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Hornstein Chair, Jonathan Sarna, elected fellow of the Massachusetts Historical Society. [read more]

JCC Association Scholarship Winners

Congratulations to incoming students, Edana Appel and Heather Kufert, on being awarded the highly selective JCC Association scholarship for students interested in careers in the Jewish Community Center movement! They join 2nd-year student, Lauren Fredman. For more information about this scholarship, and other prestigious scholarship opportunities, please see our Financial Aid web page.

Commencement 2013

Share in the fun: slide show and YouTube video

Recent News

Spring 2013 Newsletter Published

IMPACT

Trauma and Healing: Jewish Values – Global Challenges

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

More Information

Hornstein Students Visit Ukraine 2/16-2/24/13

Happy Chanukah to all of our alumni, students and friends!

Check out Jonathan Sarna's recent article, Chanukah 5773, an inspiring historical perspective on contemporary Chanukah observance. (Originally written for the American Jewish World Service.)

Making a Difference: Careers in the Jewish Community

Come learn how to transform your Jewish community interests into a rewarding and meaningful career!

Panel Discussion and Q&A

Monday, November 26, 2012, 6:30-8:00 PM, Hassenfeld Lurias

Two Alumnae Accepted into Prestigious Training Program

Congratulations to Robin Anderson '04 and Elinor Klein '12  who have been accepted into the Grinspoon Institute Fundraiser's Training (GIFT) program. This highly selective program, designed specifically for camp professionals, aims to give participants the "understanding and skills to help transform their camp into one with a strong culture of philanthropy which permeates their organization."

Scholarship and Social Analysis: A Conference in Honor of Lewis S. Feuer (1912-2002)

Lewis S. Feuer, one of the towering figures in American academic and intellectual life, made striking contributions to several fields and sub-specialties, especially sociology and philosophy, but also the history of science, the history of the Jews, and the history of Marxism. Brandeis is honored to hold Feuer's papers in Goldfarb Library.

A conference at Rapaporte Treasure Hall on the afternoon of October 17  evaluated Lewis S. Feuer's influence in several fields.

Two Alumni Receive Awards

Cara Unowsky ‘03, Corporate Director & Strategic Planning for Jewish Home Lifecare, NYC,  received the Jewish Communal Service Association (JCSA) Ted Comet Exemplar Award, which is given to an "individual who exhibits outstanding leadership and skill in unifying & strengthening the Jewish People", and

Adam Kolett ‘09, Senior Planning Associate at the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, received a JCSA Bernard Rodkin Professional Development Israel Fellowship.

See also:

• JCSA Newsletter
• JCSA Facebook Page
• Additional Photos

Read our latest Newsletter, Impact

Commencement 2012
On May 20, thirteen students were graduated and Dr. Erica Brown received the Bernard Reisman for Professional Excellence. [read more]

Hornstein Community Comes Together to Celebrate the Life and Legacy of Bernard Reisman

Visit our web page with pictures and videos of the 4/22/12 event.

Hornstein Students Return from Ukraine
Article by Amy Sales, accompanying faculty member

Hornstein Faculty Member, Len Saxe, Awarded Marshal Sklare Award
in recognition of his "significant scholarly contribution to the social scientific study of Jewry". [read more]

Holocaust and History: Making Meaning from Jewish Catastrophe
A conversation with Yehuda Kurtzer author of the newly released book,Shuva: The Future of the Jewish Past published by Brandeis University Press, Thursday, April 19, 2012

An Appreciation of the Life and Legacy of Hornstein's Founder and Former Director, Bernard Reisman
April 22, 11 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. event web page

Ruth Messinger Meets with Hornstein Students
On February 8, 2012, American Jewish World Service CEO, Ruth Messinger, dined with Hornstein students and spoke to the greater Brandeis community about world-wide social justice pursuits. [full story]

The entire Hornstein community mourns the death of Bernard Reisman longtime and beloved director of the Hornstein Program for 30 years. Bernie died Monday, November 21, 2011 at age 85 after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease.

Emeritus Professor of Jewish Communal Studies at Brandeis University, founding Director of its Benjamin S. Hornstein Program in Jewish Communal Service, and a pioneering educator, community professional, and advocate, Bernie trained nearly two generations of Jewish communal professionals. He was—and will remain—one of the most beloved figures in Jewish communal life. His teaching, mentoring, caring, and sheer menschlichkeit modeled a style of accomplished and humane Jewish leadership that shaped hundreds of students and thousands more who knew and worked with him across the world.

Bernie's funeral will be this Wednesday, November 23, 2011, at Temple Emanuel, 385 Ward Street, Newton, Massachusetts at 1:00 PM.

We invite the Hornstein community to post memories and tributes on our Alumni Facebook page.

Bernie's name was already a blessing to us in his lifetime. It shall remain so forever.

BrandeisNOW article

Baruch Dayan HaEmet

The entire Hornstein community grieves the loss of Myra Kraft, an exceptional and beloved friend of the Hornstein Program, Brandeis University, and the entire Jewish community.

Myra has inspired numerous groups of Hornstein students over the years. She often attended Hornstein programs and spent generous time with our students on those occasions. And, in the spring of 2007, with Barry Shrage of CJP, Myra was the honored Milender Fellow, sharing three days of teaching and learning, wisdom and conversation, with our Hornstein students.  In the words of one Hornstein alumna from that time: "I cannot articulate the magnitude of this loss across so many communities...She had so much to teach us and will continue to do so through her legacy."

We will miss her. May her memory be for a blessing.

