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SPECIAL ISSUE ON EDUCATION
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Celebrating More Than 75 Years of Service
VoLLXXIV No. 16
17 Tevet, 5757
Omaha, NE
Decemb er 27,1996
Part II In a series on studying in Israel
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College life in l$rael...and life after college
Jason Perelman, armed with a degree in philosophy from the University of Kansas, headed off for New York, ready to enter the world of business. But something didn't feel right; he thought he needed more. He moved back to Omaha and started attending graduate courses in psychology at tlie University of Nebraska at Omaha. It seemed like the perfect plan, until Mr. Perelman's conversations with local rabbis about his courses forced a radical change in his plans. Today Jason Perelman is a student at Pardes Institute in Jerusalem and has applied to rabbinical school for fall of 1997. "I always had the goal of becoming a motivator, a lecturer who can inspire others to reach their potential," he said in a recent interview, "but I didn't realize until last year that my path should be through Judaism." Arriving in the Jewish State last February, Mr. Perelman participated in the Livnot ITLehibanot program in Tzfat and Jerusalem.Livnot is an Israel Experience program, supported by the UJA/Federation Campaign. A three-month combination of work and study, the course means "To build and to be built." It's aimed at young people, ages 21-30, with little or no Jewish studies background as an
by Carol Katzman introduction to Jewish tradition. In addition," the group works on contruction and community service projects. Livnot program leaders were so impressed with Mr. Perelman, they asked him to stay on as a counselor for new groups arriving during the summer. At Pardes, teachers from all Jewish streams learn with the young adults in a traditional yeshiva setting, but with pluralistic values. The Institute, located just a 20-minute walk from 'downtown' Jerusalem, does not adhere to any one movement but does offer 'the Jewish basics' to its mostly American coed student body. Bill Shackman, son of Bruce Shackman of Omaha and Liz Shackman of Chicago, will join Mr. Perelman at Pardes in February. He is a recent graduate of Northwestern University and studies at Hebrew University. Mr. Shackman hopes to teach Jewish studies in college. "To be able to articulate your views on Judaism is important," Mr. Perelman said. "I do plan on going back to the StatM as soon as I learn whether I've been accepted to rabbinical school. "I definitely want to be in a pluralistic setting," he added, "That's why Jaaon Perelaon, son of Sheldon and Jan Perelman, rides his bike to Pardes is so right for me." get around Jerusalem. He is a student at Pardes Institute. (Con'd on pace 20)
Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion: Educating leadership for the 21st century *Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Angeles campuses. Rabbinic alumni lead Reform Religion is the intellectual, academic and spiritual center of Reform Judaism. Its faculty, administration, student body, and research resources represent a fervent hope for the future, a commitment to the present, and continuity with all the generations of the past. Rabbi Sheldon Zimmerman, HUC-JIR President, states, "A learned community and the attainment of academic excellence are essential to ensure creative Jewish life in the 21st century and beyond. The College-Institute proudly takes its place in the unfolding story of the Jewish people, its covenant with God, and its place in the service and history of humankind." Founded in 1875 in Cincinnati by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, the founder of American Reform Judaism, HUC-JIR is the oldest institution of Jewish higher learning in America. In 1922, Rabbi Stephen S. Wise established the Jewish Institute of Religion in New York. The similar orientation of the two schools led to their merger in 1950. HUC-JIR's Los Angeles School was opened in 1954 to serve the growing Jewish community on the West Coast. The Jerusalem campus was founded in 1963 to serve as a post-doctoral school of archaeological and biblical studies. Since 1970, it has served as the center for HUC-JIR's Year-in Israel Program and as the home of HUC-JIR's Israel Rabbinic Program. HUC-JIR's Rabbinic School is the oldest institution in the United States educating rabbis to serve the Jewish community. The five-year graduate degree program encompasses a first year of Hebrew and Judaic studies in Jerusalem, followed by studies at HUC in Cincinnati, New York or Los
congregations, Hillels, and Jewish organizations, serve as college educators and as chaplains in hospitals and the armed forces. The School of Graduate Studies in Cincinnati is a leading center for the study, training, research and publication in the areas of Bible, ancient Near Eastern languages, Hellenistic studies, rabbinics, Jewish religious thought and philosophy, and modern Jewish history. (Con'd on page 16)
Rabbi Sheldon Zimmerman, right, was installed as the President of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati by SUniey P. Gold, President of the HUC Board of Governors.
Yeshiva University ranked in top tier of universities For the first time ever, undergraduate programs at Yeshiva University have been ranked within the top tier of such programs in the annual US News & World Report survey of colleges and universities. Y.U. placed 45th out of the 229 schools rated within the prestigious "national university category." Schools in this group that scored within the top 50 - including Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Stanford, and New York Universities, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology - are in the first of four "tiers." Liberal arts colleges that are not part of major research universities, such as Amherst College and Swarthmore College, are rated in separate categories, as are regional institutions. Last year, the US News survey placed Y.U. in the second tier of the national university category, which included schools with rankings between 51 and 114. The schools were listed alphabetically without indicating exactly where they placed within this grouping. In 1994, the University was placed in the third tier, which included schools ranked between 115 and 171. "We are pleased by the new ratings, and we hope they reflect the many enhancements we have made in recent years," said Y.U. President Norman Lamm, 'At the same time, we do not want to overemphasize the significance of this survey because we know that the lower scores we received in previous years did not reflect our true academic quality. It is important to remember llint these surveys are not as scientific as they often claim to be." The factors used by US News to rank colleges and universities, and the relative weights the factors were given were: reputation (based on a poll of (Continued on page 16)
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