | Bet David Progressive Congregation | Morningside, Sandton
Rhode Island
- Joshua Berkowitz MJED`19 | Central Congregational Church | Providence
- Rabbi Steven Jablow Rab`15 | Director of Campus Ministry, Hillel Director, Jewish Chaplain, University Lecturer | Bryant University Hillel | Smithfield
- Michelle Raskin MJED`17 | Jewish Community Day School of Rhode Island | Providence
Texas
- Rabbi Michael Cohen Rab`08 | Director of Rabbinical Services and Pastoral Care | The Legacy Senior Communities | Dallas
- Rabbi David Kaplinsky Rab`25, MJSR`25 | Associate Rabbi | Congregation Agudas Achim | San Antonio
- Arielle Levy MJED`20 | Shalom Austin | Austin
- Cantor Monica O’Desky Can`18 | Cantor | Tzliylut | Online
- Rabbi Stephanie Max Rab`19, MAJS`19 | Executive Director | Texas Hillel | Austin
Vermont
- Rabbi David Fainsilber Rab`14 | Rabbi | Jewish Community of Greater Stowe | Stowe
- Rabbi Lee Moore Rab`10, MJSR10 | Interim Rabbi | Congregation Ruach haMaqom | Burlington
- Cantor Jessica Woolf Silverberg Can`21, MJS-CO`21 | Cantor | Ohavi Zedek | Burlington
Virginia
Rabbi Sarah Tasman Rab`12, MJER`12 | Director of Congregational Learning | Temple Rodef Shalom | Falls Church
Washington
- Cara Abrams-Simonton MJED`14 | Seattle Jewish Community School
- Adam Josephs MJED`17 | Northwest Yeshiva High School, Seattle
Washington, D.C.
- Rabbi Yosef Berman Rab`10 | Rabbi | The New Synagogue Project
- Shifra Kaufman Chelst MJED`09 | Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School of the Nation’s Capital
- Rabbi Amalia Mark Rab`21, MSJR`21 | Community Rabbi | GatherDC
- Pamela Shapiro MJED`19 | One Table
- Rabbi Jenna Shaw Rab`23, MJED`23 | Associate Rabbi | Sixth & I
- Cantor Lisa Sue Sohn Can`11 | Founder | CantorEducator.com
- Rabbi Avi Strausberg Rab`15, MJED`15 | Director of National Learning Initiatives | Hadar Institute
- Rabbi Ilana Zietman Rab`19, MJED`19 | Director of Jewish Life | Georgetown University
Wisconsin
- Cantor Katherine Judd Can`15 | Spiritual Leader | Congregation Cnesses Israel | Green Bay
Alumni Newsletters
Subscribe toHebrew College’s quarterly Alumni Newsletter to stay up-to-date with all the latest College news and updates from your classmates.
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Meet Our Alumni
BASE Rabbis Rabbis Ezra Balser, Elizabeth Bonney-Cohen, Sarah Mulhern, & Frankie Sandmel
Clergy Alumni Pairs Rabbi Mónica Gomery `17 & Rabbi Ari Lev Fornari `14
Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Washington, D.C. Orna Siegel, MJEd`16 Director of Enrollment and Tuition Assistance
Temple Emanuel, Newton, MA Rav- Hazzan Aliza Berger, Rab`17, Can`17
Ohr Kodesh Congregation, Chevy Chase, MD Cantor Hinda Tzvia Eisen Labovitz '14
The Jewish Community of Greater Stowe, VT. Rabbi David Fainsilber `14
Student, Syracuse University Sarah Winn, JTFGB`18 Jewish Teen Foundation of Greater Boston (JTFGB) 2018 Alumnus
Finding Rabbi Tiferet Berenbaum, Rab`13 Director of Congregational Learning and Programming at Temple Beth Zion
Alumna Michelle Black, Me'ah`14 Me'ah, Parenting Through a Jewish Lens, Open Circle Jewish Learning
Rabbis Ezra Balser, Elizabeth Bonney-Cohen, Sarah Mulhern, & Frankie Sandmel BASE Rabbis
Finding a Jewish Home Base
Rabbinical School alumni Ezra Balser ’17, Elizabeth Bonney-Cohen ’18 (above) and Sarah Mulhern ’17 are on the forefront of a burgeoning movement designed to meet young-adult Jews where they are.
The Base movement, the brainchild of four 20-something friends from the Upper West Side of Manhattan, was born of the belief that many young Jews today yearn to experience, practice, and celebrate their religious heritage unencumbered by the formal dictates of, say, a synagogue or Chabad house.
Under the program, the home of a rabbinic family (a rabbi and a partner/spouse who may or may not also be a rabbi) serves as the grounding point — or “base” — for communal hospitality, learning and service. (Clever readers will recognize that the Hebrew word for “home” is בית, pronounced as “bās” by speakers of Ashkenazi Hebrew.) Participants gather at their respective rabbi’s home to share Shabbat dinners, celebrate the Jewish holidays, learn from Jewish texts and traditions, develop a Jewish social network and engage in the Jewish value of service.