BrandeisNow tribute and slideshow
Boston.com article

Commencement 2011
Fifteen students marched in Hornstein's commencement ceremony held on May 22, 2011 in Brandeis' striking new Mandel Center for the Humanities. In attendance were approximately 100 friends and family members — one of the largest Hornstein "mini-commencements" in many years.

Nancy Kaufman, President and CEO of the National Council of Jewish Women, and former Executive Director of The Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston was this year's keynote speaker and recipient of the Bernard Reisman Award for Professional Excellence.

Israeli Knesset Members Visit Hornstein and Brandeis, April 2011
The Ruderman Family Foundation, in collaboration with the Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program launched a new program designed to strengthen the bonds of understanding and appreciation between Israeli leaders and the American Jewish community. Six Members of the Knesset attended the program’s inaugural seminar on April 3 - 8, 2011 in Boston and New York, which included meetings with Hornstein students and a Town Hall Meeting for the entire Brandeis community. Read more

Moscow 2011
On January 11, 2011, six second-year Hornstein students and faculty member, Jonathan Sarna, departed the annual Foster Seminar in Israel to study the revival of Jewish life in Moscow, Russia. The trip, sponsored by the Brandeis-Genesis Institute (BGI) for Russian Jewry, had a profound impact on the students. View photos and read about the trip.

Baruch Dayan Ha'emet
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Bernard Olshansky, PhD '61, on December 1, 2010. Bernie was a longtime community leader and mentor in Boston and the American Jewish community, with a powerful commitment to social justice and to Israel.  Bernie, his wife, Rena J. (Shapiro) Olshansky, and daughter, Hornstein alumna, Susan Singer '78, have been cherished friends and supporters of the Hornstein Program. Our deepest condolences go out to his entire family.
[more about Bernie] 
[Boston Globe obituary]
[Comments by Len Saxe]

Hornstein Chair, Len Saxe, Listed in "Forward 50"
"The Forward 50 is compiled by [newspaper] staff members (with input from readers) who search for men and women who have made a significant impact on the Jewish story in a Jewish way. These are people whose religious and cultural values propelled them to engage, serve, lead, entertain, educate, create, advocate and exasperate in a decidedly Jewish voice."
Read more

Hornstein welcomes David Starr, the new Bronfman Visiting Chair in Jewish Communal Innovation
Read the full article in BrandeisNow entitled: David Starr wonders: just who are we, anyway?

The Art of Giving:  Where the Soul Meets a Business Plan
Sillerman Center director Andrew Hahn interviewed Charles Bronfman, chairman, and Jeff Solomon, president, The Andrea & Charles Bronfman Philanthropies, about their book, The Art of Giving.

September 27, 2010. 5:00 - 7:00 pm, Zinner Forum, The Heller School. Co-sponsored by the Sillerman Center, the Hornstein Program and the Fisher-Bernstein Institute for Jewish Philanthropy and Leadership. [read more]

Commencement 2010
The following students were graduated from the Hornstein Program in a ceremony with faculty, friends, and family on May 23, 2010: Phillip Brodsky, Mimi Garcia, Noam Gilboord, Jared Goldlust, Malka Jampol, Jessica Levine, Nina Robinson, Shirah Rosin, and Hannah White.

Rabbi David Rosenn, Chief Operating Officer of the New Israel Fund and former Executive Director of AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps, was honored with the Bernard Reisman   Award for Professional Excellence at the ceremony. Click here for the te xt of Rabbi Rosenn's address to graduates.

Faculty Book Published
Read eJewish Philanthropy article about Hornstein faculty member Mark Rosen's latest book:  Mission, Meaning, and Money: How the Joint Distribution Committee Became a Fundraising Innovator.

Pictures of Resistance: The Wartime Photographs of  Jewish Partisan Faye Schulman
On April 14^th, 2010 Pictures of Resistance: The Wartime Photography of Faye Schulman was presented to a full house at Brandeis University for its Boston debut. The event included a special multimedia presentation by Zvi Bielski, son of Zus Bielski of the famous Bielski brigade portrayed by the film, Defiance. Full story

Baruch Dayan Ha'emet
It is with great sadness that we mourn the loss of Eugene J. Ribakoff, cherished friend and supporter of Brandeis University and the Hornstein Program. May his memory be for a blessing.
Worcester Telegram & Gazette Obituary, Sunday, April 11, 2010

Hornstein Student Featured in New Jersey Jewish News Article
Read about Nir Buchler and the fellowship United Jewish Communities of MetroWest NJ has awarded him to pursue graduate studies in public policy and Jewish professional leadership.

"Memory and Yir'ah: On Reclaiming a Sense of Awe in Skeptical Times"
a talk by Yehuda Kurtzer, Charles R. Bronfman Visiting Assistant Professor in Jewish Communal Innovation
Monday, September 14, 2009, 7:30-8:30 PM Click to see video.

Commencement 2009
The following students were graduated from the Hornstein Program in a ceremony with faculty, friends, and family on May 17, 2009: (L-R, top row) Yishai Ashkenazi, Adam Kolett, Josh Sternburg, Isaac Rothbart;  (L-R, bottom row) Shira Zeliger, Shira Brown, Aliza Goodman, Jenny Kibrit

Brandeis Genesis Institute for Russian Jewry Established
Includes opportunities for Russian-speaking Hornstein students

"Memory and Mitzvah: How We Can Reclaim the Commanding Force of the Jewish Past"
a talk by Yehuda Kurtzer, Charles R. Bronfman Visiting Assistant Professor in Jewish Communal Innovation, Wednesday, April 29, 2009, Brandeis University. Click to see video.

Hornstein@40
Jeffrey Swartz gave the Hornstein Program's 40th anniversary lecture on Sunday, March 15, 2009. Click here to hear Mr. Swartz' talk and to learn more about him.