Meet The Graduate School Administration

Shuly Rubin Schwartz is the Irving Lehrman Research Associate Professor of American Jewish History and dean of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies at The Jewish Theological Seminary.

A third-generation JTS graduate and an alumna of The Graduate School, Dean Schwartz hopes to further strengthen academic Jewish studies at JTS while preparing students at both the graduate and undergraduate levels to take on leadership roles in their careers and volunteer work in both the Jewish and secular realms. Read a letter from Dr. Schwartz to prospective Graduate School students.

Shira Kohn is the assistant dean of The Graduate School of JTS and received her doctorate from New York University's joint program in History and Hebrew and Judaic Studies. Her dissertation examines Jewish college sororities and their encounters with social and political movements in postwar America. Ms. Kohn is editor-along with Hasia Diner and Rachel Kranson-of A Jewish Feminine Mystique?: Jewish Women in Postwar America (Rutgers University Press, October 2010). An educational consultant in the fields of American Jewish and Jewish Women's history, she has previously worked with the Center for Online Jewish Studies and Re/Presenting the Jewish Past.

Dr. Kohn, a native of Chicago, received her bachelor's degree in Jewish Studies, with distinction, from Ohio State University. She is delighted to have this opportunity to return to JTS, having worked at the circulation desk of The Library of The Jewish Theological Seminary from 2002 to 2003.

Abby Eisenberg is the director of Admissions for The Graduate School. She received a BA in History from Yeshiva University and an MA in Ancient Judaism from JTS, and has worked in recruiting and programming for Jewish studies and Jewish education, and in the corporate world. Ms. Eisenberg loved being a student at JTS, both for the intellectual rigor she experienced in her classes and the meaningful conversations she had about Jewish and religious life inside and outside the classroom. She remains close with her professors, and thoroughly enjoys helping students find the program that is the right fit for them. When she's not recruiting students for JTS, Ms. Eisenberg enjoys live music, international and funny movies (preferably combined), and spending time in nature.

Shira Cohen is originally from Atlanta, Georgia, but spent her formative years in Baltimore, Maryland. She completed a bachelor's degree in English Communications at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and earned her master's degree in Mental Health Counseling at Touro College in New York. Ms. Cohen has held various administrative and counseling positions, supporting the growth and success of individuals with developmental disabilities. Most recently, she worked as a program manager and psychologist for Ohel Children's Home and Family Services.

Jeremy Pearl-Jacobvitz is a California native, who has spent most of his life in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 2006, he came to New York to attend Hofstra University, and in 2010 received his BA in Sociology. Jeremy spent the next few years as a mental health professional in Long Island, New York, working with severely and persistently mentally ill patients in residential settings. Jeremy comes from a family with a long history of Jewish communal service, and he continues this legacy as the Admissions assistant for The Graduate School of The Jewish Theological Seminary. He feels passionately about assisting others in the pursuit of their life goals, and is happy to further his in this capacity. In his spare time, Jeremy enjoys going to concerts, watching movies, reading, and being outdoors.