Andrew Rehfeld

Last updated
Andrew Rehfeld
Born (1965-12-28) December 28, 1965 (age 57)
Baltimore, Maryland
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)political scientist and academic administrator

Andrew Rehfeld (born December 28, 1965) is an American political scientist who is serving as the 10th and current President of Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion, where he is also Professor of Political Thought. His research has focused primarily on the concepts and history of political representation; exploring how institutional design and reform (e.g., of voting, redistricting, and qualifications for office) can strengthen democracy and advance justice.

Contents

Education

Rehfeld graduated magna cum laude from the University of Rochester in 1989 with a B.A. in philosophy, and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. [1] [2] In 1994, he earned a Master of Public Policy at the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago. [3] He earned his Ph.D. in political sciences at the University of Chicago in 2000 under the direction of Cass Sunstein (chair), Charles Larmore, and Susan Stokes. [4]

Career

Following his graduation from the University of Rochester in 1989, Rehfeld began an early career in Jewish communal service, working for the Union for Reform Judaism in New Jersey, and serving with Rabbi Leon Morris in Mumbai, India, and Eastern Europe as part of the Jewish Service Corps of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. [5]

From 2001 to 2019, Rehfeld was a member of the faculty at Washington University in St. Louis, where he held a primary appointment in the department of political science and (from 2007 to 2010) served as its director of undergraduate studies. [6] [7] He held secondary appointments in Social Thought and Analysis, American Studies, and a courtesy appointment in Law. [8] He was awarded a Fulbright scholarship in 2011, and has held visiting faculty appointments at the University of Chicago and Libera Università Internazionale degli Studi Sociali "Guido Carli" (LUISS) in Rome. In 2002, Rehfeld founded and directed the interdisciplinary workshop on politics, ethics, and society (WPES) at Washington University in St. Louis. [9]

In 2012, Rehfeld was appointed the 12th President and CEO of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis, [10] [11] serving until 2019. He reoriented the institution toward a collaborative, community-development approach, [12] and successfully launched a campaign to rebuild the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum. [13]

Hebrew Union College Presidency

Rehfeld was elected as the 10th President of Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion in December 2018 and began service in April 2019. [14] A formal inauguration ceremony was held in the historic Plum Street Temple in Cincinnati, OH, now the Isaac M. Wise Temple, on October 27, 2019. [15] Rehfeld is the first lay person (non-rabbi) to serve in the position. In his Inaugural Address, President Rehfeld stated, “HUC drives the development of ideas and leadership that strengthen the Jewish Public Sphere: the institutions that form the canvas of communal life upon which we as a people realize our collective values to serve the highest Good and the Holy, and lead our world to Justice.” Reflecting on the changing Jewish community, he noted, “Our Jewish communities are becoming far more diverse than in the past. We are multi-racial; inter-faith; inter-denominational; non-denominational; inter-gendered; inter-oriented; multi-ideological. We must prepare our students to lead communities who are themselves not always ready to embrace this change.” [16]

In partnership with HUC-JIR's Board of Governors, Rehfeld is leading a strategic planning process focused on five key goals: advancing educational excellence, strengthening student support, growing our impact, achieving fiscal sustainability, and ensuring a sacred and respectful culture. He stated, “We are planning for a meaningful and sustainable future -- a future where Judaism thrives because of the extraordinary leaders we bring forth. We are at a crossroads. We recognize that change is inevitable and we welcome it. Our vision and determination will secure our promising Jewish future.” [17]

Rehfeld is a staunch advocate for sacred and respectful environments at HUC-JIR, stating, “We must continue to combat all abuses of power, bias, and discrimination, including on the basis of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical or mental disabilities, national origin, and other important personal characteristics. It is our sacred responsibility to create a safe and respectful environment at the College-Institute, recognizing that all of us, in all of our diversity, are created b’tzelem Elohim, in the image of God.” Under his leadership he has initiated two significant reviews of the culture at HUC, including leading HUC-JIR's Board to engage in a process of reconciliation, that resulted as a first step to the historic Morgan Lewis Investigation Report of November 2022. [18]

Rehfeld is deeply committed to the academic environment as a venue for fostering difficult conversations as articulated in his 2009 Convocation Address at Washington University. [19]

