Spring Break
Chaplain visits
by Miranda Neubauer
Senior Writer
News | 10/23/07
Posted online at 9:46 PM EST on 10/22/07
/ Last updated at 6:19 AM EST on 10/22/07
The Brandeis community had the chance to meet one of the five remaining candidates for the position of Jewish chaplain last Thursday.
Rabbi Elizabeth Goldstein, one of the three female candidates being considered for the position, was the first to visit campus. After touring the campus and meeting with University President Jehuda Reinharz, students and faculty, Goldstein conducted a textual study on last week's Torah portion and fielded questions from the students in the Shapiro Campus Center Art Gallery.
Rabbi Allan Lehmann, the previous Jewish Chaplain, departed last May for a position at Hebrew College in Newton, Mass. Associate Dean of Student Life Jamele Adams is heading the search committee for a new chaplain, which is composed of faculty, administrators and three students. The search process began with a pool of more than 20 applicants, some local and some from as far away as California, who responded to an announcement and sent in their credentials.
Goldstein, a Reform rabbi, is currently active in Temple Adat Shalom in Poway, Calif., and serves as an adjunct lecturer in the Department of Religious Studies of San Diego State University. She attended Hebrew Union College and is a currently a doctoral student at the University of California at San Diego. She graduated from Dartmouth College in 1994 with a degree in religion.
Goldstein said she lives in San Diego with her partner and 17-month-old twins.
Framing her presentation under the theme of "Journeys," Goldstein recited the traditional "Traveler's Prayer," recalling her own early morning plane ride from San Diego the day before. She explained that at the start of trips, the recitation of the prayer has become a ritual for her.
"During the course of my adult life it has become an outlet," she said. "It helps give me a focus for the journey ahead."
In a continuation of her theme, Goldstein proceeded to analyze a verse from the book of Genesis in the Old Testament, in which God commands Abraham to leave his homeland. In addition to offering her own theological interpretations and consulting secondary sources, Goldstein encouraged attendees to share their own thoughts about Abraham's journey and their personal journeys with each other.
Rabbi Elizabeth Goldstein, one of the three female candidates being considered for the position, was the first to visit campus. After touring the campus and meeting with University President Jehuda Reinharz, students and faculty, Goldstein conducted a textual study on last week's Torah portion and fielded questions from the students in the Shapiro Campus Center Art Gallery.
Rabbi Allan Lehmann, the previous Jewish Chaplain, departed last May for a position at Hebrew College in Newton, Mass. Associate Dean of Student Life Jamele Adams is heading the search committee for a new chaplain, which is composed of faculty, administrators and three students. The search process began with a pool of more than 20 applicants, some local and some from as far away as California, who responded to an announcement and sent in their credentials.
Goldstein, a Reform rabbi, is currently active in Temple Adat Shalom in Poway, Calif., and serves as an adjunct lecturer in the Department of Religious Studies of San Diego State University. She attended Hebrew Union College and is a currently a doctoral student at the University of California at San Diego. She graduated from Dartmouth College in 1994 with a degree in religion.
Goldstein said she lives in San Diego with her partner and 17-month-old twins.
Framing her presentation under the theme of "Journeys," Goldstein recited the traditional "Traveler's Prayer," recalling her own early morning plane ride from San Diego the day before. She explained that at the start of trips, the recitation of the prayer has become a ritual for her.
"During the course of my adult life it has become an outlet," she said. "It helps give me a focus for the journey ahead."
In a continuation of her theme, Goldstein proceeded to analyze a verse from the book of Genesis in the Old Testament, in which God commands Abraham to leave his homeland. In addition to offering her own theological interpretations and consulting secondary sources, Goldstein encouraged attendees to share their own thoughts about Abraham's journey and their personal journeys with each other.
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