May 31, 2026 Commencement & Ordination 2026/5786

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Celebrate with us!

Please join us for Hebrew College Commencement and Ordination on Sunday, May 31, 2026 at our collaborative campus in Newton, MA.

Ceremonies

Graduate Jewish Education Student Reception
10:15 AM

Commencement
11:45 AM

Ordination
1:45 PM

Reception & Dancing
3:45 PM

Commencement Honorees & Award Winners

Honorary Degrees

Robert Bank
Former President and CEO of American Jewish World Service

Robert Bank served most recently as President and CEO of American Jewish World Service (AJWS) from 2016-2026. Working at the intersection of Jewish values and global issues, AJWS advances community-driven change in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean and advocates in the United States for foreign policies that prioritize human rights and democratic norms, in partnership with rabbis and cantors nationwide.

Gerald Chan
Co-founder and chair of the Morningside Group, a private equity and venture capital group

Gerald Chan is a scientist who has forged positive change across medicine and healthcare through technology. He is a co-founder of Morningside, a venture investment enterprise that works with technology-based startups. Working with academic scientists, he has started over two dozen biotech companies across diverse therapeutic areas.

Benjamin Shevach Award

Sharon Feiman-Nemser
Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Professor Emerita of Jewish Education at Brandeis University and founding director of the Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education

Sharon Feiman-Nemser is the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Professor Emerita of Jewish Education at Brandeis University. Before coming to Brandeis in 2001, she served on the faculties of the University of Chicago and Michigan State where she directed innovative teacher education programs and pioneered research on teacher learning. At Brandeis, she was the founding director of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education which promotes scholarship on learning and teaching in the diverse settings of Jewish education.

Hillsen/Bronstein Award

Abigail Gilman
Professor of Hebrew, German, and Comparative Literature in the Department of World Languages and Literatures at Boston University

Abigail Gillman is Professor of Hebrew, German, and Comparative Literature in the Department of World Languages and Literatures at Boston University. In addition to serving as Department Chair, she convenes the Hebrew Program and is a core faculty member of the Elie Wiesel Center for Jewish Studies.

Please visit our commencement page to learn more about our honorees, award winners and graduates.