He has written widely on issues of social justice and Jewish ethical values, [20] the challenges of the pandemic, [21] and seminary education. [22] He has lectured on liberal Judaism and Zionism [23] and the future of seminary education, [24] and has championed HUC-JIR's commitment to Israel [25] and the Jerusalem campus's programs training Israeli Reform clergy and pluralistic educators, advancing tolerance and understanding among Jewish, Muslim, and Christian educators in Jerusalem, and educating North American rabbinical, cantorial, and education students to build bridges of mutual responsibility with world Jewry. [26]

Personal life

Rehfeld was born in Baltimore, MD, and spent his early childhood raised in Ventnor, NJ. His mother, Beverly Rehfeld, an accomplished Public Relations professional, was the founder of the Atlantic County Citizens Council on the Environment. [27] His father, R. Rex Rehfeld, was a career military officer, serving as a Captain in the U.S. Army during the Korean war from 1950 to 1951. He resigned his commission as Major in 1963 and was an investment advisor until his retirement in 2015. [28] His stepmother, Ruth Wolf Rehfeld, (d. 2003) was born in Aachen, Germany and fled with her immediate family in 1939, losing most of her other relatives to the concentration camps. She was a leader in the Baltimore civic and Jewish community, serving as the founding director of the Northwest Baltimore corporation, and founding the Baltimore BLEWS, a group promoting dialogue between Blacks and Jews. [29]

Rehfeld is married to Dr. Miggie Greenberg and they have two children. [30]

Selected publications

2017. "On Representing". Journal of Political Philosophy. (Peer reviewed article) June. [31]

2018. "Representation and the US Constitution". In, Cambridge Companion to the US Constitution. Karen Oren and John Chapman, Eds. New York: Cambridge University Press. (Book chapter)

2011 "The Child as Democratic Citizen". Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science (Vol. 633, January 2011)

2010 "Offensive Political Theory Perspectives on Politics. Vol. 8. June. 465–486 

2008 "Jephthah, the Hebrew Bible, and John Locke's Second Treatise on Government". Hebraic Political Studies (3:1 Winter 2008)

2005 The Concept of Constituency: Political Representation, Democratic Legitimacy and Institutional Design. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 2005)

Additional speeches, writings, and videos

http://huc.edu/about/presidents-office/president-rehfelds-speecheswritings

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion</span> American graduate school of religion

The Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion is a Jewish seminary with three locations in the United States and one location in Jerusalem. It is the oldest extant Jewish seminary in the Americas and the main seminary for training rabbis, cantors, educators and communal workers in Reform Judaism. HUC-JIR has campuses in Cincinnati, Ohio, New York City, Los Angeles, and Jerusalem. The Jerusalem campus is the only seminary in Israel for training Reform Jewish clergy.

The Jewish Institute of Religion was an educational establishment created by Rabbi Stephen S. Wise in 1922 in New York City. While generally incorporating Reform Judaism, it was separate from the previously established Hebrew Union College. It sought to train rabbis "for the Jewish ministry, research, and community service." Students were to serve either Reform or traditional pulpits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sally Priesand</span> First female ordained rabbi in America

Sally Jane Priesand is America's first female rabbi ordained by a rabbinical seminary, and the second formally ordained female rabbi in Jewish history, after Regina Jonas. Priesand was ordained by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion on June 3, 1972, at the Plum Street Temple in Cincinnati. After her ordination she served first as assistant and then as associate rabbi at Stephen Wise Free Synagogue in New York City, and later led Monmouth Reform Temple in Tinton Falls, New Jersey from 1981 until her retirement in 2006. She is featured in numerous books including Rabbis: The Many Faces of Judaism and Fifty Jewish Women who Changed the World.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Ellenson</span> American rabbi, scholar, and academic administrator

David Ellenson is an American rabbi and academic who is known as a leader of the Reform movement in Judaism. Ellenson is currently director of the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies and visiting professor of Near Eastern and Judaic studies at Brandeis University and interim president of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR). He previously served as president of HUC-JIR from 2001 to December 31, 2013, and is now chancellor emeritus of that college. Ellenson is currently serving as interim president following the death of his successor, Aaron D. Panken.

Rachel Adler is Professor Emerita of Modern Jewish Thought and Judaism and Gender at Hebrew Union College, at the Los Angeles campus.

