30th Yahrzeit of Matthew Eisenfeld and Sara Duker z”l

February 25, 2026

Classmates, colleagues, friends, and family gathered together for a special virtual learning session on Monday, February 23 in memory of Matthew Eisenfeld and Sara Duker. Matt was a second–year JTS rabbinical student spending the year studying in Israel, along with Sara, who had just graduated Barnard. They were tragically killed in the bombing of bus 18 in Jerusalem on February 25, 1996.

This learning session was originally scheduled to take place in person on the day of the Convocation ceremony, but was canceled due to weather conditions. Instead, the community came together for a virtual Torah study led by Matt’s classmate, JTS alum and longtime JTS staff member, Rabbi Matt Berkowitz, President of the Schechter Institutes. 

Rabbi Berkowitz’s Torah learning focused on “Avram and Lot: Of Peace and Peoplehood” from Genesis 13: 1–17. He eloquently shared his thoughts on the parasha and reflected how this learning represents “the magnificent, special, unique human beings that Sara and Matt were in so many ways. Just as Avram chose magnanimity, mutual responsibility, and a commitment to Shalom and a commitment to peace, so too did Sara and Matt show the same deep commitment to those incredible and remarkable values. They were magnanimous human beings in all that they did…”

Following the Torah study, friends and classmates were invited to share cherished memories and reflections. JTS alums from around the world spoke of the deep friendships and meaningful moments they shared with Sara and Matt, and of the lasting impact their loss had on their lives.

May their memories be for a blessing.

Watch the learning session here: