From Nurse to Rabbi, Sea Captain to Cantor: The Many Paths to Jewish Leadership

Rabbis, cantors, and Jewish educators don't simply appear out of thin air: they're shaped by years of study, personal transformation, and hands-on service to their communities. The students training at Hebrew Union College come from varied backgrounds, from ICU nurses who found their calling at a patient's bedside, to Coast Guard-licensed sea captains. What unites them is their conviction that Jewish community matters, and their willingness to dedicate their lives to strengthening it.

These are not students who chose the easy path. Many arrive at Hebrew Union College having already built careers, raised families, and wrestled with personal questions of purpose before taking the leap into professional Jewish leadership. For most, financial support isn't a luxury: it's what makes the leap possible at all. More than 80% of Hebrew Union College students require financial aid, and scholarship support is what allows the College to say 'yes' to the people best suited to lead Jewish communities through an uncertain and rapidly changing world.

No two students have the same story, but each one offers a window into what it looks like when the right person gets the chance to answer their calling.

Chloe Koren

Chloe is a rising second-year rabbinical student who just finished her Year-In-Israel. An ICU Registered Nurse, Chloe was a Jewish Ideas Fellow at Hebrew Union College, served on the board at Congregation Albert in Albuquerque, NM, and is a current Weitzman-JDC (American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee) Fellow.

"During the pandemic, I was often the only person to care for the dying, and I realized I wanted to spend my life caring for people's spiritual, rather than physical needs. When synagogues closed or went virtual, I felt the lack of personal community quite powerfully, and decided I needed to build vibrant Jewish community. This scholarship - allowing me to complete my Year-In-Israel - has cemented my commitment to the people and land of Israel."

Emily Lezin

Emily is a rising fifth-year cantorial student at the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from UCLA and earned her master's degree from Mannes College: the New School for Music and is a Star Cantorial Fellow and a Weitzman-JDC Fellow. She is a cantorial Intern at Temple Shaaray Tefila in New York.

"The work I have been able to do at Hebrew Union College, from my practica, to Clinical Pastoral Education, to service leading, to my internship, has been personally transformative and impactful for the communities I serve. The cantorial program has allowed me to grow into myself and into my future role as cantor in deeply profound ways."

Jacob Abbisso

Jacob is a rising fourth-year rabbinical student in New York. A United States Coast Guard licensed Master Captain, he owns an environmentally conscious fishing charter business. Jacob received an award for rescuing a caretaker and two children at sea and twists animal balloons for charity in his time away from his studies and his rabbinic internship at Larchmont Temple.

"Hebrew Union College has given me the skill set to lead the Jewish People through what might be one of the most difficult periods in recent history. It has given me a profound sense of purpose, and I am beyond grateful to serve the Jewish people in our current moment."

Myriam Rofrano

Myriam is a recent graduate from the Executive M.A. program in Jewish Education. A Maryland native with a B.A. in Advertising and Public Relations from Lynn University, she brings deep experience in Jewish youth engagement through URJ's Crane Lake Camp, USY, Hillel, and as a MASA Israel Teaching Fellow. Over the course of her studies, she has been promoted from Assistant Director to Director of Education at Congregation B'nai Israel in Boca Raton.

"My rabbi encouraged me to apply for the Executive M.A. in Jewish Education program, and it was the right call. The EMA has been pivotal in my career development. Growing alongside my cohort and learning with - and from - such inspirational and accomplished educators has truly shaped my professional journey."

Ben Novorr

Ben is a student in the Zelikow School of Jewish Nonprofit Management. He is a graduate of the University of Kansas (KU), where he serves as the Director of Jewish Student Engagement at the KU Hillel.

"Growing up in Lawrence, Kansas, there was practically no Jewish community. It was not until college, when I got involved with Hillel, that I not only recognized just how much being a part of a Jewish community means to me, but was also introduced to the idea that I could do this work professionally. The Zelikow School is providing me access to all parts of the Jewish world and is strengthening me as a leader and a professional."

Ziva Gunther

Ziva is a rising fourth-year rabbinical student in Los Angeles. Originally from New Mexico, she serves on the HaKesher Board and is the College's Women's Rabbinic Network Campus Liaison, and the student rabbi at congregation Brith Sholem in Ogden, UT. She was an AJS Jews of Color Fellow and is proud of her Mexican American heritage.

"I was drawn to the rabbinate by a love of Jewish learning, building community, and the ways our tradition offers meaning and hope in moments of both joy and challenge. Hebrew Union College is shaping the rabbi I am becoming, one rooted in tradition and responsive to the real lives of the people I hope to serve."