Jewish Theological Seminary of America - Notable Alumni

Notable Alumni

• Bella Abzug, lawyer, Congresswoman, social activist, feminist leader
• Philip R. Alstat, rabbi, counselor, and chaplain
• Bradley Shavit Artson, dean of Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies
• Herman Berlinski composer, organist, musicologist and choir conductor
• Ben Zion Bokser, rabbi and scholar
• Daniel Boyarin, professor of Talmudic Culture, Near Eastern Studies and Rhetoric, University of California at Berkeley
• Boaz Cohen, JTS professor, and chairman of the Law Committee of the Rabbinical Assembly
• Gerson Cohen, Jewish historian and JTS chancellor
• Menachem Creditor, rabbi of Congregation Netivot Shalom, Berkeley, CA, founder of ShefaNetwork.org, co-founder of Keshet Rabbis
• David G. Dalin, historian
• Elliot N. Dorff, scholar of Jewish ethics and theology, rector of American Jewish University
• Matthew Eisenfeld, student killed in the Jaffa Road bus bombings in Jerusalem
• Amy Eilberg, the first female rabbi ordained in Conservative Judaism. She was ordained by JTS in 1985.
• Ira Eisenstein, Reconstructionist leader
• Louis Finkelstein, longtime chancellor of JTS
• Neil Gillman, theologian
• Ben-Zion Gold, rabbi of Harvard Hillel
• Jonathan A. Goldstein, Bible scholar
• Robert Gordis, president of the Rabbinical Assembly and professor at JTS
• Daniel Gordis, senior vice president of Shalem Center
• David M. Gordis, former president of Hebrew College
• Arthur Green, professor emeritus of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies at Brandeis, rector of Hebrew College rabbinical school
• Judith Hauptman, feminist Talmud scholar
• Joseph H. Hertz, British Chief Rabbi and author; first graduate of JTS
• Arthur Hertzberg, rabbi and historian
• Brad Hirschfield, co-president of CLAL, National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership
• Rachel Isaacs, the first openly lesbian rabbi ordained by JTS, which occurred in May 2011.
• Max Kadushin, rabbi and philosopher
• Ian Kagedan, Canadian public servant
• Mordechai Kaplan, philosopher, educator, founder of Reconstructionist Judaism
• William E. Kaufman, Conservative rabbi and Jewish theologian
• Irwin Kula, co-president of CLAL, National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership
• Lee I. Levine, historian
• Albert L. Lewis, rabbi
• David Lieber, former president of the University of Judaism
• Abraham Lubin, cantor
• Hershel Matt, rabbi and professor at Reconstructionist Rabbinical College
• Marshall Meyer, rabbi and human rights activist
• Jacob Neusner, chair of Judaic Studies Department, Bard College
• David Nesenoff, rabbi, independent filmmaker, and singer/songwriter
• David Novak, scholar of Jewish philosophy, law, and ethics
• Norman Podhoretz, Editor, Commentary magazine
• Chaim Potok, author and rabbi
• Einat Ramon, first Israeli-born woman ordained as a rabbi
• Paula Reimers, rabbi and activist
• Arnold E. Resnicoff, military chaplain and consultant to military and civilian leaders
• Joel Roth, scholar of Talmud and Jewish law and former dean of the JTS rabbinical school
• Steven Rubenstein, anthropologist
• Samuel Schafler, president of Hebrew College, superintendent of the Chicago Board of Jewish Education
• Ismar Schorsch, Jewish historian and JTS chancellor
• Ira F. Stone, rabbi, scholar of the Musar movement, and professor at Reconstructionist Rabbinical College
• Gordon Tucker, philosopher, legal scholar, and former dean of the JTS rabbinical school
• Henrietta Szold, founder of Hadassah
• Mordecai Waxman, rabbi, Temple Israel of Great Neck
• David Wolpe, rabbi of Sinai Temple, Los Angeles
• Rachel Isaacs, first openly lesbian rabbi ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary