The Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Jerusalem will ordain five Reform rabbis. Two to be ordained Friday are native-born Israelis, two were born in the Soviet Union and one is an immigrant from Argentina. They will take up positions in congregations and Reform institutions in Israel and Poland. The college’s Israel Rabbinical Program was established in 1975 to prepare Israeli men and women to serve as leaders of the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism.
Also on Friday, the college will present Israeli President Shimon Peres with the Dr. Bernard Heller Prize in a private ceremony at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem. “President Shimon Peres’ lifelong devoted leadership of the State of Israel and vision for a peaceful future in the Middle East are a source of inspiration and hope,” said Rabbi David Ellenson, the college’s president. The Dr. Bernard Heller Prize in Arts, Letters, the Humanities, and Religion is an international award presented to an organization or individual whose work, writing or research reflects significant contributions in the named areas.
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