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  We Take Pride In...
Rabbi Shelton Donnell (N '77) received a medal, awarded by Pope John Paul II and the by the bishop of Orange County before several hundred congregants at Temple Beth Sholom, where he has served over the last 14 years. In the weeks before his death, John Paul II announced Donnell would be honored with the medal, instituted by Pope Gregory XVI in 1832 to recognize civil courage. The award is engraved with the word benemerenti, Latin for "good merit," circled by a crown of oak leaves. Rabbi David Ellenson (President, HUC-JIR) joined Richard Joel, President of Yeshiva University, and Rabbi Ismar Schorsch, Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary, in greeting Prime Minister Ariel Sharon at the rally on behalf of Israel, held at Baruch College in New York on May 22, 2005. Professor Reuven Firestone (Professor of Medieval Judaism and Islam and Director of the Edgar F. Magnin School of Graduate Studies, HUC-JIR/LA) presented the introduction to the Sufi poetry and philosophy of al-Rumi for the "Whirling Dervishes of al-Rumi" dance program at UCLA's Royce Hall on April 4, 2005. Oliver S. Howard (Ph.D. '78, HUC-JIR/Cincinnati) was recently inducted as a fellow into the prestigious International Academy of Trial Lawyers (IATL). Howard was selected after a rigorous membership evaluation process that encompassed legal skills, character, integrity and trial record. Rabbi Abie Ingber (C '77) Executive Director for the Hillel Jewish Student Center of Cincinnati, received a papal blessing from Pope John Paul II for their proposed landmark exhibition, "A Blessing to One Another: Pope John Paul II and the Jewish People," which documents the pontiff's lifelong relationship with the Jews. The exhibition, a partnership between the University, Hillel and the Shtetl Foundation, will feature artifacts, photographs and videos. Dr. Mark Kligman (Professor of Jewish Musicology, HUC-JIR/NY) contributed a section on new American Jewish music for the book Cambridge Companion to American Judaism, Cambridge University Press. July 2005. Dr. Amira Meir (Lecturer on Bible, HUC-JIR/Jerusalem) published the article, "On the Study of Pentateuchal Poetry" in "God's Word for our World" the Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, Supplement Series 388. T & T Clark International, London. New York. 2004. She also served as the editor of "The image of Woman in the Bible and Midrash" Beit Mikra 178. April-June 2004. Dr. Carol Ochs (Director of the Graduate School and Adjunct Full Professor of Jewish Religious Thought, HUC-JIR/New York) participated in the Bard College Theological Conference and Festival to promote new ways of understanding and presenting God and life to a contemporary audience. Rabbi Michael A. Signer (C '70, Abrams Professor of Jewish Thought and Culture at the University of Notre Dame) has been named the Man of Reconciliation 2005 by the Polish Council of Christians and Jews. The title is awarded each year to individuals from outside Poland who have made significant contributions to the Christian-Jewish dialogue in Poland. Racelle Weiman (Director of the Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education (CHHE) at HUC-JIR/Cincinnati) represented HUC-JIR and the CHHE when the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C., awarded her the National Order of Civic and Political Merit on May 18, 2005. The Honorable Alberto Romulo, Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs, bestowed "The Order of Lakandula," rank of Commander, in recognition of HUC-JIR and the CHHE's significant role in bringing to light the Philippine rescue of Holocaust refugees during World War II. Dr. Wendy Zierler (Assistant Professor of Feminist Studies and Modern Jewish Literature, HUC-JIR/New York) Dr. Rachel Adler (Associate Professor of Modern Jewish Thought and Judaism and Gender at the School of Religion, University of Southern California and the Rabbinical School at HUC-JIR/Los Angeles) and Dr. Judith Plaskow (Professor of Religious Studies at Manhattan College) were recent Scholars-in-Residence at the Fairmount Temple in Cleveland, Ohio to help commemorate the 25th anniversary of Cantor Sarah Sager's service at the synagogue. Dr. Gary P. Zola (Executive Director of The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives and Associate Professor of the American Jewish Experience) is the recipient of this year's Harris K. and Alice F. Weston Award, given annually by the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati to a Jewish communal agency executive who has demonstrated excellence in his/her field through participation in national and local organizations; has published in his/her field of practice; and has been involved as a leader in the Jewish or general community. Dr. Zola was also invited to open the United States Senate with a prayer as Guest Chaplain on Thursday, May 26, 2005, in celebration of the 350th anniversary of Jewish Life in America. |
