A Day Filled With Exuberance as We Applauded Our Graduates’ Achievements
In a letter to the community, Chancellor Shuly Rubin Schwartz reflected on the 131st Commencement Exercises and Tekes Hasmakhah: Ceremony of Rabbinic and Cantorial Ordination.
May 28, 2025
Dear JTS Community,
Last week, despite cold rains and the devastating news about the murders of Yaron Lischinsky z”l and Sarah Lynn Milgrim z”l, we celebrated a joyous milestone—our 131st commencement ceremony. Accomplished students, proud family members, special guests, esteemed honorary degree recipients, beloved alumni, and dedicated staff and faculty gathered in our atrium to honor graduates from multiple schools and programs. Sadly, we’ve become experts at holding both joy and sorrow in our hearts at the same time. And though we were shaken by the horrific event that occurred in Washington, DC, we were also overwhelmed with happiness.
The occasion was marked with exuberance as we applauded our graduates’ achievements, which we know have been hard won after the many challenges they faced during their student years. We celebrated throughout the day as we conferred bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees and granted four honorary degrees.
For those who were unable to attend in person or livestream it, I encourage you to view it here.
As I have every year since becoming Chancellor, I watched from the platform with tremendous pride as students transitioned from students to alumni. It was an honor to deliver the “Charge to the Graduates.” I reflected on the challenges of the past few years and spoke about how the JTS experience gives students the tools needed to see others fully and clearly but also brings a sense of compassion and empathy to every encounter. Integrating this lens with the rich learning they have internalized will fortify them into the future. Their dedication and sense of purpose fills us with enormous hope. You can see the full address here.
Guests also had the opportunity to hear from Dr. Christine Hayes, Sterling Professor Emerita of Religious Studies at Yale University, who delivered the Commencement Address. Based on her own life story, she wisely advised the graduates to cultivate curiosity and savor serendipity, in addition to encouraging them to choose “to believe in goodness in your pursuit of morality.” You can see her full address here.
Our other honorary degree recipients included Rabbi Amy Eilberg (the first woman rabbi ordained by JTS); Dr. Claudia Goldin (Henry Lee Professor of Economics at Harvard University); and Professor Ruth Halperin-Kaddari (Founding Academic Director of the Rackman Center for the Advancement of the Status of Women at Bar-Ilan University Law School in Israel). Honoree degree recipients will also be featured in our next Expanding the Conversation podcast series, launching this summer. Please be on the lookout for these engaging discussions with these distinguished women.
Two of our graduating students spoke from the heart as they delivered remarks. Hannah Faye Solon, a List College senior, spoke honestly about the “pain, protest, and deep division” that her class encountered, while also providing inspirational guidance: “Let’s be the class that chooses hope, chooses action, and chooses each other.” Loraine Schneider Enlow, a Gershon Kekst Graduate School graduate, reflected on her non-traditional path to JTS as a “middle-aged non-Jewish woman” and how an unexpected encounter with me several years ago led her to JTS.
Other highlights from the morning included inspiring opening remarks by Chair of the Board, Alan Levine, who warmly welcomed attendees, congratulated the graduates and their families, and celebrated the many achievements of JTS’s staff and faculty. We were also honored to hear words of Torah from Rabbi Bill Lebeau, a former dean of The JTS Rabbinical School and Chair of the Department of Professional Skills, and to induct Marc Gary into the JTS Society of Fellows. And lastly, what a gift it was to experience the beautiful music performed by the chorus and our graduating H. L. Miller Cantorial School students.
During the emotional ordination ceremony (Tekes Hasmakhah) in the afternoon, 12 new rabbis and cantors were ordained. It is always so moving to watch our newest clergy members step into their new roles alongside mentors, teachers, and beloved family and friends. Rabbi Ayelet Cohen, Pearl Resnick Dean of The Rabbinical School and dean of the Division of Religious Leadership, offered words of Torah related to Parashat Behar-Behukkotai and the concept of turning our awareness to the “passage of time, the promise of new beginnings, and the blessings and responsibilities of living in community.” She also reflected on the many changes that have taken place in the 40 years since Rabbi Eilberg was ordained, highlighting her profound impact on the rabbinate—particularly in the areas of chaplaincy, peacemaking, and racial justice. Rabbi Cohen also noted, with great pleasure, that this class of graduates includes the first openly transgender or non-binary students admitted to The JTS Rabbinical School.
And finally, to close the day, we moved to the dining hall for festive dancing. Although we were inside because of the rain, the energy was palpable, and the enthusiasm was contagious.
Through years shaped by both challenge and celebration, our graduates have already found ways to make meaningful change in our community and beyond. As they set out into the world, I look forward to seeing the impact they will have. Some will join the workforce in fields such as education, architecture, and technology. Others will pursue doctoral studies, law school, and medical school, or make aliyah to Israel, as others assume roles as clergy, Jewish professionals and educators, and scholars across North America. I have no doubt they will powerfully spread the values and spirit of JTS and lead with purpose, compassion, and courage.
