Here at One West Fourth Street stands Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion. It stands as a beacon of Reform Judaism. What stories do these walls hold?
Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion is the oldest Jewish seminary in the Americas. It is the main seminary for training Reform Judaism’s leaders. These include rabbis cantors educators and communal workers.
Founded in Cincinnati in 1875 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise HUC aimed to create an American Judaism. Jacob Ezekiel served as Secretary of the Board registrar and treasurer. He held those positions from the college’s start until his death in 1899. The first rabbinical class graduated in 1883.
That graduation banquet was quite the talk. It became known as the Trefa Banquet. The menu included food that wasn’t kosher. Clams soft-shell crabs shrimp and frogs’ legs were served. Dairy products followed meat. This sparked debate among Reform rabbis about dietary restrictions. Some sought a middle ground between Reform and Orthodox Judaism. This eventually led to the founding of American Conservative Judaism.
In 1950 Hebrew Union College gained a second campus. It merged with the Jewish Institute of Religion in New York. The Jewish Institute of Religion was affiliated with the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue. Additional campuses opened in Los Angeles in 1954. A Jerusalem campus followed in 1963. The Jerusalem campus is the only seminary in Israel for training Reform Jewish clergy.
In 1979 the New York campus of Hebrew Union College moved here to West Fourth Street. The Jewish Association for Services for the Aged took over the old building. In 1997 the Ramaz School bought the building. They traded it with York Prep School. In January 2025 New York University bought this building. Hebrew Union College will leave by 2027. It is pending renovation of its new Manhattan location.
Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion offers many programs. These include rabbinical schools graduate studies education Jewish non-profit management sacred music Biblical archaeology and an Israeli rabbinical program. The Los Angeles campus partners with the University of Southern California. Together they created the Center for Muslim-Jewish Engagement.
Rabbi Alfred Gottschalk became the sixth president. He oversaw the growth of the Hebrew Union College campuses. He also oversaw the ordination of Sally Priesand. She was the first female rabbi in the United States. He also invested Reform Judaism’s first female hazzan.
In 2022 Hebrew Union College ordained its first nonbinary candidate.
The Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music is on the New York campus. It offers a five-year graduate program. Students earn a Master of Sacred Music and cantorial ordination. The program begins in Jerusalem. Students then study in New York.
Hebrew Union College has always championed women’s equality. Julia Ettlinger was its first female student in 1875. As of January 2022 it has 839 women rabbinical graduates. Sally Priesand was the first female rabbi ordained by Hebrew Union College in 1972. Barbara Ostfeld became the first female cantor invested by Hebrew Union College in 1975.
The Dr. Bernard Heller Museum is located here at Hebrew Union College. It showcases Jewish history culture and contemporary creativity. Founded in 1983 the museum has expanded to include several galleries.
Hebrew Union College is also home to the Jewish Language Project. It preserves Jewish languages. It also raises awareness about these languages. The project created a comprehensive resource of online dictionaries. This includes the Jewish English Lexicon.
As you leave Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion consider its profound impact. It shapes leaders. It fosters interfaith dialogue. It preserves Jewish heritage. It truly stands as a cornerstone of Reform Judaism.