World

Change At JTS

After 20 years, head of Conservative seminary to step aside.

CHANAN TIGAY
Jewish Telegraphic Agency

SHELLI LIEBMAN DORFMAN

Staff Writer

U

pon hearing of the upcoming
retirement of Rabbi Ismar
Schorsch, longtime chancel-
lor of the Conservative movement's
Jewish Theological Seminary of
America, Rabbi Jason Miller found
himself reflecting both personally and
professionally.
"When he retires, the seminary will
be able to add another great name to
its list of former chancellors," said
Rabbi Miller, assistant director of the
University of Michigan Hillel
Foundation in Ann Arbor, and a 2004
graduate of both the JTS Rabbinical
School and Davidson School of
Jewish Education in New York. "He
has proven to be top notch in so
many areas. I'm a better Jew, generally
— and rabbi, specifically — for hav-
ing studied with him."
Chancellor Schorsch is retiring at a
time of uncertainty for the movement
as a whole, facing dwindling numbers
of Americans identifying as
Conservative, internal debate over the
place of gays and non-Jewish spouses
in the fold and difficulties speaking in
a unified voice. How the movement
resolves such contentious issues will
be significantly impacted by the next
chancellor.
In a June 15 letter to the JTS corn-
munity and supporter, Chancellor
Schorsch said he would step down
officially on June 30, 2006, some 20
years after taking the reins.
"I do so with more than a tinge of
sadness, because throughout my
tenure, I have found my work deeply
fulfilling," wrote Chancellor Schorsch,
who will be 70 when he retires. "But I
decided long ago to step down while
still in top form."
Under Chancellor Schorsch's watch,
the movement's camping and day-
school arms have grown, with 25,000
students now attending Conservative
Schechter schools and an additional
25,000 Conservative students in com-
munity day schools — nondenomina-
tional Jewish academies. Conservative
students, JTS says, now comprise 25

6/30

2005

16

Chancellor Schorsch with Rabbi Jason Miller at the annual JTS Purim seudah in
2003. Rabbi Miller, who emceed the program said, "He was a good sport and par-
ticipated in one of my skits to uproarious laughter and a standing ovation for his
deadpan humor"

percent of the national day-school
population.
The JTS student body also has
grown, jumping from 500 students in
1994 to 700 today. The school's facul-
ty has increased from 90 members in
1994 to 120 today.
"Chancellor Schorsch has brought
an extraordinary depth of scholarship
to the Conservative movement, con-
tinuing its tradition of academic lead-
ership in the Jewish world," said
Rabbi Daniel Nevins of Adat Shalom
Synagogue in Farmington Hills, who
was ordained at JTS in 1994. "He
served for many years as a professor of
history, a field in which he is a major
scholar. His weekly Torah column is
an inspiration to thousands of readers
around the world."
Rabbi Miller said, 'As a classroom
teacher, he was simply magnificent. I
was blown away listening to his lec-
tures on the famous Jewish histori-
ans." He said. "As he helped the class
move from their scholarly texts to
their context in scholarship, I recall
feeling that I could sit and listen to
Dr. Schorsch all day. The only famous

Jewish historian he omitted from that
course was himself."

Personally Speaking

"During my years at the seminary, I
recall giving my in-laws a tour of the
campus and running into Chancellor
Schorsch who was off to a meeting,"
Rabbi Miller said. "He took the time
to stand and talk with my family get-
ting to know them. He always struck
me as a great shmoozer.
"The first time my parents met him
at the seminary, they were impressed
that he knew my name, where I was
from and that our family belongs to
Adat Shalom Synagogue. I explained
that he actually knows every student
at the seminary. That is the type of
chancellor that he is."
Rabbi Miller said a key term in
describing Chancellor Schorsch is
"accessibility." "My wife, Elissa, and I
have had Shabbat dinner in his
home," he said. "And he went out of
his way to invite JTS trustees to my
senior sermon."
Oakland County-based
Congregation Shaarey Zedek Rabbis

Lauren and Jonathan Berkun, who
were ordained in 2001 by the JTS
Rabbinical School and received mas-
ter's degrees, also feel a closeness to
the chancellor.
"I have always known him to be a
very warn and gracious individual, an
excellent teacher and a fine historian
of the modern era of Jewish life,"
Rabbi Jonathan Berkun said. "His
outstanding scholarship, wisdom, and
insight contributed to his extraordi-
nary vision for increasing the work of
JTS. We at Shaarey Zedek are espe-
cially proud of his dedication to the
William Davidson Graduate School of
Jewish Education [which the seminary
says is the largest school of its kind in
the country].
"The Conservative movement has
greatly benefited from his efforts to
enlarge the rabbinical school and dou-
ble the size of the graduate school. He
has fostered Jewish learning, promot-
ed Jewish education and been a per-
sonal confidant and mentor to me
and my wife."
Shaarey Zedek's Rabbi Eric Yanoff,
who was ordained from JTS in 2004
and received a master's degree in
Jewish education from the Davidson
school, said, "I had a wonderful rela-
tionship with the chancellor during
my time as a student at JTS. He had a
distinctive way of thinking not only
before he spoke, but also, it was always
clear, that he was thinking as he
spoke, carefully crafting his words and
his lessons. This is a great skill which
I have learned from his example."
In addition to his work within the
academic system, Rabbi Jonathan
Berkun said the chancellor, "has also
opened new windows into the world
of Jewish music, the rebirth of
European Jewry, and the importance
of engaging in broader issues such as
environmentalism."

Leading The Movement

Chancellor Schorsch has worked to
bolster the Conservative movement's
affiliates in Russia, Argentina and
Israel.
As a fund-raiser, he raised $500 mil-
lion in annual campaign dollars and
over $265 million in the school's capi-
tal campaign that ended in 2004