Jewish Teachers Seminary Celebrates First Degree-granting Program

The inauguration of its first degree-granting program, under the charter granted by the New York State Legislature, to the Jewish Teachers Seminary and People’s University was celebrated today at a public gathering addressed by leaders of Jewish education, Jewish labor leaders and Zionist leaders.

A combined freshman and sophomore first class of students, of total enrollment of over 100, is now studying for degrees of Bachelor of Jewish Literature and Bachelor of Jewish Pedagogy. The Jewish Teachers Seminary and People’s University includes the only tri-lingual Jewish teachers training institute in the United States.

In its 44 years of existence, it has graduated many hundreds of teachers and Jewish professionals who are now serving the Jewish community throughout the United States and Canada and in many other parts of the world. In addition to teacher-training facilities, the institution has provided for many years an Institute of Jewish Affairs and a variety of extension courses in Yiddish, Hebrew, Yiddish Literature, Hebrew Literature, Bible, Zionism, Jewish religious customs and ceremonies, and Jewish philosophy and ethics.

Principal speakers at today’s celebration included Meyer L. Brown, president of the Seminary; Dr. Jacob I.Hartstein, dean of the Graduate School of Education of Long Island University; Dr. Mordecai Kaplan, founder of the Jewish Reconstructionist Movement; Louis Segal, member of the Jewish Agency executive and prominent Zionist labor leader; Jacob Potofsky, president of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America, and others.