INVITATION (PDF)

Our Graduates

GÁBOR LENGYEL was born in Budapest in 1941. Thanks to the help of the Swedish diplomat Raul Wallenberg, Lengyel survived the Shoa. He immigrated to Israel in 1956 and returned to Germany in 1965 where he took up his studies in engineering. After having successfully completed his degree, he volunteered as chairman of the Jewish Congregation in Braunschweig. He held this position for 15 years before he moved to Hanover where he and his wife Aniko eventually played a significant part in founding the local Liberal Jewish Congregation. Lengyel took up his studies at the Abraham Geiger College at Potsdam University after his retirement. He wrote his final thesis about specific terms of the Mishnah using the example of the tractate Shabbat. He is also working on his doctoral thesis, which he will submit in Budapest. The thesis’ title is ‘The three Rabbinical Seminaries in Germany (1854 – 1938) and their Hungarian Students’. Gábor Lengyel was awarded with the ‘Blickwechselpreis’ (Perspective Prize) from the Association ‘Christians and Jews in Lower Saxony’ for his continual work as a bridge builder between the religions. Lengyel will continue to pursue his work for the Liberal Congregation in Hanover as a Rabbi. Gábor Lengyel has chosen a verse from the Mishnah tractate Avot for his ordination: ‘Do not look at the flask but at what is in it’.

RICHARD NEWMAN was born in wartime London in 1941. Newman grew up in Cape Town, South Africa, where he was imbued with Jewish life. With a Jewish education and his spoken Hebrew he embarked on his career within the world of academia. While at Leeds University in northern England, he majored, inter alia, in Semitic Languages, including Hebrew, Aramaic and Ugaritic. On his return to South Africa, he continued his academic work, completing another honours degree, specializing in Judaic studies at the University of South Africa. Thereafter, Newman lived on a moshav in the northern Negev desert. Returning to South Africa at the time of the demise of apartheid, Richard Newman, having been awarded a teaching diploma by the ORT organization, spent some years teaching Hebrew at the renowned Cape Town Jewish day school. From there he went on to become the curator of the Cape Town Jewish Museum. Newman went on to teach at the University of Denver's Department of Judaic Studies before he took up his studies at the Abraham Geiger College at Potsdam University. Newman has widely published his writings and was awarded with the prestigious award of Reform Jewish Educator by the National Association of Temple Educators in recognition of his many years of contribution to Jewish Education at various levels on four continents. After his ordination, Newman will continue his work in for the Liberal Congregation in Cape Town. Newman has chosen a verse from Deuteronomy for his ordination: ‘He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just’

DR. ROLY ZYLBERSZTEIN was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1965. In his adolescence he became a madrich. Dr. Zylbersztein moved to Israel after graduating from high school. There he took up his university studies. He completed his B.A. in Jewish History and Education. During this time he also began his rabbinical studies at the Hebrew Union College. After four years of study he went on to perform his military service. His task was the development of educational programs in the IDF officers’ school. With his wife Dalia, Dr. Zylbersztein went to live at Kibbutz Lotan in southern Israel after his military service. He was twice elected to serve as the general secretary of the Kibbutz (1992-1995). Dr. Zylbersztein left Lotan and returned to Israel where he completed a Masters degree in Jewish History. In 2001 he and his family moved to Cincinnati Ohio where he continued working on his doctoral thesis. He taught at the Hebrew Union College and at the university of Cincinnati. During his academic years, he earned various prizes, such as the prestigious Mendoza prize and the Rotenstreich scholarship for outstanding students. In 2007 Dr. Zylbersztein moved to Berlin, where he completed the work on his doctoral thesis and taught at Potsdam University. It was here that Dr. Zylbersztein decided to complete his rabbinic education at the Abraham Geiger College at Potsdam University. Since 2008 he has been working for a Liberal Congregation in Barcelona, Spain. After his ordination, Dr. Zylbersztein and his family will return to Israel. Dr. Zylbersztein wrote his final thesis about the Tzedakah duties of Jewish congregations. Dr. Roly Zylbersztein has chosen a verse from Maimonides for his ordination: ‘You must accept the truth from whatever source it comes’.

JUVAL PORAT was born in Israel in 1978 and received his education at a yeshiva in Jerusalem before he began studying architecture at RWTH Aachen University. During his studies, Porat served as ba´al tfillah, a cantorial soloist, for several congregations in Germany. After his successful graduation from university, Porat worked as an architect in Berlin before he began his training as a cantor, first at the Abraham Geiger College, then at the newly founded Jewish Institute of Cantorial Arts. During his studies, Porat continued to work for several Liberal Congregations in Germany. He spent his last year of studies in Israel, at the Hebrew Union College Jerusalem, where he pursued his major fields of study with American cantorial students. Juval Porat has been working intensely on research regarding the Friday evening liturgy and presented a concert that was conducted under the topic of his final thesis: ‘The musical development of the evening service in Germany from the 17th century up to today’.