Sadness and Good Memories

As I write, many of my classmates are at Temple Emanu-El in New York City, receiving their honorary doctorates for 25 years of service to the Jewish people. This is actually the 26th year since the above photo was taken. We had an online ceremony last year, but with the return to in-person gatherings, we were offered the opportunity to join this year's honourees.

I have written elsewhere about the celebrations. I would like to note that at our online Kaddish minyan this morning, whilst I was delighted to be congratulated by my minyan mates, I also had the honour of leading Kaddish for our service.

In the photograph, in the back row, with the white hair and beard, you see Rabbi Ariel Walsh. In the front row, second from the right, you see Rabbi Suri Friedman. The two of them were present last year at our Zoom ceremony, but they have both died since then. In the front row on the far right you also see Rabbi Joel Braude. He died in 2014.

As we celebrate our contributions, and hope that we have the chance to continue, we remember our classmates. And so we said Kaddish for them at the minyan today. May our memories of them continue to bless us.

Mazeltov Classmates for our 25th!

Here we were, way back in the last century.

And five years later, the ordinands of 1996 at Emanu-El.

Mazal tov to us all, 25 years later. Doctor of Divinity, honoris causa. So many different journeys. Stay safe and well everyone, and hopefully one day we may have our reunion in person!

 

How Can it be 25 Years Already?!

 

The beginning of May will mark 25 years since my rabbinic ordination at HUC-JIR. Sadly this year we will not be able to gather in person to celebrate the milestone, but earlier in the week during the CCAR convention c. 20 of us met in a Zoom room to catch up and congratulate each other. It was important to me to hear about the oys and joys of these classmates over the years. I can't wait to be able to celebrate in person, but meanwhile a hearty mazeltov to all my co-DD-ers!