Joel L. Kushner, Psy.D. (he/him)
Director, Kalsman Institute on Judaism and Health
Director, Institute for Judaism, Sexual Orientation, and Gender Identity
HUC/Los Angeles

How can I offer inspiration when there are bombings and shootings? Just following the anniversary of George Floyd’s death and recent anti-Asian violence? With anti-LGBTQ+ hate groups and antisemitic incidents on the rise?

When I first came to HUC, gender identity and gender expression were not in our non-discrimination policy, we could not talk about bisexuality, and we didn’t actively support being transgender. Today, we have a class of students where those who are out, queer, non-binary, trans, and more are the majority and speaking their truth. An HUC student created a video with gentle humor to educate the Jewish community on pronouns, and non-gendered Hebrew prayers are being heard and shared in our t’fillah. The faculty recently participated in a training on LGBTQ+ identities, some the first time, and we are still learning. Some who once said, “Why do I have to add my pronoun to Zoom?” have recognized that if one person is diminished, then all of us are.

A year ago, LGBTQ+ rights and legal protections were being torn away. We will be living with the inheritance of a culture that allowed and encouraged bullying, contempt, and violence for years to come with its manifestations of homophobia, transphobia, racism, and antisemitism.

A year later, President Biden has reinstated significant rights for LGBTQ+ people through executive order. The Utah Supreme Court upheld the rights of trans people to change their name and sex on state records, and there are more stories like this. However, 2021 has seen the most anti-LGBTQ+ state legislation in recent US history, and more work needs to be done to actually pass the Equality Act. Yet there is still holiness and hope in every moment. There will always be dangerous challenges to rights and to learning, but recognizing the opportunity in those times allows us to move forward with empathy and action.

How can I write a message of inspiration in the face of so much pain around us? Because I must. Every generation lives in times of struggle and opportunity, and while it is not for me to complete the work, neither can I desist from it. I am inspired by the work of our students who demand change, by faculty who learn and grow and teach, by staff who model respect and presence, and by alumni and donors who support LGBTQ+ issues. HUC is a community like any other with our light and our shadow and we can hold that truth. I am inspired by the arc that we are on, as well as where we aspire to reach.

Rabbi Denise L. Eger, D.D., ‘88 (she/her)
Senior Rabbi, Congregation Kol Ami

“HUC was not a welcoming place for LGBTQ+ people when I was a student. It was hard to be a gay or lesbian student then and it was always under the threat of being outed and kicked out of school. We actually started a secret underground support network for LGBTQ+ students then. I am glad that many of us worked hard to make those policies change. Today, I am pleased that we can find the best candidates in all of our schools to serve the Jewish community regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity and expression.”

Read our full interview here to learn about Rabbi Eger’s Jewish journey, her experience at HUC, her current involvement with the College, and more.

Rabbi Zachary R. Shapiro, ‘97 (he/him)
Senior Rabbi, Temple Akiba of Culver City
Member, Board of Governors and Western Region Board of Advisors

“I grew up in the Reform Movement at Temple Israel in Boston, under the leadership of Rabbis Bernard Mehlman and Ronne Freedman. They nurtured my soul, deepened my curiosity, and broadened my perspective at every level. They encouraged me to attend Olin Sang Ruby Union Institute for the summer starting at age 11, where the first creative worship service transformed me forever and made me want to be a rabbi. I came home, taught myself to play guitar, and allowed Jewish music to guide my journey through high school. As the years continued, a deeper yearning to help society developed. I soon realized that my goal in life was to help bring goodness into the world, and that I was fortunate enough to have the treasures of Judaism to guide me.”

Please read Rabbi Shapiro’s full interview here to learn about his Jewish journey, his experience at HUC and serving on the Board of Governors, and more.

JOIN US FOR LECTURES THAT WILL EDUCATE,
INSPIRE, AND AWAKEN YOUR JEWISH SPIRIT.

COMING UP:

Thursday, June 10 at 7:00 pm ET
JUDAISM & CIVIL SOCIETY:
NOT THE SAME AS WHITE: LATINX STUDENTS
TALK ABOUT JEWISH SCHOOLING
Erik Ludwig, Ph.D., Director, Zelikow School of Jewish Nonprofit Management,
HUC/Los Angeles
Sasha Dominguez ‘20, Executive Director and Founder of Kol Connection

Tuesday, June 15 at 1:00 pm ET
JUDAISM & HISTORY:
A JEWISH GRAND TOUR: SHOULD 'TRAVEL'
BECOME THE JEWISH PRACTICE OF OUR AGE?
Jeremy Leigh, Coordinator, Richard J. Scheuer Israel Seminar, HUC/Jerusalem

Tuesday, June 22 at 1:30 pm ET
JUDAISM & CIVIL SOCIETY:
BLACK POWER/JEWISH POLITICS
Marc Dollinger, Ph.D., Richard and Rhoda Goldman Chair,
Social Responsibility, San Francisco State University
Andrew Rehfeld, Ph.D., HUC President; Moderator

Tuesday, June 29 at 3:00 pm ET
JUDAISM & PARENTING:
SUPPORTING THE INTELLECTUAL AND EMOTIONAL
NEEDS OF CHILDREN AND ONE ANOTHER
Presented in partnership with the Jewish Grandparents Network and Lilith magazine.
Sivan Zakai, Ph.D., Sara S. Lee Associate Professor of Jewish Education,
HUC/Los Angeles
Lauren Applebaum, Ed.D., Director, DeLeT, HUC
Rabbi Jordi Schuster Battis ’09, ‘11, Temple Shir Tikva, Wayland, MA

Ruhama Weiss, Ph.D. (she/her)
Director, Blaustein Center for Pastoral Counseling
HUC/Jerusalem

“We started the Blaustein Center for Pastoral Counseling at the beginning of 2000. We received a grant to do spiritual care but we didn't know what that meant; we didn’t have anything like that in Israel. We had to find our way, find our own definition of spirituality, and build our tools. In our program, Sugiyot Chaim, which means life texts or life issues, we work together to figure out how to use Jewish texts from the Bible, mainly Talmud, to work through spiritual conflicts or dilemmas to develop and grow spiritually. Students do what generations of Jews did when they didn’t have the option to go to a psychologist to ask for help: they went to the beit midrash to ask for help in their own community. We want to encourage people to go to therapy, but we don’t think therapy is the only answer to our needs. We think that having a community and using ancient texts can help us discover what is really important in one’s life, and find our own spiritual voice.”

Please read the full interview here to learn about Dr. Weiss' work with the Blaustein Center of Pastoral Counseling, her life in Jerusalem, and more.

Rabbi Andrew Goodman, ‘08 (he/him)
Director of Student Support in the Office of the Provost
Dean of Students, HUC/New York

“Through my various roles and experiences at HUC, I’ve learned to trust my instincts and be comfortable in my own skin. I’ve learned that I'm successful being me, and I don't have to be something I'm not, which in some ways is counter-cultural and in some ways is authentic. It models really powerfully for the students that professionalism needs to come with a sense of authenticity. Hopefully our students can go out and be passionate and have their own sense of authenticity, and it will be beneficial for both them and for their communities.”

Please read Rabbi Goodman’s full interview here to learn about his Jewish journey, what he has learned from his various roles at HUC, how he spends his free time, and more.