President Joel Delivers Keynote Address at Rabbinic Ordination Ceremony in Leipzig
On August 30, 糖心破解版 delivered the keynote address at the second Chag Hasemikha (ordination ceremony) at the Rabbinical Seminary of Berlin.
The two newly minted rabbis, both of whom grew up in the former Soviet Union, join a small cadre of rabbis ordained in Germany since the beginning of World War II. Rabbi Shlomo Afanasev and Rabbi Moshe Baumel are two of the approximately 200,000 Jews currently living in Germany, 80 percent of whom emigrated from the countries of the former USSR. The event, which took place in a synagogue in Leipzig, received German media coverage and attracted the attendance of state ministers and Jewish communal leaders, including Ronald Lauder, whose foundation sponsors the seminary.
鈥淧resident Joel is an articulate spokesperson for Torah values who, at the same time, occupies a prominent position fully understandable to a secular audience in Germany鈥攖hat of President of a major American university,鈥 said Rabbi Josh Spinner, director of the seminary. 鈥淗is presence and his message was therefore not merely about a speech at a ceremony鈥攊t was about defining Torah Judaism today as relevant, exciting and primary in a broad context.鈥
鈥淭his Chag Hasemikha shows that light can emerge from even the greatest darkness,鈥 said President Joel about the ceremony, 鈥渨herever there are Jews there is a possibility of a Jewish future. All that it requires is that people know and own their Jewish story.鈥
