Hebrew College is a
private college
Private universities and private colleges are institutions of higher education, not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. They may (and often do) receive from governments tax breaks, public student loans, and grants. D ...
of
Jewish studies in
Newton Centre, Massachusetts. Founded in 1921, Hebrew College is committed to
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
scholarship in a pluralistic,
trans-denominational academic environment. The
president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
of the college is Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld. Hebrew College offers undergraduate completion and
graduate degrees,
Hebrew-language
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved th ...
training, a
rabbi
A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...
nical school, a
cantorial program and adult-learning and youth-education programs.
History
Founded in November 1921, as the Hebrew Teachers College, Hebrew College was one of eleven Hebrew teachers colleges established in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
in keeping with the
Hebraist model of Jewish teacher training. Hebrew College was originally located in
Roxbury,
Massachusetts
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and moved to
Brookline, Massachusetts in 1952. The school opened with 23 students, with registration doubling by the following year. The founder of Hebrew College was Louis Hurwich, superintendent of the Bureau of Jewish Education of Boston. Nissan Touroff, former director of the Hebrew school system in
Palestine, was appointed as its first dean. The Hebrew High School ("''Prozdor''") opened in 1923.
Eisig Silberschlag became the dean of Hebrew College in 1947 and was named president in 1968.
In the early years, all classes, regardless of the subject matter, were taught in Hebrew. In the early 1980s, as Jewish studies programs opened at more colleges and universities around the country, the policy began to change. Increasingly, classes were held in English, and Hebrew was reserved for language courses and advanced Jewish text study.
During the 15-year tenure of Eli Grad, the fifth president of Hebrew College, the focus moved from teacher training to an emphasis on Hebrew culture programs and courses for the wider community. In January 1987, after a period of decline,
Samuel Schafler became the sixth president of Hebrew College and introduced new programming that expanded the student body significantly. In the late 1980s, adult education classes were introduced that became the forerunner of the Me'ah program. In 2001, Nehemia Polen established the Hasidic Texts Institute for the study of foundational Hasidic texts. In 1993, David M. Gordis became the seventh president of the College. Daniel Lehmann was appointed the eighth president in July 2008. Sharon Cohen Anisfeld became the ninth president in 2018.
Internationally renowned
architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
Moshe Safdie
Moshe Safdie ( he, משה ספדיה; born July 14, 1938) is an architect, urban planner, educator, theorist, and author, with Israeli, Canadian, and American citizenship. He is known for incorporating principles of socially responsible des ...
designed and built the institution's
Newton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is approximately west of downtown Boston. Newton resembles a patchwork of thirteen villages, without a city center. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the population of Ne ...
facilities, completed in 2002. Hebrew College successfully refinanced its real estate debt in 2012, reducing its original bond obligation by 75% and securing its ownership of the campus. In 2018 the campus was sold to a foundation associated with Hong Kong real estate investor
Gerald Chan under a long term lease back arrangement.
In March 2021 Hebrew College announced an agreement with Temple Reyim also located in Newton to move the college to the temple property and share facilities. The other groups intending to colocate are the Jewish Arts Collaborative; the Jewish Women’s Archive; and
Keshet, an organization for LGBTQ Jews
.
Academic partnerships
In 2011, Hebrew College became a member of the
Boston Theological Institute, a consortium of 10 theological schools and seminaries in the Boston area, including
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with ...
,
Andover Newton Theological School,
Boston College,
Episcopal Divinity School
The Episcopal Divinity School (EDS) is a theological school in New York City that trains students for service with the Episcopal Church. It is affiliated with the Union Theological Seminary. Students who enroll in the EDS at Union Anglican st ...
,
Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary,
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
,
Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology
Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...
and
St. John's Seminary. When Hebrew College moved to its new campus in 2002, cooperation with the nearby Andover Newton Theological School (ANTS) led to the creation of the Center for Inter-Religious and Communal Leadership Education and several
interfaith
Interfaith dialogue refers to cooperative, constructive, and positive interaction between people of different religious traditions (i.e. "faiths") and/or spiritual or humanistic beliefs, at both the individual and institutional levels. It is ...
programs. In 2014, it formed a partnership with Lesley University in Cambridge, Mass., and collaborates in offering a Ph.D. in educational studies from Lesley with a specialization in Jewish educational leadership. Hebrew College has established a partnership with the
Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies
Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies () is a Jewish educational institution based in Jerusalem with programs worldwide.
History
Pardes was launched by Rabbi Michael Swirsky in the fall of 1972 with the support of the World Zionist Organization, ...
in Jerusalem to prepare Jewish Studies teachers for Jewish Day Schools in North America. It is also partnered with the revolutionary
NETA Hebrew-as-a-second-language, hosting with NETA three certificate programs for Hebrew language educators. In 2012 Hebrew College established a partnership with Boston University's School of Management to provide a certificate in nonprofit management for Rabbis and rabbinical students.
Hebrew College and the Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning Co-sponsored the Summit for Leaders in Adult Jewish Learning.
Library facilities
The Rae and Joseph Gann Library has over 125,000 books, including special collections in modern
Hebrew literature,
Jewish medical ethics Jewish medical ethics is a modern scholarly and clinical approach to medical ethics that draws upon Jewish thought and teachings. Pioneered by Rabbi Immanuel Jakobovits in the 1950s, Jewish medical ethics centers mainly around an applied ethics draw ...
, Jewish education, Jewish
genealogy
Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...
,
Holocaust
The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...
studies,
Hasidism
Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Judaism, Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory ...
, and Jewish children's literature. Through the Research Libraries Information Network students can access a database of 53 million books, journals, maps, records and cassettes drawn from
Judaica collections across the United States. In addition, the College is a member of the
BTI Library consortium and the Fenway Library Consortium, allowing access to local college, museum and public libraries.
Youth programs
In keeping with the idea of Jewish education as a lifelong pursuit, Hebrew College runs Prozdor, a supplementary Hebrew high school, and Makor, a supplementary Hebrew middle school.
Notable faculty
*
Arthur Green
Notable alumni
*
Yael S. Feldman, class of 1976
*
Michael Fishbane
Michael A. Fishbane (born 1943) is an American scholar of Judaism and rabbinic literature. Formerly at Brandeis University, he is currently Professor Emeritus of Jewish Studies at the Divinity School, University of Chicago.
Fishbane (Ph.D., Brande ...
*
Paula Hyman
*
Frank E. Manuel
*
Jonathan Sarna
Jonathan D. Sarna (born 10 January 1955) is the Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History in the department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and director othe Schusterman Center for Israel Studies at Brandeis Universit ...
*
Emanuel A. Schegloff
*
Isadore Twersky
*
Theodore White
Theodore Harold White (, May 6, 1915 – May 15, 1986) was an American political journalist and historian, known for his reporting from China during World War II and the ''Making of the President'' series.
White started his career reporting for ...
See also
*
List of Jewish universities and colleges in the United States
{{Dynamic list
Jewish universities and colleges in the U.S. include:
* American Jewish University, formerly University of Judaism and Brandeis-Bardin Institute (merged), Los Angeles, California.
* Baltimore Hebrew University, now Baltimore Hebre ...
References
External links
*
{{authority control
1921 establishments in Massachusetts
Educational institutions established in 1921
Jewish organizations established in 1921
Jewish universities and colleges in the United States
Jewish universities and colleges
Jewish education in Massachusetts
Seminaries and theological colleges in Massachusetts
Universities and colleges in Newton, Massachusetts
Moshe Safdie buildings
Jewish seminaries
Non-denominational Judaism