Rabbi David Eli Stern is the senior rabbi at Temple Emanu-El of Dallas, the largest synagogue in the South/Southwest United States and the third-largest in the Union for Reform Judaism. He was selected as the 26th most influential rabbi in America by Newsweek magazine in 2008 and the 30th most influential in 2009. Rabbi Stern graduated with high honors from Dartmouth College, earned his M. A. in Jewish education from the Rhea Hirsch School of Education at HUC-JIR Los Angeles, California in 1988, and was ordained from HUC in 1989.

Walter Jacob is an American Reform rabbi who was born in Augsburg, Germany, and immigrated to the United States in 1940.

Rabbi Sheldon Zimmerman is a former rabbinic leader in Reform Judaism. He is a past president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) and Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. In 2000, Zimmerman was suspended from the CCAR after an inquiry regarding inappropriate sexual conduct revealed a pattern of predatory behavior, including fondling and kissing a teenager. He subsequently resigned as the 7th president of HUC-JIR which he had led from 1996–2000.

Eugene B. Borowitz was an American leader and philosopher in Reform Judaism, known largely for his work on Jewish theology and Jewish ethics. He also edited a Jewish journal, Sh'ma, and taught at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion.

Temple Beth Israel is a Reform synagogue located at One Bowman Street in Plattsburgh, New York. Established in 1861, it served Plattsburgh's Jewish population and itinerant Jewish tradesmen in the region. After worshiping in temporary locations, the congregation acquired its first permanent home on Oak Street in 1866. Beth Israel adopted Reform services in 1910, and joined the Union for Reform Judaism in 1913.

Alfred Gottschalk was a German-born American rabbi who was a leader in the Reform Judaism movement, serving as head of the movement's Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC) for 30 years, as president from 1971 to 1996, and then as chancellor until 2000. In that role, Rabbi Gottschalk oversaw the ordination of the first women to be ordained as rabbis in the United States and Israel, and he oversaw the development of new HUC campuses in Jerusalem, Los Angeles and New York City, three of the school's four campuses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naamah Kelman</span> American-born Rabbi (born 1955)

Naamah Kelman-Ezrachi is an American-born Reform rabbi who was named as Dean of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion campus in Jerusalem starting in July 2009. In 1992, Kelman made history as the first woman in Israel to become a rabbi when she received her rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Alfred Gottschalk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary P. Zola</span>

Gary Phillip Zola is the executive director of The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives (AJA) and the Edward M. Ackerman Family Distinguished Professor of the American Jewish Experience & Reform Jewish History at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in Cincinnati. Since 1998, he has served as the second executive director of The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives (AJA), succeeding his teacher and mentor, Jacob Rader Marcus (1896–1995). He is also editor of The Marcus Center's award-winning semi-annual publication, The American Jewish Archives Journal.

Women's Rabbinic Network is an American national organization for female Reform rabbis. It was founded in 1980; Rabbi Deborah Prinz was its first overall coordinator, and Rabbi Myra Soifer was the first editor of its newsletter.

Tamara Cohn Eskenazi is The Effie Wise Ochs Professor of Biblical Literature and History at the Reform Jewish seminary Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles.

Ellen Weinberg Dreyfus is an American rabbi. She is a founder and former president of the Women's Rabbinic Network, which was founded in 1976 by fifteen female rabbinical students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peninsula Temple Sholom</span> Peninsula Temple Sholom (PTS) is a Reform Jewish Congregation in Burlingame, California

Peninsula Temple Sholom (PTS) is a Reform Jewish Congregation in Burlingame, California. It was founded in 1955, and since then, has constantly grown its congregation and has expanded its facilities to include a social hall, a Religious School and a Preschool. For five decades, its services were led by Rabbi Gerald Raiskin, who changed the legacy and history of the temple until his passing in 2006. Throughout the years, PTS clergy and lay leaders have continued to lead services for hundreds of reform Jews in the Bay Area and is an influential place for them to find community and practice Reform Judaism.

This is a timeline of women rabbis:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lance J. Sussman</span> American historian

Lance Jonathan Sussman is an historian of American Jewish History, college professor, Chair of the Board of Governors of Gratz College, Melrose Park, PA and until summer 2022 the senior rabbi, now emeritus, at Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel (KI) located in Elkins Park, PA. He is the author of numerous books and articles including: Isaac Leeser and the Making of American Judaism (1995) and Sharing Sacred Moments (1999), and a co-editor of Reform Judaism in America: A Biographical Dictionary and Sourcebook (1993) and New Essays in American Jewish History (2009). Since 2010 he has also published articles on Judaism and art.

