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Graduation 2025

Brick building surrounded by greenery, text reads Reconstructionist Rabbinical College Graduation 2025/5785.

The Fifty-Third Graduation Ceremony was held on Sunday, May 18, 2025.

Watch the Recording:

View the Graduation Program Book
View the Prize and Award Winners
Make a Donation in Honor of the Graduates or Honorees

2025 Graduating Class

Click on the photo of each of the graduates to read more about them.

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B. Epstein
Smiling man with glasses and beard, wearing a suit and checkered shirt, in a blurred outdoor background.
Larry Adam Ginsburg
Smiling woman with long brown hair, wearing a suit and white shirt, against a wooden background.
Kanaan Goldstein
Smiling person with long braided hair and a black hat, wearing a black jacket and light shirt, outdoors.
Sam Kates-Goldman
Smiling person wearing a blue shirt and sweater, with blurred trees in the background.
Alex Malanych
Smiling person with long red hair against a brick wall background.
Molly Paul
Smiling woman with short gray hair and a brown sweater, standing outdoors with a blurred background.
Lesley Marlene Pearl
Smiling person with long hair, wearing a black turtleneck and a necklace, with a blurred outdoor background.
Shira Pearl Singelenberg
Woman with a blue headscarf smiling outdoors, wearing a pink shirt and layered necklaces.
Louisa Rachel Solomon
Smiling person with curly hair, wearing a denim jacket and green earrings, standing outdoors.
Chloe Simcha Zelkha

Honorary Awards and Degrees

Each year at graduation, we bestow awards upon individuals whose work nurtures and engages Jewish communities.

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Rabbi Michael Strassfeld
RRC ' 91,
Keter Shem Tov,
The Crown of a Good Name
Elderly man smiling with eyes closed, wearing a suit and patterned cap.
John Riehl,
Presidential Recognition Award
Person with a beard wearing a dark shirt, standing against a blurred blue background.
Joel Hecker, Ph.D.,
Doctor of Humane Letters

2025 Doctor of Divinity Degrees

RRC awards the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity to rabbis who have completed at least 25 years of commendable service as Reconstructionist rabbis. The following rabbis have devoted their lives to rabbinical service in keeping with Reconstructionist ideals and core values.

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Rabbi Aviva Bass
RRC '00
Smiling man with glasses and a colorful woven cap, wearing a suit jacket and shirt.
Rabbi Micah Becker-Klein
RRC '00
Person with short gray hair, glasses, and a brown jacket smiles against a blue background.
Rabbi Fredi Hess Cooper
RRC '00
Smiling person with curly blue-gray hair and earrings, facing forward.
Rabbi Mychal Heather Copeland
RRC '00
Smiling person with short white hair and earrings, wearing a blue top, standing against a light background.
Rabbi Jen Feldman
RRC '00
A smiling person with glasses, a beard, and wearing a white garment with gold symbols on the edges.
Rabbi Gerald R. Fox
RRC '00
Smiling person with curly gray hair and floral scarf against a blurred outdoor background.
Rabbi Pamela Jay Gottfried
JTS '93
A smiling woman with curly gray hair and glasses, wearing a colorful top and necklace, on a plain background.
Rabbi Erin Deborah Sherman Hirsh
RRC '00
Smiling person with long hair outdoors, in front of a flowering bush, under a cloudy sky.
Rabbi Margery Jacobs
RRC '00
Smiling man with a beard in a suit and a colorful tie.
Rabbi Joshua Lesser
RRC '99
Man with glasses and a beard smiling in a suit and tie against a plain background.
Rabbi Jonathan Malamy
RRC '00
Man with curly hair and goatee wearing a blue shirt and brown sweater, standing indoors against a light background.
Rabbi David Leipziger Teva
RRC '00
Smiling woman with glasses and curly hair, wearing a white blouse and blue jacket, in outdoor setting.
Rabbi Elyse Wechterman
RRC '00
Make a Donation in Honor of the Graduates or Honorees

2025 Torat Yovel: The Torah of Jubilee

Mazel Tov to the RRA Rabbis who graduated in 1975 on their 50 years in the rabbinate.

A bearded man wearing glasses and a plaid shirt smiles at the camera.
Rabbi Ari Cartun
HUC '75
Older man with glasses and a maroon sweater, smiling against a dark background.
Rabbi Lee Friedlander
RRC '75
Elderly man with glasses, smiling, against a plain white background.
Rabbi Dan Nussbaum
RRC '75
Smiling man with short gray hair wearing a suit and tie, with a colorful scarf draped over his shoulders.
Rabbi Arnold Rachlis
RRC '75

The Reconstructionist Network

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Serving as central organization of the Reconstructionist movement

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Training the next generation of groundbreaking rabbis

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Modeling respectful conversations on pressing Jewish issues

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Curating original, Jewish rituals, and convening Jewish creatives

Read & Rite

One-stop shop for progressive Jewish books and ritual objects

Havaya Summer Programs

Overnight summer camp and teen Israel experience

Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association

Professional association of Reconstructionist rabbis

Placement Office

Placement resources for rabbis and congregations

Reconstructionist Educators of North America

Professional group for people leading schools in Reconstructionist congregations

The Reconstructionist Network

Reconstructing Judaism logo
A blank white square, empty and featureless.
A plain white background with no visible objects or details.

Read & Rite

One-stop shop for progressive Jewish books and ritual objects

Placement Office

Placement resources for rabbis and congregations

Havaya Summer Programs

Overnight summer camp and teen Israel experience

Reconstructionist Educators of North America

Professional group for people leading schools in Reconstructionist congregations

Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association

Professional association of Reconstructionist rabbis