Alumni Success

The Graduate School: Success After Success

Equipped with an understanding and appreciation of the Jewish experience-and a lengthy inventory of practical skills-alumni of The Graduate School of The Jewish Theological Seminary move on to thriving careers. Be they in academia, Jewish professional leadership, or other professional settings, they are renowned for being sophisticated leaders in their fields.

Below is a sampling of recent Graduate School (GS) alumni and their current professions:

MA GRADUATES

Rachel Goldstein (GS '12, MA, Jewish Art and Visual Culture)
Assistant Curator, Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust

Maria Carson (GS '12, MA, Jewish Thought)
PhD Student, Syracuse University

Sarah Ifft (GS '11, MA, Medieval Jewish Studies)
PhD Student, Yale University

Jonathan Lopatin (GS '11, MA, Talmud)
Former Vice President, Goldman Sachs

Brett Drucker (GS '10, MA, Jewish Art and Visual Culture)
Director of Arts Development, Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art

Ariella Goldfein (GS '10, MA, Modern Jewish Studies)
Planning Associate, Commission on Jewish Identity and Renewal, UJA-Federation of New York

Judy Craig (GS '09, MA, Bible)
Founder, Eliminate Poverty Now

Julie Deluty (GS '09, MA, Bible)
PhD Student, New York University

Shoshanna Schechter-Shaffin (GS '08, MA, Jewish Gender and Women's Studies)
Hillel Director of Richmond in Virginia, Weinstein JCC

Benjamin Mann, (GS '01, MA, Inter-disciplinary Jewish Studies)
Head, Middle School, and Jewish Studies Coordinator, Solomon Schechter High School of New York

 

PhD GRADUATES

Loren Spielman (GS '11, PhD, Ancient Judaism)
Assistant Professor of Classical Judaism and the Schusterman Teaching Fellow, Portland State University

Geoffrey Claussen (GS '11, PhD, Jewish Thought)
Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and the Lori and Eric Sklut Emerging Scholar in Jewish Studies, Elon College

Edna Friedberg (GS '07, PhD, Modern Jewish Studies)
Historian and Director of the Wexner Learning Center, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington DC

Jonathan S. Ray (GS '03, PhD, Medieval Jewish Studies)
Samuel Eig Associate Professor of Jewish Studies, Theology Department, Georgetown University

Jonathan Decter (GS '02, PhD, Medieval Jewish Studies)
Edmond J. Safra Professor of Sephardic Studies, Brandeis University

Gwynn Kessler (GS '01, PhD, Midrash)
Assistant Professor of Religion, Swarthmore College

Paul Radensky (GS '01, PhD, 2001)
Museum Educator for Jewish Schools, Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust

Carol Bakhos (GS '00, PhD, Midrash)
Associate Professor of Late Antique Judaism and Jewish Studies, UCLA


The Graduate School of JTS offers:

  • Enrollment in the most extensive academic program in advanced Judaica in North America: master's and doctoral degree programs in all periods of Jewish history and many specialized areas of Jewish studies, such as Jewish Gender and Women's Studies, Jewish Art and Visual Culture, and Jewish Professional Leadership (Jewish Studies and Social Work and Jewish Studies and Public Administration, the dual degree programs with Columbia University's School of Social Work and School of International and Public Affairs).
  • Opportunity for intensive study of Hebrew language and Jewish texts
  • Mastery of the critical methodologies that scholars utilize within their fields of research
  • Low student-to-faculty ratio, which facilitates meaningful mentoring relationships with JTS professors
  • Collegiality and networking among peers from diverse backgrounds who represent a broad range of academic and professional interests
  • Access to The Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary, the largest and most extensive Judaica collection in the Western Hemisphere
  • Opportunities to gain practical experience as an intern or teaching or research assistant
  • Skills training through professional development workshops
  • Myriad extracurricular opportunities that foster camaraderie among students
  • New York City-with its diverse Jewish community, many colleges and universities, and world-class businesses, institutions, and organizations