Hornstein celebrates the class of 2025
Graduates commit to leading with resilience and compassion
WALTHAM, Mass. -- The Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program at Brandeis University held its annual commencement celebration on Friday, May 16.
The event, which gathered together a group of supporters that included family, faculty and first-year students, paid tribute to Hornstein’s latest graduating cohort of emerging Jewish leaders and acknowledged the complexity of the moment in which these graduates are stepping into leadership roles.
“What a world to currently be entering as a newly minted Jewish communal professional. A world rife with antisemitism, with ideological and political divisions both within and outside the Jewish community,” said Liora Norwich, Hornstein’s Director. “I believe that you are all ready for the struggle that you are entering. It may, in fact, be in your DNA as Hornstein graduates.”
Designed and hosted by the class of 2025 — the first cohort admitted following the October 7 attacks — the celebration marked a powerful conclusion to a year defined by resilience and communal strength.
“Today is a ‘holy’ moment in time,” said student Sami Eisen as part of her Dvar Torah on Parshat Emor, which, appropriately, focuses on the festivals that take place throughout the Jewish year. “It’s a milestone and celebration that we’ve achieved through hard work and dedication.”
“As we move forward into the world as Jewish leaders, we hope to carry with us the lesson of balance from this Parshat,” continued Eisen. “Emor teaches us to honor the traditions, while being Jewish leaders demands us to simultaneously create new paths, to build and foster both communities and ourselves.”
The commencement celebration included individual student reflections delivered by Hornstein faculty, as well as the awarding of this year’s Bernard Reisman Professional Excellence Award to OneTable and Mayyim Hayyim Founding CEO Aliza Kline.
"The path of Jewish community leadership can be challenging; at times joyful and at times maddening," said Kline during her keynote address. "May you be guided by limitless, generous, spirit and grace. May that grace be your gentle reminder to be curious and empathetic toward others and toward yourself."
Congratulations to our graduates!
About Hornstein
The Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program at Brandeis University prepares Jewish professionals to meet the complex challenges facing today’s Jewish communal ecosystem. Through rigorous academic programming and connections to a deep network of faculty, alumni, and mentors, Hornstein has a proven track record of helping graduates achieve rewarding, dynamic careers serving the Jewish community.
Students can choose from different programs in Jewish Professional Leadership depending on their academic goals and needs: a fully online MA or Master’s Certificate in Jewish Professional Leadership, and the flagship on-campus dual degree (MA in Jewish Professional Leadership + an MBA, MPP, EdM, or MA in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies).