Baccalaureate Speaker |
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March 24, 2015, Volume 61, No. 27 |
On Sunday, May 17, Rabbi Julie Schonfeld will be Penn’s guest speaker for the Baccalaureate Ceremony, an interfaith program that includes music, readings and prayers.
Two consecutive ceremonies will be held in Irvine Auditorium in order to accommodate all who wish to attend. Graduating students whose last names begin with A-K are invited to attend the ceremony at 1:30 p.m.; those whose last names begin with L-Z are invited to attend at 3 p.m.
Rabbi Julie Schonfeld was named the executive vice president of the Rabbinical Assembly (RA) in 2009. The RA is the international membership association of Conservative/Masorti rabbis. The RA promotes an inspiring approach to Jewish tradition and brings forward the vision of the Conservative/Masorti rabbi in areas including major liturgical publications, public policy, Israel advocacy, social justice and interreligious affairs. Rabbi Schonfeld started her career as a congregational rabbi at the historic Society for the Advancement of Judaism on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Prior to being named executive vice president, she was director of rabbinic development at the RA, spearheading projects in areas such as public policy, conversion, continuing rabbinic education, professional conduct, mentorship and women’s advancement. Rabbi Schonfeld serves on President Obama’s White House Council for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.
Newsweek named her one of the 50 most influential rabbis in America in 2011, 2012 and 2013. She was named by Jewish Women International as a “Woman to Watch” in 2011 and has also been named in the Jewish Daily Forward’s Forward 50. Rabbi Schonfeld is often called upon to represent the Jewish community in national and international settings and is known for her incisive application of Jewish thinking to world events.
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