Rabbi Jan Uhrbach Appointed Interim Dean of Rabbinical School and H. L. Miller Cantorial School

March 22, 2021 — The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS), one of the world’s preeminent centers of Jewish higher education, is proud to announce that Rabbi Jan Uhrbach will serve as the interim Pearl Resnick dean of the Rabbinical School and dean of the Division of Religious Leadership for the 2021-22 academic year. In this role, she will lead the institution’s Rabbinical School and the H. L. Miller Cantorial School. She will also continue to direct the work of JTS’s  Block/Kolker Center for Spiritual Arts. 

In her time at JTS, Rabbi Uhrbach has guided and inspired future rabbis and cantors with her deep knowledge of Torah and liturgy. As founder and director of the Block/Kolker Center for Spiritual Arts, Rabbi Uhrbach has brought her passion for prayer to the JTS community. She has worked on the Conservative Movement’s prayer books, serving on the editorial committee of Machzor Lev Shalem and as associate editor of the Siddur Lev Shalem for Shabbat and Festivals. She is currently working as associate editor on the forthcoming Siddur Lev Shalem for Weekdays. Additionally, she serves as founding rabbi of the Conservative Synagogue of the Hamptons, in Bridgehampton, Long Island, inspiring and leading her congregation.

Rabbi Uhrbach received her rabbinical ordination at JTS, where she was a Wexner Graduate Fellow. A graduate of Harvard Law School and Yale University, Rabbi Uhrbach served as Law Clerk to Federal District Judge Kimba M. Wood and then joined the New York law firm of Satterlee Stephens Burke & Burke LLP, becoming a partner in the firm.

“Our Rabbinical and Cantorial School students are truly extraordinary, and teaching and mentoring them has been one of the most fulfilling and joyful aspects of my rabbinate. I’m grateful for the opportunity to lead, and to expand my role in training the next generation of inspiring, courageous spiritual leaders,” said Rabbi Uhrbach. “I have been blessed to be a part of the JTS community for 24 years, and I look forward to serving as interim dean and deepening my impact.” ­

“I am grateful to Rabbi Uhrbach for taking on the role of interim dean and know that our students and the entire JTS community will benefit tremendously from her creative and wise leadership,” said Chancellor Shuly Rubin Schwartz. “I consider Rabbi Uhrbach not only a trusted colleague but an inspired teacher as well, and I am eager to work with her in this new role.” 

Rabbi Uhrbach will begin her role as interim dean in July, when current dean, Rabbi Daniel Nevins, transitions to his new position as Head of School at the Golda Och Academy in West Orange, NJ.