This is a timeline of LGBT Jewish history, which consists of events at the intersection of Judaism and queer people.

References

  1. ↑ “President Andrew Rehfeld, Ph.D.,” Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion Website
  2. ↑ Yanna Hotter, “Andrew Rehfeld Is New President of Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion,” American Israelite, December 26, 2018
  3. ↑ Keylen Ralph, “Labor, Work, Action: Andrew Rehfeld MPP’94 and the Human Condition,” University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, June 17, 2019
  4. ↑ ""Andrew Rehfeld Resume," Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-06-26. Retrieved 2022-07-11.
  5. ↑ Josefin Dolsten, “In a First, Reform Rabbinical School Won't Be Led by a Rabbi,” Jewish Telegraphic Agency, December 18, 2018
  6. ↑ “Three Things to Know about Hebrew Union College and Its New President, Andrew Rehfeld,” The Cincinnati Enquirer, October 25, 2019
  7. ↑ Ann Thompson, “Meet the New Leader of Hebrew Union College,” WVXU Local News, October 25, 2019
  8. ↑ Josefin Dolsten, “In a First, Reform Rabbinical School Won't Be Led by a Rabbi,” Jewish Telegraphic Agency, December 18, 2018
  9. ↑ ""Andrew Rehfeld Resume," Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-06-26. Retrieved 2022-07-11.
  10. ↑ “Jewish Federation of St. Louis Elects Andrew Rehfeld, Ph.D. as New Chief Executive,” JFed St. Louis News, June 27, 2012
  11. ↑ Matthew Hibbard, “Jewish Federation of St. Louis Names Andrew Rehfeld as CEO,” St. Louis Business Journal, June 27, 2012
  12. ↑ “The Remarkable Rehfeld Record,” STL Jewish Light, December 27, 2018
  13. ↑ Josefin Dolsten, “In a First, Reform Rabbinical School Won't Be Led by a Rabbi,” Jewish Telegraphic Agency, December 18, 2018
  14. ↑ “Andrew Rehfeld Ph.D. Elected 13th President of HUC-JIR,” Jewish Insider, December 18, 2018
  15. ↑ Josefin Dolsten, “Reform Movements Rabbinical School Inaugurates a Former Jewish Federation Leader as Its President,” Jewish Telegraphic Agency, October 29, 2019
  16. ↑ “Presidential Inauguration Address of Andrew Rehfeld,” Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion, October 30, 2019
  17. ↑ “Now is the Time,” Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion, April 7, 2022
  18. ↑ “HUC Presidential Task Force on Safe and Respectful Environments,” Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion, September 26, 2019
  19. ↑ “2009 Convocation Address by Andrew Rehfeld at Washington University in St. Louis,” Jewish Federation of St. Louis, 2009
  20. ↑ “Kehillah and Byachad Newsletter: Messages from the President,” Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion, 2021
  21. ↑ “Points of Inflection and Infection: On the authenticity of Reform Judaism and its use in responding to our current crisis,” Scriptions, 2021
  22. ↑ “Hannukah Greeting from President Rehfeld,” Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion
  23. ↑ “Liberal Judaism and Zionism Panel,” Shalom Hartman Institute, July 16, 2019
  24. ↑ Yehuda Kurtzer and Andrew Rehfeld, “The Great American Rabbi Shortage,” The Times of Israel, April 15, 2022
  25. ↑ “A Message from the President,” Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion, May 21, 2021
  26. ↑ “The Teacher's Lounge: Advancing Tolerance in Jerusalem and Rikma,” Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion, December 18, 2018
  27. ↑ “Andrew Rehfeld and Edward Rehfeld,” Stockton Foundation Scholarship
  28. ↑ “Rex Rehfeld,” Johns Hopkins Krieger School of Arts and Science
  29. ↑ Jacques Kelly, “Ruth W. Rehfeld, Longtime Activist Who Championed City Neighborhoods,” The Baltimore Sun, May 14, 2003
  30. ↑ Ryan Torok, “Hebrew Union College Appoints New President,” Jewish Journal, December 18, 2018
  31. ↑ Andrew Rehfeld, “On Representing,” Journal of Political Philosophy, September 21, 2017
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.