When she was a girl of 12, Sharon Cohen Anisfeld dreamed of becoming a rabbi. Over the last 16 years, she has fulfilled that dream, serving as a Hillel rabbi at Yale, Harvard and Tufts Universities. Now Anisfeld will become Dean of Hebrew College's Rabbinical School, bringing to her new position deep empathy for her students and commitment to transdenominationalism.

"There were many excellent national candidates for this important position," says President David M. Gordis." Rabbi Anisfeld is widely known as a compelling teacher and writer who brings the study and interpretation of traditional texts to bear on contemporary questions of personal meaning and social justice."

The former Associate Dean for Student Life at the Rabbinical School, Anisfeld will work closely with Dr. Arthur Green, Rector and founding Dean of the Rabbinical School, to shape and guide its growth. "I see our central goal as ensuring the long-term stability of this young and vibrant institution so that it can fulfill its potential as a significant destination on the Jewish map,"says Anisfeld. "Retaining and attracting outstanding faculty and students are the highest priorities in this process."

For the past 17 years, Anisfeld has worked exclusively in transdenominational settings. In addition to her Hillel work, she has served as a faculty member for the Bronfman Youth Fellowships in Israel since 1993. The co-editor of two books, The Women's Seder Sourcebook and The Women's Passover Companion (Jewish Lights, 2003), she has authored numerous articles. She earned a BA from Brown University and was ordained at the Reconstructionist rabbinical College in 1990, where she met and studied under Green, who has remained her mentor ever since.

"I am delighted she has accepted this position," says Green. "She brings to it a unique blending of personal warmth and judicious thinking, making her a wonderful rabbinic model for our students."

When Anisfeld started at Hebrew College as a part-time faculty member in 2003, she was excited to find an institution seriously training rabbis in a transdenominational setting, and saw the College as a perfect fit for her career. "The Rabbinical School welcomes students with a wide range of religious backgrounds and visions for Jewish life," she says of the institution's open environment. "One of the things that unites us is that we're not interested in building walls-we're interested in opening doors. I'm inspired by the quality and creativity of our students and I believe they have a significant contribution to make to the Jewish world."



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