Rabbi Mónica Gomery `17 & Rabbi Ari Lev Fornari `14 Clergy Alumni Pairs
Professional Hevrutot
Learning in “hevrutot” [pairs] is a hallmark of Hebrew College. And three pairs of Hebrew College alumni, who work together as spiritual leaders of their respective synagogues, have extended that model to their professional lives.
We talked with these three sets of clergy teams—Rabbi Sam Blumberg`21 and Cantor David Wolff` 20 at Temple Beth Am in Framingham, MA; Rabbi Arielle Lekach-Rosenberg`17 and Rabbi Joey Glick `22 at Temple Shir Tikvah in Minneapolis; and Rabbi Ari Lev Fornari `14 and Rabbi Mónica Gomery `17 (pictured above) at Kol Tzedek in Philadelphia—and asked them about how their experiences at Hebrew College have helped mold their working relationships and spiritual leadership. Interviews were conducted separately and have been edited for length and clarity.
Orna Siegel, MJEd`16 Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Washington, D.C.
Director of Enrollment and Tuition Assistance, Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Washington, D.C.
“The inner drive that compels me to work in the Jewish community may be rooted in my personal history or psychology, or per the definition, rooted in some divinely inspired pull on my neshama, my soul. Either way, I have spent my career serving the Jewish people, primarily through day school education. While recruiting families to day school may seem somewhat prosaic, my conviction stems in the belief that to survive as a people, our religion, culture, and language must be transmitted to the next generation through holistic, deep, and daily encounters. This is the approach I found at all three day schools where I have proudly enrolled new students, at Gann Academy, JCDS, Boston’s Jewish Community Day School, and now at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School. So while one could crassly categorize my job as the Director of Enrollment as a “sales” position, I view it as God’s holy work, and this is the difference between “work” and a “sacred calling” – it elevates the mundane to the holy.” ( Excerpt from The Sacred Duty of a Jewish Educator).
Rav- Hazzan Aliza Berger, Rab`17, Can`17 Temple Emanuel, Newton, MA
Rav-Hazzan, Temple Emanuel, Newton, MA
Spend a few minutes with Rav-Hazzan Aliza Berger and it’s apparent she loves her work as a rabbi and a cantor. Berger, whose portfolio at Temple Emanuel, a Conservative congregation in Newton, includes supporting teens and young adults, also delivers sermons, officiates at life cycle events and sings during prayers. A graduate of Hebrew College’s Rav-Hazzan ordination program, she notes that the difference between a rabbi who is a cantor and a rav-hazzan has mostly to do with linguistics. “When Hebrew College created the joint Rav-Hazzan program,” Berger told JewishBoston, “they chose the word hazzan [instead of cantor] because it is both uniquely Jewish and reflects someone who has taken on a clergy role. They designated rabbi as rav so that the two titles matched.”
Berger grew up in Denver in the Jewish Renewal movement. Although it was an hour’s drive from her home, she attended Sunday school at what was then called the Jewish Renewal Community of Boulder. Rabbi Tirzah Firestone, a leader in the movement, and Jewish Renewal founder, the late Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, were her early mentors. Berger also credits her parents with creating a vibrant Jewish home where there was Shabbat dinner every week and a night of music. “Friday night my dad got out his guitar, and my mother, younger sister and I sang and danced around the living room for hours,” she said.
Music and Judaism have always been an integral part of Berger’s life. She knew she wanted to be a rabbi from an early age, and in high school she sang with the Denver Opera Company. “I became so enamored of the opera world, I wanted to be an opera singer and then go to rabbinical school,” she said. Berger became serious enough about music that post-high school she wanted to go to a conservatory. But her parents insisted that she also get an academic education. She chose Vanderbilt University in Nashville for its stellar Jewish studies and vocal music departments.
At Vanderbilt, her Judaism ran the gamut from leading Reform services at Hillel her freshman year to taking an active role later on in Chabad services. “I switched because I wanted a more traditional experience, but what I really wanted was a Jewish Renewal congregation,” she said. At Chabad, Berger identified with the Hasidism around her. “Chabad was the closest thing to what I grew up with. There was a lot of singing and dancing. Even the melodies were similar,” she recalled.
By the time Berger graduated, she was deciding between remaining in Nashville to teach or spending a year in Israel. Her decision was made when she was awarded a scholarship to Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem. At Pardes, she ran the egalitarian minyan and embraced her studies at the beit midrash. In Israel, many of her fellow students were from Hebrew College’s rabbinical and cantorial programs. “I loved the way they sang, the way they did social justice work,” she said. “They were doing everything I wanted to do.” By the time her year in Israel ended, Berger had been accepted to Hebrew College’s rabbinical program. The Rav-Hazzan program was founded in her third year at the college.
