Jewish learning Introducing Hiddushim: Celebrating Hebrew College’s Centennial

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Hiddushim, Celebrating Hebrew College’s Centennial, was commissioned by the College for its 100th year.

Edited by Dr. Michael Fishbane, Rabbi Arthur Green, and Dr. Jonathan Sarna, the book contains a compilation of essays on Jewish studies alongside powerful personal memoirs from the College’s earliest years until today.

Below, read a message from the editors and listen to excerpts and discussions from the book on the College’s Speaking Torah podcast episodes “Centennial Memoirs” and “Hiddushim: Letters from the Front.”

It is with a great sense of honor and delight that we present to you this collection of essays by alumni, faculty, and Israeli friends of Hebrew College. The centenary of this venerable institution, a mainstay of the greater Boston Jewish community that has also achieved a national and international reputation, is indeed an occasion for celebration.

As Daniel Judson’s historical survey will show you, both the College and the American Jewish community have been through vast upheavals in the course of these hundred years. The founders of Beyt ha-Midrash Le-Morim in 1922 could not have begun to imagine what Jewish life looks like today. They knew only that they were dedicated to shaping and strengthening the Jewish future in uncertain times, and understood that this needed to begin with Hebrew literacy and a solid foundation in Jewish learning, neither of which was to be taken for granted in the post- immigrant generation. In that sense, it may be said that they and the present leadership of Hebrew College have a great deal in common.

The volume is divided into three sections. The first is devoted to the institution itself: Boston Hebrew Teachers College/Hebrew College. The historical essay is followed by a series of personal memoirs, written by alumni of various years and programs offered by the College. This is followed by the longest section, essays in Jewish thought, literature, and history, by scholars who study a wide range of the Jewish people’s experience and creativity. The essays are arranged in chronological order of the subjects under consideration. The final section is a group of essays in areas of Jewish education, a special focus of this institution throughout its history.