By Julia Loeb, WLCJ International President
Celebrating Our Newest Rabbis and Cantors
Last week, I had the extraordinary honor of representing Women’s League for Conservative Judaism at two ordination ceremonies for new Conservative clergy, one on each coast. It was profoundly moving to bear witness as each candidate stepped into the sacred calling of the rabbinate and the cantorate.
At the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in Los Angeles
(left to right) Rabbi Cheryl Peretz, Debbi Kaner Goldich, Rabbi Jay Kornsgold, president of the Rabbinical Assembly (RA), Julia Loeb, and Rabbi Dr. Bradley Shavit Artson
In total, 15 rabbis and 3 cantors were ordained at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in Los Angeles and the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. These 18 remarkable individuals are now going forth into the world, ready to lead, inspire, and uplift our communities. Each brings their own voice, experiences, and commitments to Jewish life, and the impact they will have is immeasurable.
Ordination ceremonies are powerful. They weave together tradition, learning, community, and emotion in a way that is both deeply personal and profoundly communal. At Ziegler, a particularly moving moment came when mentors introduced their students with the words: “I am pleased to present… once my student, now my talmid chaver/talmidah chaverah, my colleague as rav.” At JTS, the rabbinical candidates were ordained with the words: “Let them be known as a scholar, let them be known as a rabbi.” In those moments, years of study and growth were distilled into a sacred transformation, from learner to leader, from student to rabbi.
One of the most emotional parts of each ceremony occurred when every new rabbi or cantor received a private message from their mentor, a quiet moment of blessing, encouragement, and sometimes, tears. Leaning in, the mentor draped a tallit from the school over the graduate’s shoulders. This simple, symbolic act marked a visible and tactile transition into sacred leadership—literally cloaked in tradition, love, and communal hope.
At the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York
(left to right) Rabbi Ellen S. Wolintz-Fields, Rabbi Amy Eilberg, the first woman to be ordained a rabbi at JTS, Julia Loeb, and Lori Snow
These new clergy members are stepping into lives that will touch and transform countless others. They will serve in synagogues, schools, camps, hospitals, and Jewish organizations. They will lead congregations, teach students, comfort the bereaved, rejoice under the chuppah, and celebrate new beginnings. Their presence will help shape the future of Jewish life, and the seeds they plant today will bear fruit for generations to come. They will nurture our traditions and help us meet the evolving needs of our world with wisdom, compassion, and resilience.
Both schools also honored returning rabbis, the Class of 2015 at Ziegler and the Class of 1975 at JTS. Listening to these experienced rabbis reflect on their own journeys was a powerful reminder of the wide-ranging paths these new clergy may take, and of the deep and lasting impact they will have across the many landscapes of Jewish life.
I was also reminded of how proud I am of the role that Women’s League plays in supporting these journeys. Through Torah Fund, we help sustain the institutions that educate and train these leaders. We support their professors and their communities of learning. Every Torah Fund contribution helps make these ordinations possible and helps ensure the continued vitality of Conservative Judaism.
One of the speakers at the JTS commencement reflected on Parashat Lekh-Lekha. God calls Abraham with the words “Lekh-Lekha” or “Go forth.” This call to step into the unknown with purpose and faith speaks directly to the journey ahead for these new leaders. They, too, are going forth—to communities, to challenges, to opportunities not yet known—but with Torah as their compass and sacred purpose in their hearts.
Both ceremonies invoked the words we recite at the end of each book of the Torah: “Chazak, chazak, v’nitchazek;” “be strong, be strong, and may we be strengthened.” As I joined the community in those words, I felt a profound sense of pride and hope. May we all be strengthened by these newest members of our clergy, and may they be strengthened knowing that we stand with them, in partnership and in support.
Shabbat shalom,
Julia Loeb
WLCJ International President
jloeb@wlcj.org