For Berger, Hebrew College’s post-denominational bent encompassed all the various parts that she cherished about being Jewish. “Jewish Renewal is an orientation and a way of being Jewish that is in line with post-denominational Judaism and Conservative Judaism,” she observed. “You have to find a way to connect with each ritual. We think of denominations as places where people gather based on an affinity for a way of doing or being Jewish. But in reality, they are collections of pluralistic Jews who come to a community for many reasons.”
Nowhere is this more obvious to Berger than in her work with teens and young adults. She is particularly focused on helping the teens she meets stay “plugged in and make Jewish choices after their b’nei mitzvah. There’s a delicate dance that goes into helping teens and young adults find a personal connection to Judaism. There are a lot of Jewish options for them to have in their lives. I want to show them that Judaism is a great app for life, and I want young people to download the version that works for them.”
During the High Holidays, Berger divides her time between leading teen and family services, as well as participating in adult services in Temple Emanuel’s Community Hall. As for explaining the relationship between her rabbinical and cantorial duties, she compares the cantorial part of her work as akin to establishing a Wi-Fi zone. “The nusach, or melodic prayers, of a service are like a password that gives us access to search the divine realm for what we need,” she said. “The rabbi sets up scenes through words, text that is spoken or studied and liturgy. The cantor fills those scenes. The place where those two worlds meet is the most connective for me.” (Reprinted from JewishBoston.com, Sept. 2017)
Cantor Hinda Tzvia Eisen Labovitz '14 Ohr Kodesh Congregation, Chevy Chase, MD
Cantor, Ohr Kodesh Congregation, Chevy Chase, MD
“I hope there are people who are as happy and content with their professional and spiritual lives as I have been as a result of the education I received at Hebrew College.” In fact, Hinda was the reason why her former intern, Jessica Woolf, decided to become a cantor and pursue ordination in Hebrew College’s Cantorial Ordination for Spiritual and Educational Leadership (COSEL) program.
Watch a Video with Cantor Labovitz and Cantorial Student Jessica Woolf
Rabbi David Fainsilber `14 The Jewish Community of Greater Stowe, VT.
Hebrew College 2014 alumnus Rabbi David Fainsilber `14 uses music to bring chesed to his congregation, The Jewish Community of Greater Stowe, VT.
Sarah Winn, JTFGB`18 Student, Syracuse University
Jewish Teen Foundation of Greater Boston (JTFGB) 2018 Alumnus
Student, Syracuse University
“JTFGB was the most amazing, inspiring, and engaging experience. Growing up immersed in the Jewish community, I was taught about tzedakah, always took the time to give back, knowing that it was ofcourse important, but never fully understanding the reasoning behind it. After participating in JTFGB, I understand the significance of tzedakah, the importance of giving, and why we, as Jews, practice this. I will use all of the resources, skills and learning I have been so blessed to take away from this experience in my future endeavors.”
Rabbi Tiferet Berenbaum, Rab`13 Finding
Rabbi Tiferet Berenbaum, Rab`13 found Judaism nearly a decade after she started practicing. She began observing Shabbat when she was 11 — because she thought it made sense to rest on Saturday and work or shop on Sundays — and she could never understand why her Catholic school teachers told Bible stories out of order. She also developed her own system of kashrut…
After several years leading Temple Har Zion in Mt. Holly, NJ, in the summer of 2019, she will return to the Boston area as Director of Congregational Learning and Programming at Temple Beth Zion (TBZ) in Brookline, MA.
Michelle Black, Me'ah`14 Alumna
Alumna, Me’ah, Parenting Through a Jewish Lens, Open Circle Jewish Learning
“I have always been a avid learner. While in college, I remember noticing adults who chose to audit college-level courses and noted to myself that I wanted to be an ‘adult leader’ one day. Once I completed my formal schooling and started a family, I missed the intellectual stimulation. When Parenting Through a Jewish lens was offered through Hebrew College at Temple Beth Elohim [in Wellesley, MA], where my children were enrolled in preschool, I enthusiastically signed up. I wasn’t looking for Jewish content at the time.; I was drawn to the parenting curriculum. However, it was through this course that I was introduced to pearls of wisdom that could be found within our sacred Jewish texts — and I wanted to learn more. When the opportunity to enroll in Me’ah presented itself, I did not hesitate to join. I was eager to deepen my knowledge and understanding, not only of Torah and traditions, but also of our history and teachings from biblical times through today. Enrolling in 100 hours of college-level, curriculum-based learning was a gift that strengthened and reinforced my Jewish identity. I received a top-notch secular education and feel incredibly fortunate that I live in a community that values a top-notch Jewish education. Thank you CJP and Hebrew College for making Me’ah available to so many adults in Greater Boston. We are stronger and certainly more literate and enriched because of it.”
High Holiday Leadership
Each year, Hebrew College faculty and alumni serve communities as spiritual leaders world-wide on the high holidays.